Manitoba politics: interim Progressive Conservative leader Konrad Narth told a room of party faithful in Winnipeg on Friday that he is ready to take the Tories into an election and win it, even if the vote comes before the party picks a permanent leader.
By Maplestime Politics Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 6, 2026
Sources: CBC News | Last updated: November 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Narth told a few hundred supporters at the annual Blue Tie Gala in Winnipeg on Friday that he is ready to lead the Progressive Conservatives into an election if it comes before a permanent leader is chosen.
- His line to the room: “I’m not in this to finish second, I’m in it to win,” adding it is not personal ambition but his belief that Manitoba needs a Progressive Conservative government.
- The next Manitoba election is scheduled for October 5, 2027, but Premier Wab Kinew could call it earlier.
- The PC executive council meets November 21 to prepare the leadership race, and party rules require 90 to 300 days of notice before a leadership vote.
- Party president Peter Smith said the Tories will not rush picking a leader, and he expects the NDP to wait until the PCs have a permanent leader before going to the polls.
What Narth Told the Blue Tie Gala
Narth spoke Friday night to a few hundred party supporters at the annual Blue Tie Gala, a fundraising event at the Ambassador Ballroom at Canad Inns Polo Park. It was his first big party room moment since he became interim leader on September 29, after Obby Khan resigned as leader and left the PC caucus.
His message was blunt. He said he is prepared to take the party into the next election and win it if the race is called before a permanent leader is selected. “I’ve never been someone that believes in standing on the sidelines when there’s work that needs to be done,” he said.
In an interview afterward, Narth described the PCs as “common-sense, compassionate conservatives,” adding “because I think that’s what the average Manitoban is.”
A Leadership Race Still Without Rules
The party has yet to determine the rules for the race to replace Khan. The executive council meets November 21 to make preparations and potentially choose a date for the leadership vote. Under the party constitution, 90 to 300 days of advance notice is needed before a leadership vote is held.
Smith, the party president, said the Tories will not rush the decision to beat a potential early election. Getting the choice right matters more than speed, he said. “Voters aren’t stupid. They know when they’re being taken advantage of, and they know when someone’s playing games for their own advantage,” Smith said.
Khan stepped aside in late September, saying he did not want to fight colleagues he said were secretly conspiring to replace him. Khan has alleged Narth played a role in his attempted ouster. Narth has declined to speak publicly about what happened, citing confidentiality around internal party matters.
The Polls and the Record Narth Must Overcome
Narth would take the party into a vote from a difficult starting point. The PCs lost the 2023 election to Kinew’s NDP, then lost the longtime safe seat of Tuxedo in a 2024 byelection and narrowly held the rural Spruce Woods constituency in a 2025 byelection.
Recent polling suggests the majority NDP government would gain seats in an upcoming election, though no specific poll or seat count was reported. Narth pushed back on the polls, saying election results are determined by voters, not polls, and the PCs would work every day to win over the electorate.
The Pitch: Hard Work, Pharmacists and Property Crime
Narth portrayed a Manitoba where working hard is increasingly not enough to succeed, and said an elected PC government would change that. He pointed to recent election style announcements from the party, including giving pharmacists more prescribing power and assigning Crown attorneys to focus on property crime. The party has promised 25 new Crown attorneys focused on property crime if elected.
He also took aim at the NDP government, saying voters expected it to be guided by its oft cited mantra that the economic horse pulls the social cart, but that has not happened. Narth said the government has failed to usher in a mining boom and advance a Port of Churchill expansion.
Whether an early election actually comes is still Kinew’s call. But Narth’s message Friday was that the interim leader is not waiting for permission to campaign like a premier in waiting.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Manitoba PC leadership race as announcements are made.
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Do you think Konrad Narth should lead the PCs into an early election, or should the party pick a permanent leader first? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Manitoban following the race to replace Obby Khan.
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