Manitoba Tories delaying AGM to next year appears to violate party constitution

Manitoba's Progressive Conservative party will wait nearly two-and-a-half years to hold another annual general meeting apparently in violationof itsown 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 thatneed to be aired, openly discussed, at a forum that would be facilitated with having an AGM."

Heinrichssaid some partsof the Tory base are disgruntled by the party's handling of the leadership contestwhich resulted in some members never receiving their ballot in a raceHeather Stefanson won last year with just 51 per cent of the voteand their approach to the pandemic.

She said the party must bring members together so they caniron out any issues and hopefully present aunited front in time for the upcoming 2023 election.

Heinrichs said it is incumbent uponthe party to accomplish that quickly, rather than "sweeping issues under the rug."

Otherwise, "it leaves toomany people with the feeling thatthey'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 statesan 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 suchmeetings are held within 24 months of each other.

An AGM wasn't requiredin 2021 because the party held a leadership convention.

A statement attributed to party president Brent Poolessaid 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 apostponement beyond the 24-month timeline.

Pooles said Stefanson had an "extensive summer schedule" and, as such,met with party membersacross Manitoba.

"We are also heading into a very heavy nomination period which will see hermeetingwith members on an almost-weekly basis," Pooles said by email. "The leaderloves having open dialogue with the membership and will continue to do so."

Stefanson said this isn't the first time the Tories have changed thetiming of anAGM.

"We have another byelection that will be coming up and so we need to focus onthat for right now," she said in an interview Tuesday after an unrelated news conference.

Party in political recovery: prof

Paul Thomas, aprofessor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said the Tories have a responsibility toprovide its membership witha clear explanation for dismissing its constitution.

Thomas reasonedthe party, which enjoyeda number of positive news announcements this summer, would want to keep theirmomentum going.

"Idon't think there's any appetite among general members of the partyto 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 darkfinal 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'tcare about.

Other leaders' criticism

But political rivals argue the PC's disregarding of theirconstitution 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 NDPsaid it received permission from their governing body to postponetheir 2019 convention because of the early election and then rescheduled their 2020 meeting multiple times because of the pandemic. The partywent on to holda virtual convention in Feb. 2021 and is scheduling an in-personmeetingnext month.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said his party held an annual general meeting earlier this springwhile campaigning in a byelection.

"One of the defining features of this government, andStefanson 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 ToryAGM, but Thomas suspects the party membership at large wouldn't initiate it sinceStefansonappears to begrowing 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.