The first of the so-called “rebel five” plans to announce a bid to run for leader of the Manitoba NDP.
Thursday evening, sources close to Theresa Oswald told CTV News she will announce her bid Friday at 10:30 a.m. at NDP headquarters, then officially launch her campaign Sunday.
The Manitoba NDP’s past president, Lorraine Sigurdson, has thrown support behind Theresa Oswald to run for the party's leadership.
Sigurdson said she believes Oswald showed her leadership qualities as health minister.
Sigurdson also said Oswald has a lot of “charisma” and she said that would appeal to voters.
Previously, Oswald has said a number of people have asked her to run for leader and she is "reflecting" on it.
Oswald is one of five ministers who left a cabinet post after questioning Premier Greg Selinger's leadership.
Curtis Brown, vice-president at Probe Research, said he’s not surprised to hear Oswald’s name come forward.
He said a lot of people wanted her to run for the leadership in the past so it’s not surprising her name has come forward this time.
In an email sent to CTV earlier Thursday, Oswald had written, "As I have said publicly before, I am working through a process of talking to people to get their best advice. This is a really important step in my decision making. While I am encouraged and humbled by the support of Lorraine and others, I am going to continue to work through this process...because it will ultimately inform what I choose to do."
Selinger, who is essentially having to reapply to be NDP leader after a caucus revolt, said he does not want to leave.
"I received a mandate from the people of Manitoba to serve their priorities, and that's your objective, is to be here every day to do that and to make sure that we accomplish what we set out to do," Selinger said in a year-end interview this week with The Canadian Press.
- with reports from Josh Crabb, Jeff Keele and files from The Canadian Press
