Manitoba agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn will be a busy man in the new year.
Kostyshyn was sworn in as minister of infrastructure and transportation this morning. He will also continue in his role as agriculture minister.
Kostyshyn is replacing Steve Ashton, who resigned his cabinet post this week to run for the leadership of the provincial NDP.
Manitoba’s governing party decided to hold a leadership vote after five cabinet ministers resigned from their posts this fall.
The dissident ministers, including former agriculture minister Stan Struthers, said they lacked confidence in premier Greg Selinger and his ability to lead the party into the next provincial election.
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Two national canola organizations said they’re not pleased with the federal government’s announcement on helping canola growers and the biofuel industry. The Canola Council of Canada and the Canadian Canola Growers Association expressed their disappointment in a Sept. 5 news release.
They said Selinger stopped listening to his ministers and said his decision to raise the provincial sales tax from seven to eight percent was a strategic blunder.
Public support for the NDP has plummeted over the last 18 months, with Selinger’s approval rating dropping as low as 17 percent in December.
Selinger is expected to enter the leadership race but hasn’t officially declared his intentions.
The leadership vote is slated for March 6-8 at the party’s annual convention.
