Stephen Carter, veteran campaign manager in Alberta, to lead Manitoba Tory effort

Manitoba Progressive Conservatives have hired Alberta strategist Stephen Carter to guide their next election campaign.

Carter led the so-called “purple wave” mayoral campaign of Naheed Nenshi in 2010 in Calgary, which harnessed social media, appealed to a broad cross-section of voters, and led Nenshi to an unexpected win.

Carter also helped guide the rise of Alison Redford, who became leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives and premier despite having almost no caucus support.

He later served as chief of staff to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek

Carter describes himself as “an old-school P.C.” whose interest in politics started with former federal P.C. leaders Joe Clark and Jean Charest. He said he was saddened to see Progressive Conservative parties disappear in some jurisdictions. 

“But P.C.s like those we see in Manitoba are still strong and can be the defining light for what conservatism looks like in the future,” Carter said in an interview Friday.

The president of the Manitoba Tories, Peter Smith, said Carter is politically agnostic with a proven record.

“He’s had some success on the left and he’s had more success on the right,” Smith said.

“We’re not looking to move the party one way or the other. We’re looking to meet the voter and we’re looking to see how the voters want to be governed,” Smith added.

“I think we maybe forgot about the voter a little bit in the last election and I think that Stephen can help us get back to where we should be.”

The Progressive Conservatives held government from 2016 to 2023, when the NDP swept to power. The Tories lost 13 seats and became the official Opposition. 

The Tory campaign was widely criticized for ads that promoted the government’s earlier decision to not search a landfill for the remains of two slain First Nations women. The ads cited health and safety concerns for searchers.

Tory Leader Heather Stefanson later resigned, and the party has been working to rebuild under Obby Khan, who was elected leader in April. But opinion polls suggest NDP support remains very strong, and the Tories have been falling behind financially.

Party filings with Elections Manitoba show the NDP garnered more than $1.8 million in contributions and fundraising in 2024 — roughly triple the Tories’ amount. The Tories ran a surplus last year but are still working to pay off debt from the last campaign.

“We’ve been raising money. We’ve managed our expenses well, so I’m not concerned,” Smith said.

The party has also put its headquarters up for sale — a house near the legislature listed for $800,000. 

The next election is slated for Oct. 5, 2027 but Premier Wab Kinew has floated the possibility of calling a vote earlier.