Leaders must put stop to uncivil behaviour

Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): The Premier has the chance to stand up today and correct the record and admit that he is the first one in the history of this country to serve with a criminal record as a Premier.

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): You know, the worst part about how terrible the PC Leader is at question period is that when he gets a whupping in here, he’s got to go away for 24 hours and then come back the next day with the comeback. Bravo. Wow, great job reading that piece of paper. Absolute embar­rass­ment.

Mr. Khan: Yes, the snivelling, arrogant Premier once again at his masterpiece right there. His facts of his criminal record have always been there. The Premier shows time and time again how petty, angry, juvenile, pathetic, callous, arrogant that he is.

Mr. Kinew: The member opposite is rolling around in the mud. And you know what a wise man once told me? Don’t get in a mud fight with a pig because the pig will love it.

— Various quotes from Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew in Thursday’s question period at the Manitoba legislature

Decorum be damned — the two stooges have the stage.

No, that’s not fair. Larry, Moe and Curly were in it for laughs.

The Khan and Kinew show isn’t funny at all.

For months now these two political leaders have been taking various pot shots at each other during question period in the Manitoba legislature.

While it’s normal to expect some hostility between combative personalities and opposing political parties, Kinew and Khan’s corrosive commentary in the public sphere is not only hurting the image of this province, it’s poisoning the political well for those who would follow.

These men clearly do not like each other, and appear unable to shake that dislike.

The outright hostility has been obvious ever since April 13, 2023, when Khan — then a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister — alleged that Kinew as opposition leader had swore at him multiple times, insulted him and shoved his stomach during a “handshake” after Khan suggested adding PC and Liberal banners to a Turban Day ceremony in the legislature rotunda.

They can’t even keep their powder dry when it comes to something as mundane as a committee meeting. One such committee meeting back in June turned hostile when Kinew started calling Khan a “joke” and the Tory leader repeatedly called the premier a bully.

“When we see this banter and hostility — it’s actual outright hostility — it’s tough on Manitobans to see that,” University of Manitoba adjunct political studies professor Christopher Adams said at the time.

These are the individuals who presume to lead by example. These are the individuals who are responsible for enforcing the province’s labour codes and for standing up for human rights in Manitoba.

How they operate as government leaders sets the tone for the entire province. But all they can do is trade insults.

In fact, this latest back and forth between the two men has brought their ongoing hostility down to a new low, with Khan dredging up Kinew’s past run-ins with law enforcement, and Kinew likening Khan — a Muslim — to a pig wallowing in the mud.

The Tory leader was referring to events that took place more than two decades ago. Kinew was charged with impaired driving and domestic assault in separate incidents back in 2003. One year later, he was convicted of assaulting a taxi driver while intoxicated, a situation that also involved racial insults against the cabbie.

Kinew says he quit drinking since these incidents, and in 2014 applied for a pardon from the Canadian government, which was granted by the Parole Board of Canada in 2016. Over the years, he has repeatedly apologized for his actions and denied having assaulted his former partner. He has also claimed that he is a changed man on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement.

“The reason that I think I’m the right person to lead this province is because that journey has taught me compassion and understanding and, most importantly, the importance of listening to people,” Kinew told the CBC in 2019.

We believe in redemption stories, and apparently so do many Manitobans — a majority of them decided to put their trust in a man who openly admits his own faults and failings. Everyone makes poor choices at some point in their lives and everyone should be able to have a second chance to prove themselves.

Khan’s decision to bring up Kinew’s past to embarrass the premier looks petty and vindictive. His excuse that Kinew wasn’t answering his “serious questions” is not a good enough reason to impugn the premier’s reputation.

But Kinew’s rough belligerence toward those who would challenge him, and the verbal abuse of members of the Opposition — and Khan in particular — invite questions around his moral character.

Take for example the name-calling that ensued when Tory Rick Wowchuk accused Kinew of being a “Pinocchio” over non-Indigenous hunting rights. As The Canadian Press reported, Kinew accused the Tories of being fake hunters.

“On this side of the house, you’ve got the people raised on moose meat,” Kinew said Thursday. “On that side of the house, you’ve got the tofu-eaters, you’ve got the salad-bar-line-uppers, you’ve got the latte-sippers.”

Should Wowchuk have refrained from inferring that the premier is a liar? Certainly. But Kinew purposefully waded into that fight when he didn’t have to, a decision that only serves to demean the office of the premier. He needs to be above that.

In most any other workplace, this kind of irresponsible behaviour between two individuals would result in severe reprimands and would likely jeopardize their employment. As it stands, they have been elected to do a job, and there’s plenty of work to do on behalf of Manitobans — while they still have those positions.

Access to emergency medical care in Manitoba’s many rural and urban hospitals has not improved, and both the NDP and the PCs are responsible for this failure.

There are longer lines at food banks across the province every single year. Taxation at the municipal and provincial level is rising, adding to the cost of home and business ownership, and life’s affordability has become a dream for too many of our residents.

And don’t get us started on the growing problems of mental health and substance abuse in our communities.

Gentlemen, this stupidity needs to end. You were hired by Manitobans to do a job.

Change the channel and get to work.

» Matt Goerzen, editor