When partisanship goes a step too far

Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk has every reason to be angry about what has happened, and so do the Manitobans he represents in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.

Wowchuk was scheduled to speak last Saturday at the Swan Valley Regional School — a school he attended as a student and subsequently taught and coached at for 25 years prior to becoming an MLA — as part of the grand opening celebration of a new cultural arts centre, multi-purpose room and outdoor teaching area.

The event was organized by the local school division but the day before the event, Wowchuk was advised by the school board chair that Premier Wab Kinew’s staff had insisted that he was “not to speak” at the event.

In response to the snub, Wowchuk says that “Rather than being somebody who is going to say, ‘Hey, let’s work together and let’s celebrate these great events together,’ (Kinew) decided … ‘we’re not going to let the MLA from Swan River speak.”

He adds that “We had an opportunity to bring this province together, and the premier of Manitoba decides, ‘No, we’re going to continue to divide this province’ … He talks about One Manitoba. I’m sorry, when you take actions like this, this is not One Manitoba.”

When contacted on Monday for a response to Wowchuk’s comments, Kinew was both indignant and unrepentant. He claims that Wowchuk is “not a good guy,” and asks “Does anyone care about some backbench PC MLA right now?”

“His feelings are hurt. Who cares?” the premier says, adding that “The PCs can keep crying from the sideline.” In what appears to be some sort of “tit-for-tat” rationalization, he complains “We were never invited to any announcements when we were on the opposition benches.”

What a sad spectacle to see our premier, who has worked hard to convince Manitobans that he is a kind, generous and inclusive person, unapologetically behave in such a mean-spirited, vindictive manner.

This is not a minor partisan disagreement between two opposing MLAs. Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson, who confirms that Wowchuk played a tangible role in making the new facility a reality, says that “We’re a small community and I think a lot of people feel like credit should be given where credit is due.”

He adds that “There’s a lot of people wondering why he didn’t speak … Some might have been somewhat choked about it.”

We agree with Mayor Jacobson. Kinew may feel that nobody cares about “some backbench PC MLA right now,” but he cannot ignore, let alone dismiss, the reality that Wowchuk was elected by the voters of Swan River to be their representative. The premier’s disrespect and disparagement directed toward Wowchuk is in fact disrespectful of those voters.

Sadly, this is far from the first time Kinew has behaved in such a petty, abusive manner. During question period in the Legislative Assembly, he often directs arrogant and insulting remarks toward members of the opposition.

He apparently believes that such conduct is simply part of the cut-and-thrust of partisan politics, but he often goes too far. Last weekend’s incident in Swan River, followed by his caustic comments directed at Wowchuk, are just the latest examples of behaviour by Kinew that is unbecoming of a premier.

Perhaps he is letting his high poll numbers get to his head, or maybe the nasty behaviour we are seeing is the real Wab Kinew. Either way, we encourage him to be better by following the example set by former Manitoba premiers, who often shared stages with opposition MLAs at events in their respective ridings, and did so with grace.

We also encourage Kinew to tone down his bare-knuckle partisanship and try harder to work with opposition MLAs for the betterment of Manitoba. In that regard, we encourage him to emulate the standard of bipartisanship and goodwill that was set by former NDP MLA Drew Caldwell and former Progressive Conservative MLA Rick Borotsik, who worked together on many projects for the betterment of Brandon.

At a time when Manitoba is facing so many serious challenges from both within and outside the province, it is time for our premier and all MLAs to focus less on partisan advantage and focus more on improving the lives of their fellow Manitobans.