Should the Progressive Conservatives be concerned with Khan’s narrow victory in Fort Whyte?

While Obby Khan celebrates his narrow byelection victory in the Winnipeg constituency of Fort Whyte, a political studies professor says the result should be concerning for the Progressive Conservatives.

Khan beat out Liberal candidate Willard Reaves Tuesday by just 197 votes in a constituency that has been a PC stronghold since 1999.

BACKGROUND: PC’s Obby Khan wins seat in Fort Whyte byeleection

The seat was previously held by former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister.

For a riding that is considered one of the safest Tory seats in Manitoba, it was far from a slam dunk victory.

“I think it’s a little embarrassing,” said Royce Koop of the University of Manitoba. “The party needs to think about where it’s at right now.

“The narrowness of the result is going to cause reflection, it should cause some recalibration on the part of the government, the party and the premier as well.”

Wow – what a night! Fort Whyte you have been heard. We have some work to do, I have some work to do – and I am ready to work for you!#obbykhan4fortwhyte pic.twitter.com/g663df85Jd

— Obby Khan (@obbykhan60) March 23, 2022

Premier Heather Stefanson responded to the results Wednesday, seeming to place blame on the pandemic.

“There’s a lot of people who have had challenges throughout those times and I think what they are looking do, is they are finding challenges and looking to pinpoint it on someone. That’s just what we are here for, we are government,” said Stefanson.

Recent polls have shown that Premier Stefanson has the lowest rating among premiers in Canada.

Future of the Progressive Conservatives 

With Khan barely squeaking a win in a Tory stronghold, where do the PCs go from here?

“I think they should perhaps recognize there is a problem here and they might want to adapt their strategy,” said Malcolm Bird, a political science professor at the University of Winnipeg.

Bird says the PC government needs to have more of a physical presence among the public, so Manitobans can get to know their premier better.

“They should be talking about important police issues that we face here in Manitoba, such as crime, health care, challenging financial future,” he said. “They should be discussing these and providing viable solutions to them.”

Bird says the Manitoba Liberals, who only hold three seats in the legislature, should be very happy.

“I think the Liberal party could see this as a very good outcome, not ideal, but a good outcome that they could be competitive in these important suburban ridings,” said Bird.

Looking ahead to the 2023 provincial election, Koop says there is still a lot of time for the PCs to bounce back.

“I wouldn’t read too much into the result that happened last night,” he said.