Canada Court Agrees to Hear Dispute Over Manitoba Premier’s Win

(Bloomberg) -- A court challenge against Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson’s historic victory is moving ahead.

Stefanson won the top political job in the western Canadian province last month by defeating rival Shelly Glover in the Progressive Conservative Party’s leadership race by 363 votes. Glover filed a court challenge saying there were “substantial irregularities” in the party election and is seeking to have a judge declare the win invalid and order a new vote.

A judge agreed to hear the case on Dec. 23, Dave Hill, a lawyer representing Glover, said Friday. The court does not have the power to remove a premier from office but can declare the results invalid, he said.

The case has been “expedited” as the judge knows there is “urgency” in the decision, Hill said. 

Stefanson is the first woman to be premier of Manitoba. 

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