Premier stands by Fontaine amid calls for her resignation by PCs, protesters Accusations fly from Kinew, Khan as fall session begins By: Carol Sanders Posted: 7:10 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 Last Modified: 1:14 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 Updates

Premier Wab Kinew defended his embattled families minister Wednesday, declaring Nahanni Fontaine a strong leader who is the victim of gender-based violence and racism following a fire at her constituency office over the weekend.

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan took aim at Fontaine on the first day of the fall legislative session, calling for the premier to remove her from cabinet for reposting controversial comments last month saying she had no empathy for assassinated U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Khan tabled 450 emails in the chamber from Manitobans calling for Fontaine’s removal while 50 demonstrators gathered in front of the legislative building demanding her ouster from cabinet.

“Wab Kinew should do the right thing, have her step down … she’s unfit for the position,” said Patrick Allard, a rally co-organizer who ran as an independent against Fontaine in the St. Johns constituency in the 2023 election.

Nearly 50 counter-protesters were in attendance. They blared sirens, beat drums and chanted “Who do we support — Nahanni,” over speeches at the rally. Police were in attendance but the protests were peaceful.

“They try to drown us out with sounds and yelling, I want to talk to them, I want to talk to everyone,” Allard said. “Why can’t we break bread together?”

Another speaker, Max Genest, derided counter-protesters as “freaks” and said Fontaine “glorified and justified the horrible public execution of Charlie Kirk.”

Inside the legislative chamber, Kinew derided the protesters demanding Fontaine’s removal.

“To the goofballs out front, if you have an issue, you have an issue with me,” Kinew said. “I am the one who decided to keep this minister at the cabinet table.”

The premier also supported Fontaine after a hot mic caught her complaining about an American Sign Language interpreter at a June event. She later apologized for both incidents.

“She’s a great minister and I don’t believe in cancel culture.”

“She’s a great minister and I don’t believe in cancel culture.”

Kinew accused the Tory leader of attacking Indigenous women instead of him.

The premier noted the constituency offices of Fontaine and Bernadette Smith — two female Indigenous cabinet ministers — were recent targets of vandalism and arson. He asked why Smith’s office in Point Douglas and Fontaine’s office in St. Johns were targeted but his Fort Rouge office was not, despite a recent demonstration of 300 protesters.

“There’s certain dynamics at work here,” Kinew said, asking why Khan did not show outrage after two of his colleagues were targeted.

“Violence and threats have no place in political discourse or society,” Khan said inside the chamber, where the Tories also pressed the governing NDP on health care, crime, its bail reform promises and a rash of violent attacks reported over the summer involving repeat offenders.

After question period, Khan told reporters that it’s the opposition’s job to hold the government to account.

“It is really concerning … that this premier is equating our job to hold them accountable, to ask tough questions, as some form of violence and act of racism,” said Khan, the first Muslim elected to the Manitoba legislature.

“The last time I checked, I am a visible minority who is proud leader of the Progressive Conservative party.”

Khan went on to accuse the premier of gaslighting people and trying to “suffocate” democracy by deriding the protesters calling for Fontaine’s removal.

“People are free to come here and protest,” Kinew said outside the chamber. “I’m free to express my opinion about them, but leaders of parties like Obby Khan shouldn’t be using question period time to try and exacerbate divisions in our society.”

“We need to take the temperature down here,” the premier said.

He hinted security may be increased at constituency offices in the future. Manitoba provincial politicians currently receive $4,400 for security systems at their offices, which are often in small storefronts accessible to the public, and their homes.

Talks are to begin with the Legislative Assembly Management Commission, an all-party group that oversees politicians’ expenses, about a possible increase.

Wednesday also marked the first day on the job inside the legislature for a new MLA and a new party leader.

Colleen Robbins took her seat on the PC back bench after winning the Spruce Woods byelection in August. Newly acclaimed Liberal leader and former Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Willard Reaves took his seat as a spectator in the visitors gallery. With only one elected MLA, Cindy Lamoureux, the Manitoba Liberals do not have provincial party status in the legislature.

The fall sitting will see politicians vote on a number of items, including a report from the ethics commissioner that said former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers violated the province’s conflict-of-interest law.

The report, released in the spring, found the three unsuccessfully tried to push through approval of a silica sand mining project after the Tories lost the October 2023 election but before the new NDP government could be sworn in.

It recommended an $18,000 fine for Stefanson, and smaller amounts for former deputy premier Cliff Cullen and Jeff Wharton, who was economic development minister.

Stefanson has said she was acting in the public interest and Wharton has said he never intended to break any rules.

Several bills are expected to be debated in the coming weeks, including one to extend the amount of time highly intoxicated people can be detained beyond the current 24 hours.

Kinew has said extra time is needed to deal with people on methamphetamines, which have a longer-lasting effect than alcohol and other drugs.

Some bills left over from the spring sitting will also be voted on. One will implement tax measures announced in the budget, including a change to personal income taxes that will no longer raise tax brackets in line with inflation.

Another bill would lower political donation limits and require parties to have a code of conduct for election advertising. The PCs say the bill should be changed because it allows parties to investigate themselves instead of answering to someone else.

— with files from Malak Abas and The Canadian Press

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca