Shelly Glover challenging results of Manitoba PC leadership election

Manitoba's newly elected Progressive Conservative Leader and the province's new premier, Heather Stefanson, right, greets opponent Shelly Glover at a victory party after defeating her in a leadership race in Winnipeg, Saturday, October 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Winnipeg -

After losing the PC Leadership race to Heather Stefanson Saturday, Shelly Glover refused to concede defeat. She said she had homework to do.

It appears that homework is done, as Glover is heading to court to overturn the election.

Glover tells CTV News she is challenging the PC leadership results in court, and asking Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon to delay Stefanson’s swearing-in, which is set for Tuesday afternoon.

Glover’s lawyer Dave Hill has sent a letter to the Lieutenant Governor.

“From the information given to me, there would appear to be substantial irregularities affecting the result in the counting of the votes. As a result, I will shortly be seeking an Order of the Court of Queen’s Bench declaring that the election results are invalid and requiring a new vote. I would respectfully request that you defer the swearing-in of a new Premier of Manitoba until the Court has ruled on this matter,” writes Hill.

Of the 16,000 plus ballots counted, Stefanson won by a slim margin of 363 votes.

The Glover campaign raised concerns about many members not receiving their mail-in ballots.

The party said Saturday replacements ballots for those missing were sent out, and on Monday, in a statement, stood by the results.

“The party announced the results of the count this weekend and has nothing new to add at this time,” the statement reads.

Filmon’s office also released a statement Monday, saying neither Filmon nor the Office of the Lieutenant Governor will be commenting on the leadership race.

University of Winnipeg political science professor Félix Mathieu says he doubts the swearing-in will be delayed and he isn’t sure there are legal grounds in this case.

“There are no specific rules regarding how an internal election be conducted, there is no external organizations to which the PC is actually accountable,” said Mathieu

But, he says no matter the outcome, this is bad for the governing party.

“This reflects poorly on the PC itself because it showcases how much division there is within this party,” said Mathieu.

The swearing-in ceremony for Stefanson is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.