After a month of high political drama, it would be understandable if Manitobans were left wondering what all the fuss was about.
It was more than a month ago that senior cabinet ministers in the NDP government of Premier Greg Selinger started openly calling for the Premier to quit. When Mr. Selinger refused to up and leave, five cabinet ministers took the unprecedented step of quitting their cabinet jobs themselves. When they resigned, they held a news conference and said that the Premier had stopped listening to them and that the priorities of the government were tied to the support you offered Mr. Selinger.
As this unfolded, it would have been logical for the public to conclude that the five former cabinet ministers would be unwilling to support the Premier or his agenda since they had indicated it was based upon an unwillingness to listen and not on the priorities of Manitobans. Yet, when the Manitoba Legislature resumed sitting in November, it seemed that not much, other than the seating arrangements, had changed.
This past week we saw the rebel members of NDP Caucus support the vision of Premier Selinger by voting for his Throne Speech. The Throne Speech is a document that broadly outlines the vision of the government and its priorities. While the five former cabinet ministers said that the Premier was no longer listening and was advancing priorities based on criteria that were not in keeping with the best interests of Manitobans, they still voted in favour of the Premier’s Throne Speech.
It seems that the NDP rebels are now in support of Premier Greg Selinger and his vision. By propping up the Premier they ensure that it is his vision and priorities that will govern the province for the next 12 months. By ensuring the Premier can keep his job, even during an NDP leadership contest expected to happen in March, they are ensuring it will be his priorities and stamp on the next provincial budget which will take us up to the next provincial election.
So what was all the fuss about anyway? How could the five dissenting cabinet ministers say on one day that they had lost confidence in the Premier and could no longer work with him and yet just a few days later, endorse his plan for the next year and give him the keys to the next budget? After all of the high stakes moves and drama it appears that there is in fact little difference between any of the NDP members of the Manitoba Legislature.
Whatever led the five former cabinet ministers to speak out originally has clearly changed, and they are now simply rebels without a cause.
