The political future of Manitoba's senior federal cabinet minister has become fodder for debate in the Manitoba legislature.
For weeks, Treasury Board President Vic Toews has been rumoured to be retiring from politics, with popular provincial Tory MLA Kelvin Goertzen widely expected to make a bid to succeed him as the MP for Provencher.
Those rumours -- and similar ones about NDP MLA Jim Maloway's future -- have made for some pointed ribbing during daily question period in the Manitoba House.
Premier Gary Doer and his NDP caucus have been heckling Goertzen for weeks about whether the young MLA will make the leap into federal politics. The ribbing went on the record Wednesday when Doer formally answered one of Goertzen's questions with a quip about a possible career change that could see Goertzen care a lot more about federal campaign rules than provincial ones.
"I don't know at the best of times what is running through the mind of the premier," Goertzen said Thursday. "You can't apply for a position that's not open. And it's not open."
Political watchers have questioned Toews' commitment to federal politics, particularly since he has taken a back seat on a number of big Manitoba issues, including the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the debate over a possible new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
His visibility declined sharply when he was moved out of the federal justice portfolio to become Treasury Board president in January 2007.
Sources say Toews plans to run again only if an election is held this spring, something that is no longer likely.
With no spring election on the horizon, sources believe Toews will at some point withdraw as the nominated Tory candidate for Provencher.
But Toews spokesman Mike Storeshaw denied that.
"He has every intention of running again," Storeshaw said.
National Conservative party president Don Plett is also rumoured to be eyeing a run in Provencher riding.
Meanwhile, Elmwood MLA Jim Maloway, in the news lately for his bid to expand the Disraeli Freeway to six lanes, is still being coy about his plans to seek the federal NDP nomination in Elmwood-Transcona. That's the riding long held by veteran NDP MP Bill Blaikie, who announced his plans to retire last year.
Asked three times by a Free Press reporter Wednesday whether he plans to run federally, Maloway said no.
But Thursday, Maloway changed his tune, saying he hasn't signed up to run in the nomination race and is still 50-50 on whether he ever will.
"How can you run for something when there is no nomination meeting set and no election date?" said Maloway, a maverick in the provincial NDP caucus.
Maloway has duked it out recently with Mayor Sam Katz over plans to close the Disraeli for 16 months for repairs.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca
mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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