Tory MLA asks for, receives rare apology from Speaker for ‘mistake’ during question period ruckus

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The Tory MLA who triggered an uproar during Tuesday’s question period by suggesting a $10,205 contract for counselling services paid for the finance minister’s therapy demanded — and received — a rare apology Wednesday from the speaker.

Greg Nesbitt, the member for Riding Mountain, said speaker Tom Lindsey took sides during Tuesday’s proceedings and didn’t maintain order, with government benches drowning out his right to ask questions about the government contract.

Government house leader Nahanni Fontaine, who shouted “shame!” over Nesbitt’s line of questioning Tuesday as the speaker stood calling for order, said the Tory should apologize to the house for “trying to imply that a member of our caucus somehow entered into a private contract with a therapist.”

The contract in question covered counselling services for people searching Prairie Green Landfill for remains of serial-killer victims Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, not for Finance Minister Adrien Sala, as Nesbitt’s questioning suggested, Fontaine told reporters Tuesday.

She said in the chamber Wednesday that she doesn’t regret shouting over Nesbitt’s questions, calling them “deplorable.”

Nesbitt said Lindsey — who was elected as the NDP MLA for Flin Flon and is expected to be non-partisan in his role as speaker — sided with the government bench, allowing the NDP MLAs to shout him down.

Lindsey told the house at one point Tuesday that Nesbitt couldn’t ask questions about a member’s personal medical information, and admonished the Tory MLA for trying to incite the chamber.

“I was mistaken in this statement, and I apologize to the member for Riding Mountain for that mistake, as I apologize to all members if I’ve made a mistake,” Lindsey told the house Wednesday.

“All members of this house are protected by parliamentary privilege during our proceedings, and one of our most important privileges is the freedom of speech. Even though other members may be offended by what a member says in this place, you all have the right to speak freely here within the boundaries of the rules and practices of this assembly.”

Nesbitt said he accepted the speaker’s apology.

“I made my point,” he said later.

As for the rules inside the chamber, the speaker said Tuesday’s decorum was “absolutely awful.”

“At one point, the government front bench was yelling so loudly that I had to shout to be heard. That is unacceptable,” he said, promising to eject members who are out of order.

Such an apology is uncommon, said University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus Paul Thomas.

“It has probably happened before, but I do not recall ever hearing a speaker in the Manitoba legislature apologize publicly for remarks made in the chamber,” Thomas said Wednesday.

“Speaker Lindsey got caught up in the emotions of the moment and made a mistake in accusing an opposition MLA of trying to incite disorderly conduct in the chamber,” he said.

“Questioning the motivations of members is never a good idea. I do not know how much blame should be ascribed to the government side for not clarifying immediately the purpose of the therapy spending.”

The speaker has the authority to suspend or remove a MLA for a violation of the rules and traditional parliamentary practices, but that is usually done only after several warnings, he said. The speaker can also rule certain questions out of order in a chamber that’s tough to control, said Thomas.

“The speaker has been trying to promote civility and decorum but the culture of the legislature remains persistently polarized, negative and at times toxic,” he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca