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“Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.”
— journalist George F. Will
The premier held a news conference and didn’t invite the local Tory MLA? Is this really a thing?
The Macro
It certainly feels as if Manitoba provincial politics has become particularly petty in recent months.
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Politics has always been somewhat petty. But these days, it’s become like Regina George in Mean Girls petty. But with an edge. Think Regina George with a healthy dose of White Goodman from Dodgeball.
Think I’m exaggerating, which does happen from time to time? Consider these two stand-out petty incidents.
Last November, Progressive Conservative MLAs refused to stand and support the declaration of a day of remembrance for Transgender victims of violence. The day of remembrance was proposed by NDP MLA Logan Oxenham, the first openly transgender MLA in Manitoba.
At the conclusion of Oxenham’s speech, most MLAs stood and applauded. But the entire PC caucus, including leader Obby Khan, remained seated.
Premier Wab Kinew immediately attacked, saying during question period:
“Such a bizarre worldview in the PC side of things, where it’s human rights for some, but not human rights for all.”
Khan said he and his caucus declined to support the statement because it was “politically motivated and delivered … to divide Manitobans.” Kinew said the Tories were guilty of a “cowardly display.”
So, who is being pettier here? The Tories for refusing to support the transgender community, which is most definitely a target for hate crimes, or the NDP for lobbing a particularly vitriolic attack on the official opposition?
Story behind the story time. NDP support for transgender rights is unequivocal, and Oxenham’s plea for bi-partisan support to condemn violence against transgender people was genuine. But the NDP also used the issue as a political truncheon.
The NDP know the Tories are squeamish about LGBTTQ+ politics and generally look for any opportunity to expose their squeamishness. Khan and the Tories, meanwhile, make themselves an easy target because of their own petty fear that a handful of far-right supporters in some far-flung rural riding will punish them for showing any support for transgender victims of violence.
(Note to Khan: Opposing hate crimes against a particular group does not mean you are sympathetic to their cause. It just means you are anti-hate crime.)
Second incident. This past week, the PCs and the NDP were sparring about whether Tory MLA Rick Wowchuk should have been allowed to the opening of a provincially funded cultural arts centre in Swan Valley Regional school. Wowchuk is the MLA for the area.
The funding was approved when the Tories were still in power, but the work was completed after the NDP won the 2023 election. Wowchuk was invited by the Swan Valley School Division board, of which Wowchuk’s brother Gary is the chairman.
A quick call from the premier’s office to the board and Wowchuk was no longer invited to participate in the ribbon cutting. When he and his party protested, Kinew lobbed a particularly petty volley of insults at the Tories.
“His feelings are hurt. Who cares?” Kinew said, noting that NDP MLAs, when they were in opposition, were not invited to participate in announcements or ribbon cuttings by the then-governing Tories.
Story behind the story: most of the time, opposition politicians are not invited to speak at government announcements or ribbon cuttings. You want a really good example? Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper was called upon in 2008 to participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Even though the deal to get the museum built was negotiated by a Liberal government, and approved by former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien, no Liberals were allowed to speak at the event.
In other words, to the victors go the spoils. You want to stand behind the mic at a ribbon cutting? Win the next election.
Wowchuk’s expectations about being allowed to participate in the Swan Valley event were immature and unreasonable. His moaning and whining about being excluded is most definitely a sign of political pettiness.
However, the premier’s response reached new heights of pettiness, particularly the suggestion voters “Google this guy’s name. You’re not going to like what you see.”
One of the enduring characteristics of pettiness is that it’s rarely accompanied by self-awareness.
Kinew was referring to the fact that Wowchuk admitted to sexually harassing a staff member roughly a decade ago. However, at the same time, most Manitobans know Kinew had several run-ins with the law when he was younger.
What Wowchuk did was horrible and perhaps it should make him ineligible to serve in the legislature. But it would be hard to objectively say it was worse than the things Kinew either did or was accused of doing.
Could we somehow break the toxic cycle of pettiness in politics? Most polls show that voters do not like seeing their politicians involved in Mean Girls-styled sparring. So, perhaps a governing party could invite the occasional opposition MLA to say a few words at a ribbon cutting with the comfort of knowing it would have zero impact on the outcome of the next election.
Pettiness is, ultimately, a lot like any expression of stupidity. And as we know, petty is as petty does.
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