Manitoba Tories delaying AGM to next year appears to violate party constitution
Ian Froese, Bartley Kives | CBC News | Posted: September 7, 2022 10:00 AM | Last Updated: September 7, 2022
PCs say party focused on upcoming byelection, nominating candidates for 2023 election
Manitoba's Progressive Conservative party will wait nearly two-and-a-half years to hold another annual general meeting — apparently in violation of its own constitution.
The Tories are required to convene their next meeting no more than 24 months from the previous one, which occurred in November of 2020. Rival parties are crying foul, and some party members also appear displeased.
The party says it is busy preparing for the upcoming Kirkfield Park byelection, which must happen this December at the latest, and will next hold an AGM on April 14, 2023.
"They come across like they're trying to hide from the electorate," said Verna Heinrichs, a long-time party member from southern Manitoba.
"There are a lot of issues that need to be aired, openly discussed, at a forum that would be facilitated with having an AGM."
Heinrichs said some parts of the Tory base are disgruntled by the party's handling of the leadership contest — which resulted in some members never receiving their ballot in a race Heather Stefanson won last year with just 51 per cent of the vote — and their approach to the pandemic.
She said the party must bring members together so they can iron out any issues and hopefully present a united front in time for the upcoming 2023 election.
Heinrichs said it is incumbent upon the party to accomplish that quickly, rather than "sweeping issues under the rug."
Otherwise, "it leaves too many people with the feeling that they're trying to avoid some form of accountability, and none of that equates to cohesiveness within the party," she said.
Constitution questions
The party's constitution states an AGM must be held annually, though it can be postponed for a federal/provincial general election, a leadership vote or any other reason justifying postponement so long as such meetings are held within 24 months of each other.
An AGM wasn't required in 2021 because the party held a leadership convention.
A statement attributed to party president Brent Pooles said the Tories are postponing the AGM until the spring to "ensure that there is no interference with the byelection efforts." The party did not respond to CBC questions last week about how the party's constitution justifies a postponement beyond the 24-month timeline.
Pooles said Stefanson had an "extensive summer schedule" and, as such, met with party members across Manitoba.
"We are also heading into a very heavy nomination period which will see her meeting with members on an almost-weekly basis," Pooles said by email. "The leader loves having open dialogue with the membership and will continue to do so."
Stefanson said this isn't the first time the Tories have changed the timing of an AGM.
"We have another byelection that will be coming up and so we need to focus on that for right now," she said in an interview Tuesday after an unrelated news conference.
Party in political recovery: prof
Paul Thomas, a professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said the Tories have a responsibility to provide its membership with a clear explanation for dismissing its constitution.
Thomas reasoned the party, which enjoyed a number of positive news announcements this summer, would want to keep their momentum going.
"I don't think there's any appetite among general members of the party to necessarily comply strictly with the provisions of the constitution," he said.
"The majority of members are happy, as the party may be moving ahead in something of a political recovery from the dark final days of the [former premier Brian] Pallister regime and they recognize the need to get ready and position the party for the upcoming election."
Thomas said the party is making the political calculation to endure a "few short hours of embarrassment" in the media over a constitutional matter he figures many voters won't care about.
Other leaders' criticism
But political rivals argue the PC's disregarding of their constitution doesn't speak highly to the government's practices.
"Do you want someone running a $20-billion operation? Do you want someone running the health-care system if they can't even abide by the rules that they've set for themselves within their own political party?" NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.
The NDP said it received permission from their governing body to postpone their 2019 convention because of the early election and then rescheduled their 2020 meeting multiple times because of the pandemic. The party went on to hold a virtual convention in Feb. 2021 and is scheduling an in-person meeting next month.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said his party held an annual general meeting earlier this spring while campaigning in a byelection.
"One of the defining features of this government, and Stefanson as well, has been to pretend things aren't happening and to hope that it gets better," Lamont said.
"That's not how you actually fix things, especially when it comes to facing down members who might be frustrated."
A leadership vote could be triggered at a Tory AGM, but Thomas suspects the party membership at large wouldn't initiate it since Stefanson appears to be growing into the job and can still make a better connection with voters.
The next provincial election must be held no later than Oct. 3, 2023.