Kinew vows NDP will be tough on crime By: Danielle Da Siilva Posted: 11:48 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 Last Modified: 7:50 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 Updates

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NDP Leader Wab Kinew promised Manitobans he will be tough on crime, in a speech Wednesday that drew from his past run-ins with the law, just as he accused the Tories of mounting a campaign that links crime to his leadership, in part, because he is Indigenous.

In his address to a 250-plus crowd at the Canadian Mennonite University, he pledged to help people who suffer from addictions and to “bring the hammer down” on drug dealers.

“My political opponents are playing politics with crime. Not only have they allowed our communities to become less safe, they are also making many statements which are simply untrue,” Kinew said.

“I will never defund the police. On the contrary, I will work with law enforcement in Winnipeg, in rural Manitoba and on reserve to ensure that they have resources to make our community safer.”

Kinew, 41, also called out the Tories for making his criminal convictions an election issue.

“My political opponents think I’m running from my past, but actually, my past is the reason I’m running,” he said.

He was granted a record suspension, also known as a pardon, in 2016.

Kinew had a record for assaulting a taxi driver, refusing a breathalyzer and breaching court orders. He faced charges of domestic assault in 2003 and one count of theft under $5,000 in 2006, but those charges were stayed.

Tory billboards and advertisements that read “Under Wab Kinew violent crime will only get worse,” have gone up around Winnipeg. They promote Fort Rouge PC candidate Rejeanne Caron, who is a police officer.

“Why would (Premier) Heather Stefanson and the PCs who’ve been so terrible on crime want to talk about crime during this election? Because it’s not about crime, it’s about me,” Kinew told the crowd.

“And it’s at least partially about the fact that I’m somebody who sometimes wears my hair in a braid.”

In response, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen told the Free Press he rejects the accusation that race is behind his party’s message that crime will worsen if Kinew becomes premier.

“My political opponents are playing politics with crime. Not only have they allowed our communities to become less safe, they are also making many statements which are simply untrue.”–NDP Leader Wab Kinew

The NDP leader’s run-ins with the law are public record, fair game, and crime and safety are top priorities for the PCs, Goertzen said.

“The only person in this campaign, so far, that I’ve heard raise the issue of race is Wab Kinew. We’re raising the issue of the NDP’s record — their record on voting against initiatives that’ll make the community safer, their record on not bringing forward initiatives to support things like bail reform,” Goertzen said.

Kinew received multiple standing ovations during his 35-minute speech in which he recounted his experience as a First Nations man growing up in Manitoba and the “tough love” that helped him turn his life around.

“I had a major problem with alcoholism and I did some things that I’m not proud of,” Kinew said.

“When I was ‘in the problem’ 20 years ago, I was held accountable by the justice system — and I want to be perfectly clear here — being held accountable by the justice system was a necessary step.

“It forced me to confront the fact I needed to change my life, to apologize and to tackle my addictions.”

He criticized the Stefanson government for its record on crime and justice, saying the government has cracked down on people with addictions while being soft on drug dealers.

The NDP would tackle drug trafficking through a new “unexplained wealth act” that would compel people to show how they acquired multimillion-dollar homes and luxury vehicles, as examples, Kinew said.

“My political opponents think I’m running from my past, but actually, my past is the reason I’m running.” –NDP Leader Wab Kinew

“A future Manitoba NDP government will ask, ‘how did you get that?’ And if you can’t explain it we will hold you accountable,” Kinew said. “This will target those who are bringing toxic drugs into our communities and reduce the violent crimes that they cause.”

He vowed to get criminals off the street, support common-sense bail reform, address addictions and trauma, and teach people the value of hard work and a good job. He described jails as “gangster university” and said crime rates have worsened since the PCs took office.

He promised the NDP would invest in education, meal programs and recreation and cultural programs to help children who are at risk of “going down a bad path.”

The public safety issues plaguing Manitoba are also being experienced in jurisdictions across Canada, Goertzen said.

He did not answer directly, when asked, whether decisions taken by the Tory government since 2016 have contributed to the problem.

“Our government has already, previously, taken significant steps to address this issue,” Goertzen said, adding the province funded law enforcement units that target violent crime, missing persons, and child abuse, and has pushed for bail reform at the federal level.

“We know these are priorities and that’s why we’ve taken these actions, actions that have been voted against by the NDP in the house.”

The Tory campaign messaging has caught the ire of people outside the NDP.

“Is (it) a dog whistle if everyone can hear it?” former Manitoba Liberal MP Dr. Doug Eyolfson posted to social media in response to the advertisement featuring Caron. “Now she is actually trying to make people afraid of a potential Indigenous premier.”

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Goertzen disagreed the ad suggests an Indigenous premier is something to be feared. Rather, the NDP’s record and failings on community safety are being outlined for the public, he said.

“Our campaign advertising is focused on issues that people care about, it is focused on the past voting record and policy records of the NDP, because that’s important for people to know,” Goertzen said.

“Wab Kinew was hoping today that we would stop talking about public safety because he doesn’t like the record his party has on public safety.”

— with files from Carol Sanders

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca