The right-wing outrage machine is at it again, whining about election losses and undermining democratic processes. This time, it’s happening right here at Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, Manitoba’s ruling Progressive Conservative party gathered at the Victoria Inn to announce the winner of the party’s leadership vote. The new leader would replace former premier Brian Pallister and, thus, become the province’s new premier.

The two leadership candidates took very different campaign approaches. Heather Stefanson was seen as a more moderate continuation of Pallister’s Tories and was endorsed by many prominent local businesses. Shelly Glover, a hardline conservative, ex-cop and former Stephen Harper cabinet minister, pandered to the toxic fringes by railing against vaccine mandates.

When the votes were tallied, the results were close but conclusive: Heather Stefanson was the winner of the election and Manitoba’s new premier. But one person wasn’t willing to accept the facts: the loser: Shelly Glover. As of this writing, she has still refused to concede defeat and is seeking a court order to declare the election results invalid.

“I am the Premier, not her,” Glover told CBC reporter Bartley Kives with all the grace and dignity of a spoiled toddler who just lost at hide-and-seek. “I am sorry, but Manitobans chose me.” They did not.

But Glover’s whining isn’t just unbecoming. It’s actively dangerous. During her campaign, her anti-science stances echoed those of the many Trump conservative imitators who have popped up around the world at every level of politics as they seek to undermine democratic processes whenever they lose.

The world saw on Jan. 6 how damaging this baseless questioning of elections can be when a mob of fascists stormed the US capitol in an attempt to overthrow that country’s legitimate election. I implore Glover to take a look at the gruelling footage from that day and ask herself, “Are these my people?”

Published in Volume 76, Number 08 of The Uniter (November 4, 2021)