Fending off harsh criticism, Clarence Pettersen continues to call for the resignation of a premier he accused first of lying and then of withholding crucial information.
And if he fails to reclaim the party nomination, the Flin Flon MLA is apparently leaving the door open to running without the NDP banner in next year’s election.
At a public forum on Dec. 17, Pettersen sparred with fellow New Democrats over his plea for Greg Selinger to step down and whether the premier has been forthcoming.
“Is it fair of Greg to lie to us?” Pettersen asked during one exchange.
To explain, Pettersen said Selinger waited months to reveal to his caucus an internal poll showing the NDP is in serious trouble.
While the polling was done in April, Pettersen said he didn’t learn of the dismal results until August.
“He didn’t tell us the poll results in April, because if it would have been in April, a lot of us would have stood up even sooner [and called on Selinger to resign],” said Pettersen, one of six NDP MLAs who has publicly appealed to the premier to quit.
PST secrecy
Pettersen said Selinger was also dishonest when it came to last year’s one-point PST increase, which put the NDP’s popularity on a downward spiral.
Asked why he and the other dissidents didn’t object to the PST hike when it was proposed, Pettersen said even Stan Struthers, a former finance minister, didn’t know about the increase until a day before it was announced.
“Why didn’t we stand up? Well, all this party unity thing,” said Pettersen. “We thought, ‘Well, you know, he’s [Selinger] got a plan.’ There was no plan. He announced – like they’re saying he lied [about whether he would raise the PST]. Well I guess he did. Why he chose that, I don’t know, but he sure didn’t get any input from any of us.”
It wasn’t a law requiring a referendum to raise the PST that “hurt us,” Pettersen said, but Selinger saying, “I’m not going to raise your taxes” before the last election.
Later, however, Pettersen backtracked on his comments.
“I wouldn’t say he [Selinger] was a liar,” he said. “I’m just saying that what he did is, is he didn’t tell us… that’s not lying, that’s – he kept information from us.”
Pettersen at times found himself in a back-and-forth with his predecessor, New Democrat Gerard Jennissen, who suggested Pettersen may have difficulty getting his next NDP nomination form signed by Selinger, as is required.
Pettersen declared he is “not worried about that” and, without directly saying so, indicated he will be a candidate in the next election with or without the NDP.
“Last time [the NDP won] 37 seats. We’re not going to be that lucky to have 37 seats [again],” he said. “I believe that they need the seats and I am going to run in this constituency whatever, because I believe in this constituency. Now if you can read between the lines there, I said I’m going to run ‘whatever.’ And I believe I’ll win.”
At another point, Pettersen was asked whether he wants to be part of a government led by Selinger should the premier survive a leadership race in March.
“You know, in life you have options, and I have lots of options,” replied Pettersen before an audience of eight residents at the Flin Flon City Hall council chambers. “I right now am NDP and I believe in their philosophy, so I’m NDP. But I do have options. I’m not going to say what those options are.”
Added Pettersen: “My problem isn’t with the NDP. My problem is with Greg Selinger.”
Accusation
Pettersen’s tone prompted an accusation from long-time NDP backer Dallas Mymko that the MLA is ready to depart the New Democrats.
“I have a real strong feeling that you want to walk the floor,” a frustrated Mymko told Pettersen. “You are indicating that five, six ways to Sunday.”
Mymko chastised Pettersen for failing to support Selinger and suggested the MLA do a poll of Flin Flon to see if he himself would be re-elected.
Pettersen repeatedly stressed his fear that the NDP cannot win with Selinger as leader and that a loss would unravel years of progress for Manitoba.
But Jennissen, the former MLA, told Pettersen he is “not a prophet” and that there is still time for the party to shore up support.
“Why do we fire the coach every time we lose a game?” Jennissen said. “[Selinger] gave us 37 seats, let’s face that fact. Thirty-seven seats – higher than we’ve ever had before. He hasn’t had a full mandate yet. You guys want to boot him halfway through. Is that fair to Greg Selinger? I don’t think so.”
For his part, Pettersen disputed the notion that his expulsion from NDP caucus meetings has impacted his ability to serve as MLA.
Pettersen said he still approaches cabinet ministers and sits on the province’s Mining Advisory Council.
“Nothing really changes with me, only I’m not at the big table talking,” he said. “I don’t think it’s affected me at all. Now, having said that, if I wasn’t allowed to go [to caucus meetings] after [the NDP leadership review], well then there would have to be some changes. I would make some changes and they would make some changes.”
Defends record
Asked how much clout a backbencher such as himself has in the government, Pettersen said all MLAs have a say and that his record is indicative of his hard work.
“I’ve got $150 million for this constituency,” he said. “It wasn’t because I sat there and had my hands under my ass. You have to lobby.”
As for the one-point PST increase, Pettersen said that while he viewed the move as both necessary and legal, it was not properly sold to the public.
“Why didn’t we say that, ‘You know what, we’re going to go up two per cent.’ You know, why didn’t we say that two weeks before the throne speech – ‘We’re going to go up two per cent’ and then say, ‘You know what, we owe Manitoba more than that, we don’t want to make it so hard, we’re only doing one per cent.’ There was a way of instituting it. But this was all of a sudden.”
Though Pettersen found himself in the hot seat throughout the 70-minute forum, he said he appreciates debate and wants to hear from constituents unhappy with his job performance.
On a personal note, he said he is “doing good” following a September cancer operation and that an MRI next month will reveal whether all of the cancer was removed.
Behind the scenes
During a public forum he hosted last week, Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen offered his version of the events leading up to his public call for Premier Greg Selinger to resign.
Pettersen said the NDP had commissioned internal polling in April, and although it showed the party would be “wiped off the map” in an election, nothing was said about this information until August.
Selinger asked his MLAs for their honest opinion of the situation, Pettersen said. Fearing an NDP loss in the next election, he said he told Selinger he should step down.
Pettersen said he repeated his statement at a later caucus meeting and that “a hell of a lot more” than the six dissident MLAs who have gone public wanted Selinger to quit.
By then Pettersen said he thought Selinger would indeed resign. But when the premier visited Flin Flon in October, Pettersen said, he tried to get the MLA to change his mind.
Pettersen said Selinger told him that the party needed unity, to which he told the premier that the polls show the NDP can’t win under the current leader.
The rookie MLA said he told Selinger this was a matter of integrity and that he would not reverse his position. He also mentioned controversy over the 2013 PST increase.
Pettersen said the party strife had already been leaked to the press when he granted Winnipeg radio station CJOB an interview in which he went public with his call for Selinger to step down.
In turn, Selinger and the NDP caucus barred Pettersen and the five other dissident MLAs from caucus meetings, though they are still allowed to sit as New Democrats.
Pettersen said Selinger is now down to a 17 per cent approval rating and “doesn’t have the following he thought he had.”
While he stressed that he respects Selinger, Pettersen said the premier had a chance to step down with dignity but refused.
Pettersen said he is optimistic that former cabinet minister Theresa Oswald will seek and secure the leadership of the NDP in March.
Oswald is his top pick for leader, and he is confident she can take the party to victory in the 2015 election.
“She’s 40ish, she’s got balls and I think she’s a good leader,” Pettersen said.
