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This article was published 15/3/2016 (1648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A backbench NDP MLA, in his final speech in the legislature this morning, alleged that one of his caucus colleagues broke a deal that could have allowed Theresa Oswald to become premier of Manitoba.

Clarence Pettersen, who was defeated for the NDP nomination in Flin Flon after supporting the Gang of Five in their challenge last year of Premier Greg Selinger's leadership, did not hide his contempt for Steve Ashton, who also challenged Selinger last year.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES MLA Steve Ashton

He said that the night before the leadership contest on March 8, 2015, a deal was brokered between Ashton and Oswald and her supporters that whomever finished third on first ballot would support the other against the premier.

"There was an agreement with the minister from Thompson that the status quo (supporting Selinger) is not a choice. We had dinner over that. He (Ashton) would support us on the second ballot and we would support him," Pettersen told a half-empty House in a morning session of the legislature today.

"The night before, of course, the minister from Thompson, we had a couple of drinks. It was the (member) from Dauphin (Stan Struthers) and the minister (sic) of Seine River (Oswald). And, of course, we all shook hands on it. But of course the next day, integrity and honesty was not his (Ashton's) traits."

On second ballot at the March 8, 2015 leadership convention, the race boiled down to Selinger versus Oswald.

Ashton would not hint at his own voting intentions at the time, and many of his supporters did not vote on second ballot. The United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, strong Ashton supporters, walked to Selinger’s camp on the convention floor, indicating they were throwing their weight behind the premier in the second ballot.

"I know this hurts," Pettersen told the legislature, "but I have to say it. I have to say it because things have happened that shouldn’t happen within our own party. We shouldn’t be eating our own. And what I mean by that, after the leadership election. Then all of a sudden the minister from Thompson (Ashton) is already thinking about the next leadership. And I’m one of the casualties of that, I guess."

Oswald did not attend the morning session. Reached as she entered her office later, she denied that there had been a deal with Ashton a little over a year ago.

"I can tell you specifically on this issue that I had no deal at any time with Steve Ashton," she told the Free Press.

"In fact I think it’s reasonably well documented that I had no deal with anybody. And losing by 33 votes might illustrate that."

Oswald said NDP members were the ones who decided the outcome of the leadership contest last March 8, and she respects their decision. She added that talking about the leadership race right now is "nothing more than a futile act of gazing in the rearview mirror."

She said she likes Pettersen and she cannot explain his remarks.

"Steve and I talked at the leadership convention a few times," Oswald said. "It was friendly, as friendly as you can be in a milieu such as that. And at one point during the weekend I can remember a concrete thing that we said to one another was if either of us should win that we would commit to one another that we would not fire the staff of our opponents.

"We had a conversation about what we felt important, about the party coming back together and ensuring that all these people who of their own free will selected a candidate and got behind that candidate shouldn’t face any recrimination for that. We both really believed that as a core value."

When reached by phone after the speech, Pettersen stood by his comments.

"Was it written in blood? Obviously not. It was an understanding," he said of the alleged deal, adding he can’t explain why Oswald would deny it was struck.

"It is about integrity and it is about honesty, I was saying the way I felt, I had some great times with the party, but I was obviously disappointed with the man from Thompson (Ashton)."

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca