Finance minister won't resign after criticizing Manitoba premier

Finance minister Jennifer Howard, one of the five cabinet ministers who spoke out against Premier GregSelinger, says she won't resign and she does not think the other four cabinet minsters will either.

"I regret if any of this caused [the premier] pain or the party pain," Howard said, adding that she stands by speaking out.

The NDP party is set to move forward together, according to Howard. Five ministers voiced "concerns," but won't share what they were, she said.

"I'm going to do my job today just like I do every day.Today that means to listen to the priority of Manitobans in Swan River and Dauphin," Howard said before leaving for Swan River for budget consultations.

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There are more calls forSelingerto resign, this time from anNDPstrategist and executive member of the party.

"The party would do better without him. And it's not personal, and certainly not saying that we haven't had some great accomplishments, but I think he should be asking himself whether he has the confidence of the voters," saidDarleneDziewit, who is also the former president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

When you have senior ministers speaking out there's a big problem, she said, adding she's amazed by the courage of the five cabinet ministers who have publicly urgedSelinger to do some serious reflection on his future.

"This is their careers on the line. And I think they have to feel very strongly about it," Dziewit said.

"I can only imagine how hard it must be to come forward and talk about this kinda thing when you're talking about your colleague."

However,Micheal Balagus, a former chief of staff for the Manitoba NDP, still thinks Selinger has a chance to be a successful leader.

And he doesn't think the premier should fire the five ministers who spoke out against his leadership this week.

I don't know how it serves the premier or the cabinet or the province well for those people not to be in their jobs, said Balagus, who now works for the NDP in Ontario.

They're very good, talented, dedicated people. They're concerned about the future of the province.

Selinger needs to try and work with everyone in caucus, including those five ministers, he said.

"I think that if he is able to persuade people that he has a way forward on this, that he has a way out, he can be successful. I mean, obviously it's got to be a solid plan."

Manitoba Liberal leader Rana Bokharisays the problems the NDPis experiencing are not the fault of the leader, but of the party itself.

"Every single NDP MLA voted for the PST increase," Bokhari said. "The NDP are misguided if they believe that changing leaders will change their track record. The current problems faced by Manitoba and all Manitobans were not created solely by one individual. The NDP government must be held accountable for their decisions."