’I am sorry’: Kinew apologizes to defence lawyers after MLA booted from caucus Nygard lawyer ‘grateful’ for apology By: Tyler Searle Posted: 3:17 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 Last Modified: 6:53 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 Updates

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Manitoba’s premier apologized to defence lawyers Wednesday after he was slammed for his party’s decision to boot an MLA from the NDP caucus.

Fort Garry MLA Mark Wasyliw was removed from caucus last month because his former law partner represents convicted sex offender Peter Nygard.

At the time, Kinew said Wasyliw could be affiliated with the NDP or Nygard, but not both. More than two weeks later, the premier apologized to Gerri Wiebe — Wasyliw’s former law partner — and defence lawyers.

“The reasons given for the expulsion of one of our former MLAs were accurate,” Kinew said in the legislature at the start of the fall session. “However, upon reflection, my desire for transparency to the people of Manitoba should have been outweighed by my deep respect for the independence of the justice system.

“All that I should have said publicly is that there are irreconcilable differences with that MLA and we wish him well,” Kinew said.

Kinew said he apologized to Wiebe privately and wanted to repeat it publicly.

“Gerri Wiebe, I am sorry, I also want to say this: I apologize to defence attorneys as a profession. You perform an important function for our society. I offer these apologies with the deepest of humility, with the utmost sincerity and without reservation.”

Kinew did not say what prompted the change and did not speak with reporters after question period.

Wiebe responded to the apology in an interview with the Free Press, saying she spoke with the premier for “a couple of minutes” by phone earlier in the day and accepted his mea culpa.

She said she was surprised by it because the NDP had previously doubled down on its rationale for removing Wasyliw. Days after the MLA was removed, NDP caucus chairman Mike Moyes said: “MLA Wasyliw’s failure to demonstrate good judgment does not align with our caucus principles of mutual respect and trust.”

Wiebe said she was not expecting a retraction.

“All that I should have said publicly is that there are irreconcilable differences.”–Premier Wab Kinew

“He gave a genuine and unequivocal apology and I was very grateful for it … It takes courage to apologize and I respect someone who has the integrity to admit they made a mistake.”

The NDP’s rationale for expelling Wasyliw made headlines across the country and drew condemnation from legal associations and organizations nationwide, with several groups demanding Kinew apologize.

Wiebe said she was heartened by the outpouring of support after the news broke, saying people reached out to her to say they disagreed with the government’s position.

She added it was disappointing to see the party use the “same line of attack” taken by the Progressive Conservative government during its election campaign last fall, referencing advertisements the party ran denigrating Wasyliw for his role as a criminal defence lawyer.

“I voted for this party, I wanted to see this party succeed — that sentiment never really changed. Obviously, I was disappointed in their handling of this specific issue … (but) they can keep my donations, I continue to support the NDP.”

Chris Gamby, spokesperson for the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba, said the organization also accepted the apology.

“We are all here to do a job. It’s a pretty tough job. It puts us in opposition of the government and sometimes (means) representing people who the general public might have a pretty significant problem with, but without that, the system doesn’t work properly,” he said.

“He gave a genuine and unequivocal apology and I was very grateful for it.”–Defence lawyer Gerri Wiebe

“We obviously had some big problems being disparaged for being a part of that process… We accept the apology unreservedly.”

Wasyliw sat as an independent for the first time Wednesday after he was kicked out of caucus on Sept. 16. He later told the Free Press Kinew “will bully people.”

“He is very demeaning to staff and MLAs when he talks to them. He will run them down — very disrespectful,” Wasyliw said at the time.

Wednesday’s apology came shortly before the Tories raised a motion calling for a “thorough investigation by the ethics commissioner” into Wasyliw’s allegations of a toxic, deceitful and dysfunctional workplace within the NDP caucus.

Wasyliw, who supported the motion, called the timing of the apology “troubling and suspect.”

He noted Kinew was informed of the incoming motion on Tuesday, as required under legislature rules.

“Only after receiving notice of that motion did he reach out to Gerri Wiebe and offer an apology,” Wasyliw told reporters. “That will affect the sincerity of this. It would have meant more several weeks ago when he had an opportunity.”

Deputy Opposition house leader Grant Jackson put forward the motion on behalf of his party, saying the “serious allegations” needed to be investigated by the ethics commissioner. The motion had not been decided by press time but was not expected to pass.

“While we respect the respectful workplace policies that are in effect in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, we want to make sure that they’re being followed by the Government of Manitoba and the only way to do that is through an independent investigation,” said Jackson.

— with files from Maggie Macintosh and Carol Sanders

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.