Tom Lindsey will carry the NDP banner in the Flin Flon constituency in the next provincial election.
Lindsey defeated incumbent MLA Clarence Pettersen in a hotly contested party nomination, with the results announced Friday evening.
“The most important thing tonight is to thank Clarence for his years and everything that he’s done for the constituency and for the province,” Lindsey told nearly 20 party members gathered at the Flin Flon Public Library, where the ballots were counted. “All I can do is build on what Clarence has done and build on what the NDP has done…in this constituency. And I look forward to working with Clarence and his team to make a smooth transition as we go into the next election so that we can work and win the next election.”
Pettersen congratulated Lindsey and wished him well, but he also made it clear he was not happy with the outcome and does not support the transition of candidates.
“Will I support you in this? Absolutely not,” he said, addressing one of two party members he said “plotted” the nomination contest. “So good luck and I hope you do well.”
Pettersen said people – he named no names – “took advantage of the situation, whether I was sick or pneumonia, and I would never do that to anybody, and that’s the way I feel.”
He also said the nomination process was “not really democratic” since fewer than 300 people in a constituency of thousands had decided the outcome.
“But that’s the way it is within our party, so congratulations, Tom,” Pettersen added.
Pettersen, who was elected in 2011, remains Flin Flon MLA until the next election on April 19, 2016, but he will not carry the NDP banner in the election.
A total of 269 party members voted in the nomination contest, with one spoiled ballot.
The Reminder will have more on this story in our next print edition, on Wednesday.
