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WINNIPEG — Manitoba's former Indigenous relations minister says Premier Brian Pallister made the right decision not to seek re-election.Eileen Clarke says in a statement on social media that she is relieved the premier will be stepping away as leader of the Progressive Conservatives, but she's not considering taking the helm.Pallister made the announcement Tuesday after he came under fire for comments he made about Canadian history more than a month ago.He apologized last week for saying in July that people who came to Canada before and after it became a country did not come to destroy but to build. Clarke resigned from cabinet after Pallister's comments.She said in the statement Wednesday that she did not attend Tuesday's caucus meeting because she did not want to encounter media, as she relied on her resignation to voice her concerns.Clarke said there are still challenges ahead for the party, but she has renewed optimism for good governance. "I think about time that has been wasted to move Manitoba forward and the barriers we've been facing because of conflict with so many stakeholders," she said."I have a lot of questions but also a strong feeling of optimism. I've been missing that for quite some time."Backbench Tory MLA Shannon Martin also shared his thoughts on social media: "Moving forward, internally, we need to focus on communication, consensus & caucus."Pallister hasn't confirmed when he will step down or suggested who his successor might be. Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said he believes the party will have to pick a leader who has a softer image and is more willing to follow the province's political tradition of constructive change."They want that kind of leader who won't be as single-minded, determined and defensive as Pallister was," Thomas said.He added there are no present front-runners, but the party could be looking at Families Minister Rochelle Squires, deputy premier Kelvin Goertzen or, at the federal level, Conservative member of Parliament Candice Bergen.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.