Five Manitoba cabinet ministers quit over premier who doesn’t listen

INVC,

Canada,

Five high-profile ministers have announced they are resigning from the cabinet of Manitoba’s NDP government, citing a premier who they say has stopped listening to their advice. The five include Finance Minister Jennifer Howard, Justice Minister Andrew Swan, Jobs and Economy Minister Theresa Oswald, Municipal Government Minister Stan Struthers and Health Minister Erin Selby, who all say they will stay on as MLAs.They say in a statement that it’s become clear to them that Premier Greg Selinger is more interested in hanging onto his leadership than serving the best interests of Manitobans. Selinger will shuffle his cabinet on Monday.

In a statement released to the station, Selinger said he’s saddened by the resignations, but notes that he made it clear to his cabinet last week that they must either focus on Manitoba families or step down.

A revolt erupted last week when the ministers suggested Selinger should think about his future, given the NDP’s drop in opinion polls. The New Democrats have trailed the Opposition Progressive Conservatives since the government increased the provincial sales tax to eight per cent from seven last year.

The ministers later agreed to an uneasy truce, with Oswald, Swan and Howard saying they would not resign, although they gave no indication that they were backing down from their suggestions that the premier consider stepping down.

There has also been no indication of when the fall session of the legislature would get underway.