Dougald Lamont is lining up for a second run at the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party.

Lamont, who was defeated by Rana Bokhari in an unsuccessful bid in 2013, announced Monday he would once again seek the leadership of a party that gained traction in the early years of Bokhari’s reign and gained a seat in the Manitoba Legislature but ultimately fell short of official party status in the 2016 election.

Lamont joins Burrows MLA Cindy Lamoureux as the only candidates to have officially declared their intentions to run for the leadership.

He said making another run at the position is something that has never been far from his mind and policies of the current Progressive Conservative government prompted him to make it official.

“My joke was some might say that I never stopped running since last time,” Lamont said. “I’m very much against a lot of what the PC government is doing and it would be great if Manitobans could have an option other than the NDP or the PCs in the next election.”

The Tories’ decisions around the health-care system are his greatest concern, Lamont said.

After winning three seats in 2016, Lamont said he believes there’s positive momentum in the party.

“I think there’s a huge amount of potential in 2020,” he said. “We’ve got lots of time to build and reach out to Manitobans to get the message out. And I’m not the only one. I’ve talked to a lot of people who feel this is one of the best opportunities we’ll face.”

Lamont said he will wait until after the Point Douglas byelection to have a formal launch of his candidacy.

dlarkins@postmedia.com

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun