Theresa Oswald to challenge Selinger for Manitoba NDP leadership

Theresa Oswald will officially launch her bid this weekend tochallenge Premier Greg Selinger for leadership of Manitoba's New Democrats.

A spokesperson for Oswald's campaign told CBC Newsshe will file her paperwork on Friday morning, thenhold an official campaign launch on Sunday.

Oswald, a former health minister, is one of five cabinet ministers who resigned from Premier Greg Selinger's inner circle last month after openly questioning his leadership.

That rebellion prompted theNDPprovincial councilto preparefor a possibleleadership contest,which would take place if anyone challengesSelingerat the party's annual convention, March 6-8, 2015, in Winnipeg.

• Theresa Oswald mulling NDP leadership run against Selinger
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Oswald will become the first officially declared candidate.

Earlier on Thursday, she appeared close to making a decision but said she needed time to consult with people.

Lorraine Sigurdson, a member of the party executive,wants to see Oswald make a run for the leadership.She believes Oswald is the only person who can take on Opposition Progressive Conservativeleader Brian Pallister and win.

Sigurdson said poll results this week that put Selinger's approval rating at 17 per cent, showhow bad the situation is.

"Pretty awful, it's been pretty awful for a while," she said.

• GregSelinger'spopularity ranks worst among provincial premiers

"That's what's led me to the conclusion some time ago that we needed to have some new leadership and that's why I think that now's the time for Theresa."

The Angus Reid poll listsSelinger'spopularity as dead last among all Canadian provincial premiers. The 17 per cent ratingis down from 30 per cent in September and a high of 48 per cent inAugust 2012.

More than two dozen NDP staffers have alreadydevotedtheir holidays, evenings, and weekends to helping Oswald with her potentialleadership campaign.

Winnipeg-based pollster Curtis Brown said it might not be an easy campaign for Oswald.

"She may have some support within the party but there are a lot of people who, within the NDP, will look at her as being a traitor and who look at her as one of the ones who plunged the NDP into this whole mess, he said.

Brown predicts a dark-horse compromise candidate may actually win the leadership, and he believes that MLA is Kevin Chief.

Chief, however, has not stated any interest yet in seeking the party leadership.