Manitoba First () was a provincial political party in the Canadian province of Manitoba that was originally called the Manitoba Party.
History The Manitoba Party was founded in January 2016 by Gary Marshall and John Sneisen. The party first named Taz Stuart the interim leader.
Stuart resigned as interim leader on February 4, 2016, less than a month into the role.
The party was registered by Elections Manitoba on March 24, 2016, with Gary Marshall becoming leader.
It ran 16 candidates in the 2016 general election, garnering 4,887 votes, or 1.1 per cent of the total vote. The party placed second in Arthur-Virden and Spruce Woods.
On August 13, 2018, then-independent MLA Steven Fletcher joined the Manitoba Party. On September 11, 2018, Fletcher became leader of the Manitoba Party, despite the protestations of previous board members who claimed they were unaware of Fletcher's plans. Two of these former board members filed court documents in December 2018, seeking Fletcher's ouster after claiming that the previous leader, Gary Marshall, "gave" Fletcher the leadership without authority, as Marshall had been removed as party leader following a unanimous vote during a board meeting in July 2018. Marshall claimed the board meeting never occurred, while Fletcher maintains he knew nothing about any internal disputes, and that the leadership change was done in accordance with the law.
On May 22, 2019, Fletcher announced he would be running in the 2019 Canadian federal election as a candidate for the People's Party of Canada. He ran in the federal riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, which he had previously represented from 2004 to 2015 as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. Subsequently, Fletcher resigned as leader of the party and David Sutherland, 2016 candidate in the riding of Dawson Trail, was listed as leader.
On August 6, 2019, the party changed its name to Manitoba First and Douglas Petrick was listed as the new leader. In the 2019 election, the party won no seats.
The party deregistered on March 3, 2022.
2016 platform In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in January 2016, founder Gary Marshall stated that the new party was "...a party of tax cuts". Its platform included a pledge to lower the provincial sales tax rate to 5 per cent from 8 percent, removal of PST charges on all food purchases, and changing the personal and business income tax rates to a flat 10 per cent, among other proposals.
The party also proposed to remove all red light and speed cameras from intersections and mobile units, eradicate government regulations "that impede trade and commerce", and changing how tax revenues are allocated among education, municipalities, and so on.
Party leaders
+LeaderTerm of officeNotesManitoba PartyTaz StuartJanuary 21, 2016 – February 4, 2016Interim leaderGary MarshallMarch 24, 2016 – July 2018Steven FletcherSeptember 11, 2018 – May 22, 2019David SutherlandJune 2, 2019 – August 6, 2019Manitoba FirstDouglas PetrickAugust 6, 2019 – March 3, 2022
Former MLAs MemberDistrictTenureNotesSteven FletcherAssiniboia2018—2019Previously served as a PC MLA 2016–2017 and an independent 2017–2018
Election results Election Banner Leader Votes % Swing Seats % seats +/– Rank Status 2016 Manitoba Party Gary Marshall 4,887 1.1 New party 0 5th 2019 Manitoba First Douglas Petrick 647 0.1 1.0 0 6th
References