Manitoba's newest political party right-of-centre setting sights on next election
A new party on Manitoba's political playing field is identifying itself as a grassroots right-of-centre party.
Kevin Friesen is the interim leader of the Keystone Party of Manitoba, which is looking to register with Elections Canada as an official party and have candidates running in the next provincial election.
He said the party differentiates itself from other parties due to its 'bottom-up' model
"This is a true grassroots party where the membership actually is going to say what this party is about," Friesen said.
"What this really does, we think, is creates a totally prolific new attitude and leadership, and perhaps it changes the whole way that a premier or leader of an opposition or even leader of a party is to lead his or her team in Parliament."
Friesen said while the party is not against vaccines, it is against vaccine mandates.
He said on the political spectrum, the party falls right-of-centre.
"I guess we feel that a lot of the parties in Manitoba are so far left that we can't see them anymore," he said. "I would say we're further right than the parties you see right now, but we're a centre party."
According to Elections Manitoba, parties that do not hold seats in the legislature before an election must submit a petition signed by at least 2,500 people who were eligible to vote in the most recent general election.
Once registered with Elections Canada, Friesen said it will be up to the party members to choose a leader.
-With files from CTV News Winnipeg's Michael D'Alimonte.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.