Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen has regained full caucus privileges following a five-month ban for what was viewed as party disloyalty.
Pettersen and other party dissidents were welcomed back into the fold at an NDP caucus retreat held at a monastery north of Winnipeg last Thursday, April 9.
“We agreed that we’re all coming together as a unified caucus,” said Premier Greg Selinger, as quoted by the Winnipeg Free Press.
“It is a big step and people showed a lot of goodwill.”
The decision means Pettersen can once again attend caucus meetings and fully participate in government decision-making.
He and five other NDP MLAs had been barred from caucus meetings since last fall as punishment for calling on Selinger to step down as premier. A seventh MLA was locked out for an unrelated controversy.
Now all seven representatives have full privileges a year ahead of what is expected to be a difficult election against the popular Progressive Conservatives.
Pettersen informed The Reminder of the caucus retreat more than a week before it happened, but it was not clear at the time whether he would have his meeting ban lifted.
Selinger narrowly survived a leadership race last month, defeating challengers Theresa Oswald, who was backed by Pettersen, and Steve Ashton.
Pettersen had expressed his disappointment over Selinger’s handling of the unpopular 2013 PST increase and internal polling showing the NDP in trouble.
Pettersen also said he feared Selinger’s low favourability numbers would drag the party down to defeat, though he more recently said he is now ready to contest the 2016 election with Selinger as leader.
