The resignations came roughly one week after Pallister criticized protesters who had toppled statues of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria on the legislature grounds. Pallister said people who came to Canada, both before and after it was a country, came not to destroy anything but to build communities, churches and businesses.
His comments were criticized by Indigenous leaders as minimizing the harmful effects of colonialism. Pallister defended his comments, saying he never mentioned colonialism and instead meant to get across the idea that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people often worked together to build Canada.
Two days later, Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke quit her cabinet post. She said many Manitobans are disappointed with their representatives, and added that she and other cabinet ministers had not been listened to.