Premier stands by Fontaine

WINNIPEG — Premier Wab Kinew defended his embattled families minister Wednesday, declaring Nahanni Fontaine a strong leader who is the victim of gender-based violence and racism following a fire at her constituency office over the weekend.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan took aim at Fontaine on the first day of the fall legislative session, calling for the premier to remove her from cabinet for reposting controversial comments last month, saying she had no empathy for slain U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Khan tabled 450 emails in the chamber from Manitobans calling for Fontaine’s removal, while 50 demonstrators gathered in front of the legislative building demanding her ouster from cabinet.

“Wab Kinew should do the right thing, have her step down … she’s unfit for the position,” said Patrick Allard, a rally co-organizer who ran as an independent against Fontaine in the St. Johns constituency in the 2023 election.

Nearly 50 counter-protesters were in attendance. They blared sirens, beat drums and chanted “Who do we support — Nahanni,” over speeches at the rally. Police were in attendance, but the protests were peaceful.

“They try to drown us out with sounds and yelling, I want to talk to them, I want to talk to everyone,” Allard said. “Why can’t we break bread together?”

Another speaker, Max Genest, derided counter-protesters as “freaks” and said Fontaine “glorified and justified the horrible public execution of Charlie Kirk.”

Inside the legislative chamber, Kinew derided the protesters demanding Fontaine’s removal.

“To the goofballs out front, if you have an issue, you have an issue with me,” Kinew said in the chamber.

“I am the one who decided to keep this minister at the cabinet table,” said the premier, who also supported Fontaine after a hot mic caught her complaining about an American Sign Language interpreter at a June event.

“She’s a great minister and I don’t believe in cancel culture.”

Kinew accused the Tory leader of attacking Indigenous women instead of him.

The premier noted the constituency offices of Fontaine and Bernadette Smith — two female Indigenous cabinet ministers — were recent targets of vandalism and arson. He asked why Smith’s office in Point Douglas and Fontaine’s office in St. Johns were targeted but his Fort Rouge office was not, despite a recent demonstration of 300 protesters.

“There’s certain dynamics at work here,” Kinew said, asking why Khan did not show outrage after two of his colleagues were targeted.

“Violence and threats have no place in political discourse or society,” Khan said inside the chamber, where the Tories also pressed the governing NDP on health care, crime, its bail reform promises and a rash of violent attacks reported over the summer involving repeat offenders.

“Violence and threats have no place in political discourse or society,”– Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan

After question period, Khan told reporters that it’s the opposition’s job to hold the government to account.

“It is really concerning … that this premier is equating our job to hold them accountable, to ask tough questions, as some form of violence and act of racism,” said Khan, the first Muslim elected to the Manitoba legislature.

“The last time I checked, I am a visible minority who is proud leader of the Progressive Conservative party.”

Khan went on to accuse the premier of gaslighting people and trying to “suffocate” democracy by deriding the protesters calling for Fontaine’s removal.

“People are free to come here and protest,” Kinew said outside the chamber. “I’m free to express my opinion about them, but leaders of parties like Obby Khan shouldn’t be using question period time to try and exacerbate divisions in our society.”

“We need to take the temperature down here,” the premier said.

Wednesday marked the first day on the job inside the legislature for a new MLA and a new party leader.

Colleen Robbins took her seat on the PC back bench after winning the Spruce Woods byelection in August. Newly acclaimed Liberal leader and former Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Willard Reaves took his seat as a spectator in the visitors gallery. With only one elected MLA, Cindy Lamoureux, the Manitoba Liberals do not have provincial party status in the legislature.

» Winnipeg Free Press