Polly Craik says meddling by the provincial government and disregard for proper protocols were problems when she was chair of the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries board.

It had become such an issue that she served notice of her intention to not let her name stand for reappointment once her term expired in May.

"The main point of contention between the board and the government was direction being given to senior management of [MLL] and purposely bypassing the board," she wrote in a statement emailed to CBC News.

"This total disregard for proper governance protocol and my ongoing, unsuccessful efforts to resolve it prompted my writing of [the notification] letter."

The letter was sent Feb. 20, she said. Later the same day, she was told her appointment had been revoked a week earlier, on Feb. 13.

On Feb. 21, the day after Craik sent her letter, the government announced board member Randy Williams would be promoted to board chair.

The announcement made no mention of what happened to Craik — a businesswoman who had been appointed to the Liquor & Lotteries position by the Progressive Conservative government.

Premier Brian Pallister first spoke to reporters about it on Tuesday, saying Craik left of her own accord after a fundamental disagreement over a proposed multimillion-dollar expansion of the provincially operated Club Regent Casino.

He said the Crown corporation needs to be more fiscally prudent, especially during a gaming review. Pallister then characterized Craik's departure as a resignation rather than an ouster.

However, Craik said Pallister's account is deceptive.

"While I agree there was a 'fundamental disagreement' as referred to by the premier, to say it is linked to one specific issue, such as the Club Regent Casino, is unfounded and misleading," she said in her email.

She also disagreed with it being a resignation.

While Craik notified the government she would be leaving the position, she intended to serve out the term and was caught off guard when she was told she'd been terminated.

​"Even though it saddens me that it came to this, I am still sincerely grateful to the government for the opportunity to serve as board chair," Craik wrote.