BREAKING: Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister will not seek re-election

Progressive Conservative Premier Brian Pallister announced during a press conference in Brandon, Manitoba on Tuesday that he will not be seeking re-election.

"It's not easy to make the decision to leave, but the question has been answered; I don't think there's a better time than now than for me to step aside, so I made that decision today," said Pallister. "It's time to move on and spend time with the people that I have missed over many years, including my family and friends."

The province's next election is set for 2023.

The announcement came on the first day of the Conservative caucus meeting.

The premier recently received some backlash after anti-colonial activists called for his resignation due to his statements on re-erecting statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

"Tearing down is a lot simpler than building up,” said Pallister in a July news conference, adding that he felt "disgust and disappointment" at the vandalism of the statues’ according to the National Post.

"I believe that Canada has been, and will always be, I hope, a nation that is an example to those around the world of our dedication to building," said Pallister.
The statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II were toppled by protestors during a demonstration regarding the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools.

The Queen Victoria Statue, placed near the entrance to legislative grounds, was brought to the ground by protestors, covered in red paint resembling blood, and was beheaded. The head of the state was found the following day in the nearby Assiniboine River.

The smaller statue of Queen Elizabeth II, located close to the lieutenant-governor’s residence according to the National Post, was brought to the ground as well, but wasn’t vandalized any more than that.