Tories say Kinew jumped gun by announcing all-party committee to protect local journalism

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives were surprised by the NDP government’s announcement last Friday of an all-party committee to protect local journalism, given they knew nothing about it.

PC Leader Obby Khan kicked off question period Monday in the legislature pointing to a news release issued late Friday announcing the all-party committee to explore the future of local journalism, including rural and cultural media.

“Our PC caucus is supportive of local journalism here in Manitoba,” Khan said.

“However, the premier thinks he can make a unilateral announcement he claims to be an all-party committee with no consultation from anyone else in this chamber other than his own caucus,” said Khan (Fort Whyte).

“Why did the premier put out a misleading press release?”

Premier Wab Kinew said his government brought the plan to the house, where it has been debated and “talked out” by the official Opposition, who raised questions about the specific issues the committee would address and the benchmarks that would be used to measure its success.

“When it comes to consultation, we brought it to the house — what more do you want?” Kinew said, noting there’s a long tradition of all-party committees working together.

The committee would include both officially recognized parties in the legislature, with four NDP MLAs and two PC members, he said.

“Let’s get to work,” Kinew said. “Let’s figure out how do we support local journalism across this great province.”

Consultations with local media organizations, other stakeholders and members of the public will take place in the coming months, starting as soon as mid-June, committee chairman Robert Loiselle said in an interview Monday.

The committee will focus on rural and northern media and cultural media such as French-, Filipino-, Punjabi- and Chinese-language publications, with a mandate to consider matters of public support for journalism at a time when many communities are losing their local outlets.

The member for St. Boniface said the motion to form the committee was announced last year and the government is moving ahead with it.

“We’re not going to spend every waking moment making sure that (the Tories are) OK with every move that we make,” Loiselle said.

Outside the chamber, Khan was asked if the PCs would boycott the committee, but he didn’t provide a direct answer.

“We don’t know what the mandate is. We don’t know what the makeup is. We don’t know what it’s going to look like. We don’t know what the purpose is,” he said.

Loiselle predicted the Tories will, in the end, decide to participate.

“There’s work to be done here,” he said. “Let’s get to work.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca