The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives have suspended a regional director’s board position and party membership after he posted a social media message that party leader Obby Khan said was offensive and inappropriate.Patrick Allard, the party’s regional director for northwest Winnipeg, is also barred from running as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the next provincial election, Khan said Monday.“This party does not stand for hate and does not stand for division,” Khan told reporters following an emergency meeting of the party’s board.The decision followed a Facebook post made by Allard over the weekend in which he asked whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or a similar organization, operates in Manitoba..“Do we have an ICE in Manitoba? If so are they hiring? Asking for a friend,” the post read.Khan said the comments were particularly troubling given the timing, coming shortly after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis during a confrontation involving an ICE agent, an incident that sparked protests in the United States.Another post on Allard’s Facebook page later called for the arrest of Good’s wife.Allard said Monday the ICE post was intended as a joke and lacked context.“It’s a Facebook post. It’s, like anything online these days, inflammatory without context,” he said..Allard said he intends to speak with party officials about his future and emphasized that he shares the Progressive Conservatives’ goal of defeating the governing New Democrats in the next election.Khan said the party’s board will conduct a further review and make a final determination following due process.Allard was selected as regional director by party members late last year. He previously gained public attention as an opponent of COVID-19 public health restrictions in Manitoba and was fined for violating limits on public gatherings.In the 2023 provincial election, Allard ran as an independent candidate in the St. John’s constituency, finishing second behind New Democratic Party candidate Nahanni Fontaine..Khan contrasted his party’s response with how Premier Wab Kinew handled controversy involving Fontaine last year.In the summer of 2025, Fontaine shared another person’s social media post regarding the killing of U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The post described Kirk as a “white nationalist mouthpiece,” and the author said they had no sympathy for him. Fontaine later apologized for sharing the post. Kinew declined calls to remove her from cabinet, saying he did not support cancel culture.Before the Progressive Conservatives announced Allard’s suspension, Kinew criticized the party over the Facebook post..“When you see a mother killed, I think it should make everyone pause and bring out their best,” Kinew said Monday. “Unfortunately, from the P.C.s, we’ve seen it’s brought out their worst.”Kinew also said he spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to express Manitoba’s support following the shooting.“I let him know that we here in Manitoba support our neighbours,” Kinew said. “There’s so much confusion and so much violence. We just want to see things get back to normal.”
