Kinew slams Trump, war with Iran at federal NDP convention Premier tells delegates NDP can be conscience of Parliament and have successful leader By: Tyler Searle Posted: 7:05 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 27, 2026

Premier Wab Kinew fired more shots at the U.S. administration on Friday by criticizing its “foolish Iranian war” and urging the federal government to condemn further military action.

“We have to stop the war in Iran. It is causing a lot of suffering overseas, it is causing a lot of economic pain to working people here in Canada,” Kinew told party faithful on the opening day of the federal NDP’s leadership convention in Winnipeg.

“Not a single Canadian should ever be put in harm’s way to try and defend (President) Donald Trump’s foolish Iranian war… No American child from the blue collar or the middle class should have to die in Iran. Let the Epstein class fight the Epstein war.”

That final line — a reference to disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — drew raucous applause from the crowd, who rose to their feet and cheered in support.

The premier has publicly speculated Trump launched missiles at Iran to distract from demands for the U.S. administration to fully release millions of documents related to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.

Former associates of Epstein, including Trump, have endured prolonged and intense scrutiny from the American public as a result of the so-called Epstein files scandal. The U.S. president has denied any wrongdoing and said the pair cut ties years before Epstein was first convicted of sex crimes involving a minor in 2008.

Kinew wrote a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, describing the war as “dumb” and urging him to tell the American government to bring it to an end.

“For nearly a month, the war in Iran has caused immense hardship, death and destruction for millions. Here in Manitoba, it has led to one of the largest increases in gas and energy prices in our history,” he wrote.

“Canada has always prided itself on pursuing a foreign policy that promotes prosperity at home and human rights around the world. Today this means taking action to end the war in Iran.”

After commenting on the war, Kinew turned his focus to the delegates, calling them to focus on issues such as affordability and health care as they work to restore their standing in the House of Commons.

The federal party’s seat count after the last election a year ago wasn’t high enough to retain official party status.

His speech opened the three-day convention in downtown Winnipeg, where about 2,000 delegates from across the country have assembled. When the event ends Sunday, the New Democrats will have elected a new leader.

Kinew said the person entrusted to rebuild the party should focus on winning elections first, before tackling bigger policy ideas.

“It’s important to be the conscience of Parliament. I don’t want to diminish that. That is very, very important,” he told the crowd.

“But here in Manitoba, we are showing you why winning matters. You can have a progressive economy. You can have better health care. You can stand up beyond the borders of a province of 1.5 million people and say, ‘This is who we are as Canadians.’”

Kinew is one of only two NDP premiers in Canada, and polls suggest his popularity is among the highest of the provincial leaders.

The candidates for federal NDP leadership include union leader Rob Ashton, filmmaker and activist Avi Lewis, social worker Tanille Johnston, Alberta MP Heather McPherson and farmer Tony McQuail.

Rebuilding a federal party that was reduced to just seven seats has been the focus of the leadership race.

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The next leader faces an even tougher task after Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to join the Liberals two weeks ago, leaving the NDP with just six seats.

They also face financial hurdles. Lucy Watson, the NDP president, told the convention Friday the party has about $13 million in debt.

This, however, is down from $26 million in debt that the party had after the 2025 election.

Delegates will debate adopting a permanent political organizing model aimed at expanding the NDP’s presence in communities outside election cycles, and getting more resources to riding associations.

Matthew Green, a former Ontario NDP MP who lost his seat in 2025, said the party was the victim of bad timing in the last election, caught in the debate over which leader would be the best choice to deal with Trump.

Green said the NDP’s message will resonate more in the next election campaign because working people are still being left behind.

“It’s important to be the conscience of Parliament. I don’t want to diminish that. That is very, very important.”

“We have to be able to have a process in which working-class voices are actually represented at decision-making tables. That’s not the case right now,” Green told The Canadian Press at the convention.

“We have a Wall Street banker running our country as a CEO. And despite all of the rhetoric … wages are still stagnant, prices are still sky-high, and Canadians are still struggling to get by day to day. I think they’re waking up to that.”

Green did not endorse any of the candidates. He said building strong community connections and enhancing the volunteer base are part of a winning strategy.

“When there’s an over-focus on the leader and this kind of cult of personality built around one person, I think it becomes very difficult for New Democrats to punch through,” Green said.

“But when people feel connected to the party where they live and when they’re building and developing leadership in their own communities, I think that’s where our processes of democracy are best.”

Many in the party have said they need to reconnect with their grassroots support to get back to recognized party status in the House of Commons.

—With files from The Canadian Press

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

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.