Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont announced plans to seek a Winnipeg legislature seat Wednesday -- the same day news emerged of a human rights complaint filed by a former caucus staffer.
Lamont, who has never held elected office and was chosen as Liberal leader last October, said he will seek his party's nomination in a byelection to be held in the constituency of St. Boniface. The seat was recently vacated by former NDP premier Greg Selinger and has been held by the NDP for two decades.
Selinger was popular in the largely-Francophone area for defending French-language education and rights, and had held the seat since 1999. Now that Selinger is gone, Lamont said the seat is ready to flip.
"I think part of it was Greg Selinger himself -- there was loyalty there and the NDP were in government," said Lamont, who is not from the constituency.
"I think there is a strong argument there that we can do a better job of representing St. Boniface in the legislature with me as leader."
So far, no one is challenging Lamont for the Liberal nomination.
A Liberal win would give the party a fourth legislature seat -- enough for official party status and the extra funding and higher profile that come with the designation.
Lamont is also fighting a human rights complaint filed by a new mother he dismissed shortly after becoming leader last fall.
Elizabeth Gonsalves, a former caucus researcher, said she was on medical leave after suffering post-partum depression when Lamont informed her she was being let go. Gonsalves said the party did not support her recovery or her plans to return to work.
"Mr. Lamont said that he did not think it would be right to give me any 'special treatment'," Gonzalves wrote in her complaint. "He said it was not a good decision to keep me employed."
Lamont said Gonsalves was not discriminated against, but was dismissed along with another staffer as is often the case when a new leader is elected. Gonsalves and the other person were political staff, not members of the civil service.
Lamont also said the party had Gonsalves's best interest in mind, because terminating her at that time entitled her to a larger severance package.
"We had done everything we could for her and ... I wanted to make sure she got the most generous severance possible," Lamont said.
One political analyst said Lamont is running the risk of tarnishing his image within the party by running in the NDP stronghold.
"He has actually gotten himself in a race that he will have a really hard time winning, and he'll end up paying consequences -- if not the leadership -- it'll hurt him," said Royce Koop, who teaches political studies at the University of Manitoba. "It'll weaken him a lot."
The NDP and Progressive Conservatives have also yet to choose their candidates. A date for the byelection has not been set.
