Children’s book by Kinew no conflict: ethics commissioner

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This article was published 19/02/2025 (589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s ethics commissioner says Premier Wab Kinew did not violate conflict of interest legislation by writing a children’s book that was published after he became premier.

In a report filed Wednesday with the Speaker of the legislature, Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor dismissed a Dec. 3 complaint by Fort Garry MLA Mark Wasyliw, who accused Kinew of contravening the Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act.

Schnoor’s report and investigation are the result of Wasyliw alleging the publication of An Anishinaabe Christmas breached the conditions imposed on him by the ethics commissioner, and that it placed him in a conflict of interest.

The book was one of three submitted to a publisher prior to Kinew’s election win in October 2023 and were awaiting publication, the premier’s office previously stated.

In a Nov. 2023 letter to Kinew, the ethics commissioner acknowledged the three books set for publication and directed him not to submit anything further.

“At some point in the future, your publisher will publish them and make them available to the public for purchase,” Schnoor wrote. “The decision on when this takes place is the publisher’s; you will play no role in this decision.”

The ethics commissioner wrote he was satisfied that Kinew’s work as an author carried out through his company Grey Cloud Media Inc. “will not create a conflict between your private interests and your official powers, duties or functions. I am further satisfied that a reasonable person would not see these activities as creating such a conflict.”

He asked the premier not to engage in any activities to promote the sale of his books, and to ask his publisher to refrain from identifying him as premier on any books and promotional materials.

“Premier Kinew advises that he made that request and his publisher has confirmed that,” the commissioner said in his report, noting all the conditions he imposed had been respected by the premier.

Wasyliw’s complaint tabled in the legislature in December said the book’s publishers and reviewers identified the author as Manitoba’s premier, and that the only ethical way to prevent a conflict was to prohibit Kinew’s works from being published while he’s premier. Schnoor issued no such prohibition.

The premier did not respond to a request for comment.

Wasyliw said Wednesday that he has to respect the ethics commissioner’s decision but maintains that a conflict remains if the premier and his publisher can continue to benefit from his position as premier.

“Now, for the next two to three years, he can continue to publish this work and other people will be using the fact that he’s a premier to make money off of it,” Wasyliw said. “And he will indirectly make money because of that.”

Wasyliw, a criminal defence lawyer, was kicked out of the NDP caucus after the party formed government for having ties to a lawyer defending disgraced fashion mogul and convicted sex offender Peter Nygard.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Ethics Commissioner’s Report