Manitoba Tories secure 1st leadership candidate

Manitoba's Progressive Conservatives have their first candidate in the race to succeed Hugh McFadyen as leader, but party officials would not say who that person is.

One person has done almost everything he or she has to do in order to be officially declared a leadership candidate,PC chief executive officer Jonathan Scarth told CBC News.

Scarth said that person has gone through all the necessary police and credit checks, and all he or she needs to do is sell 1,000 party memberships.

"That person is in a position to, you know, [have] just one more requirement to fulfill before they would be certified by us as a candidate," he said Wednesday.

"At that point, we would put their name on the website as a certified candidate."

Until all the requirements are completed, it's up to the candidate to make his or her name public, Scarth said.

While Scarth would not say who the first leadership candidate is, Tory insiders say it can only be Brian Pallister, a former Conservative MP.

Organizing for months

Sources have told CBC News that Pallister has been raising money, organizing and selling party memberships for months.

Calls to Pallister's office were not returned on Wednesday.

McFadyen, who has been PC leader and leader of the Official Opposition since 2006,announced following his party's lossin the Oct. 4 provincial election that he would resign as leader as soon as a new one is appointed.

Scarth said Pallister is one of about half a dozen people who are weighing the decision to seek the party leadership, but he expects fewer peoplemore like three will actually end up in the race.

Pallister had been considered to be a possible front-runner in the PC party's last leadershipcontest in 2006,but he decided not to runat that time.

Scarth said candidates in the latest race will likely start publicly declaring their intentions by the end of April.

The deadline for prospective leadership candidates to be certified is July. The vote takes place in October.