Winnipeg city councillor won’t run for Manitoba PC leader

Winnipeg City Councillor Scott Gillingham says he won’t join the race to lead Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives and be the province’s next premier.

After previously saying he was considering a run, the St. James councillor and chair of city’s finance committee said in a release Thursday he’s decided to sit this one out.

“Given the tight timelines set by the Party this week, I don’t believe there is enough runway for a new candidate to mount an effective challenge and so I will not be a candidate in the leadership race,” he said in the release.

“I can’t ask people to take time from their lives, their jobs or their families to work so hard on my behalf without a reasonable chance of success.”

0:57 Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he will not seek re-election

Earlier this week the PCs laid out rules for the leadership, including setting an entry fee of $25,000 and a deadline of Sept. 15 for candidates who want to join the race. The vote to replace leader is slated for Oct. 30.

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Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced earlier this month that he would not seek re-election and asked the party to start planning a leadership vote.

So far only two candidates — former health minister Heather Stefanson and former Conservative St. Boniface MP Shelly Glover –have officially said they plan to run.

Two high-profile Tories who had said they were considering a run — Finance Minister Scott Fielding and Families Minister Rochelle Squires — said Tuesday they had decided to bow out.

1:58 Who’s next to lead the Manitoba Conservatives?