Progressive Conservative leadership hopeful Obby Khan was in Niverville on Thursday, February 6 for a casual meet and greet. A handful of locals were in attendance at the Golden Friendship Centre for the evening event.
With only weeks to go before the PC membership purchase cut-off date of February 28, Khan is working hard to solicit support from rural voters. Khan runs against one other candidate for the leadership, Wally Daudrich.
In order to vote for the next PC leader, you must be a party member in good standing. The new PC leader will be announced on April 26. The winner will replace Heather Stefanson, who stepped away one year ago.
Khan currently serves as MLA for Fort Whyte in Winnipeg. He has political experience as a cabinet minister and finance critic. Khan is also an entrepreneur and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber offensive lineman.
At the event, Kelvin Goertzen provided a brief introduction of Khan. Goertzen serves as Khan’s campaign co-chairperson.
“Other than the fact that he’s connected with people in pro sports and business and politics, it’s important that he’s somebody that can win seats everywhere,” Goertzen said. “Clearly [the PCs] can hold seats in rural Manitoba, but we’re struggling in the city of Winnipeg. And if we don’t win government… communities like Niverville, Steinbach, Altona, and Winkler get ignored.”
Khan followed with an impassioned call for financial and membership support in order to win the upcoming vote. His goal as leader would be to bridge the divide between urban and rural.
“I really believe that we can make this province better and I believe that it starts with reconnecting with rural Manitoba,” said Khan. “It’s a relationship that I feel that we have lost over the last few years. I feel if I’m not spending time with our own members and growing the grassroots, what are we doing? What am I doing in politics if I’m not there to represent the grassroot members?”
With some humour, he told the partially Mennonite crowd that he was considering a name change to Bobby Krahn.
More than once he also reiterated the importance of faith, family, and accountability in the political arena.
“Just winning, to me, isn’t what’s important,” said Khan. “It’s how I do it and that’s how I’m running this campaign. And that’s how I think we can run this province.”
