Health minister accuses Tory leader of ‘derogatory, disgusting’ bigotry uttered in the legislative chamber

Decorum unravelled at the Manitoba legislature this week with accusations of bigotry and “behaviour that’s out of control.”

“The Speaker cannot control what’s happening in the house,” Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said after question period Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Khan was accused of heckling Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, who uses non-binary “they, them” pronouns.

“You’re a terrible person… whatever you are,” he’s alleged to have said.

Khan, however, denied saying it.

Government house leader Nahanni Fontaine complained about the alleged remark to Speaker Tom Lindsey, who said he’d review the matter.

Meantime, Asagwara called Khan a “bigot” during Wednesday’s question period, and the PC leader complained to the speaker that it violated his privilege as an MLA.

He told reporters afterward that he called the health minister a “terrible person because of their relentless attacks on our team and our health critic.”

”I follow that up by saying, ‘Whatever you are saying, say it outside,’” Khan said, offering some context.

“You can say whatever you like in the house within certain rules…. But when you say it outside the chamber, you can be sued for defamation. You are not protected by parliamentary privilege outside.”

Outside the chamber Wednesday, Asagwara again called Khan a “bigot” and said that on Tuesday he clearly referred to them as “whatever you are” amid the heckling.

Khan and Asagwara are seated directly across the floor from one another.

“The leader of the Opposition started yelling across the way at me, ‘You’re terrible.’ And then said to me, while leaning forward, ‘Whatever you are.’ He said it clearly. He said it in a way that was very obvious he wanted to be heard,” Asagwara said.

“Nobody has actually ever said that to me in my life. Nobody has ever actually looked at me and said ‘whatever you are.’

“When the leader of the Opposition looks at me and makes a statement as derogatory and as disgusting as that, he is telling kids (that) if you look like me, you live like me — and there’s many of them — that they don’t belong here. And I don’t accept that.”

The health minister called on Khan to apologize.

The Tory leader called for less yelling and heckling in the chamber so that members can be heard.

The Speaker has called the NDP bench to order repeatedly since the sitting began March 4 but there have been no consequences, Khan said.

The Tory caucus prepared a spreadsheet tracking calls to order during question period, with the government side of the house the main culprit.

Since assuming the role of Speaker in 2023, Lindsey has implored MLAs to refrain from insults and unruly behaviour and threatened to eject members from the chamber if they’re out of line.

“The Speaker says he will not allow it to go on, and yet he allows this behaviour to continue, to repeat over and over and over again,” Khan said.

“I would strongly say that there is a line in the chamber. The line has been clearly crossed with behaviour that’s gone out of control.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca