Published on October 14, 2025 • 2-minute read
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Former Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson announced her resignation as party leader during a speech at the PC election night gathering in Winnipeg on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Photo by Daniel Crump / THE CANADIAN PRESS
WINNIPEG — Former Manitoba politicians who either retired or were defeated in the 2023 election received over $400,000 in severance and transition payments during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
According to a report from the legislative assembly, the largest payout went to former Premier Heather Stefanson, who resigned her seat in the legislature in the spring of the previous year, receiving $96,000.
Politicians who resign or lose their seats are entitled to severance or transition payments based on a formula established by provincial law. They receive one month’s salary for each year served, with a minimum of three months’ pay and a maximum of 12 months. As a result, Stefanson, who served in the legislature for 23 years, qualifies for the same severance as someone who served for 12 years.
These payments are designed to assist politicians in transitioning to new careers, especially after unexpected election losses. The funds are also available to those who voluntarily resign to pursue federal office, such as Grant Jackson, a Progressive Conservative from western Manitoba, who received $2,000 in the fiscal year ending in March. Jackson resigned his seat that month and was elected to the House of Commons a month later in the Brandon-Souris riding.
The severance can be taken as a lump sum or distributed in biweekly installments, allowing some politicians defeated in the 2023 election to continue receiving payments into 2024. Jon Gerrard, a former Liberal leader who served from 1999 to 2023, received $50,000 in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $52,000 in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to annual reports.
Progressive Conservatives Reg Helwer, who represented Brandon West, and Ian Wishart, who held the Portage la Prairie seat, also received over $100,000 each across the two fiscal years as long-serving members.
The total severance and transition payments disbursed in the 2024-25 fiscal year were less than one-third of the $1.5 million distributed the previous year, which saw many politicians retire before the election or lose their seats when voters opted for the New Democrats after seven years of Progressive Conservative governance.
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