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Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about racism, decorum in politics, and what constitutes respect by politicians.
I’ve never shied away from naming and confronting racism, even before I started working in media. See me here in 2013, trying to meet with the editor of the Morris Mirror newspaper over comments he made about the Idle No More movement.
As I showed on that day, acts of racism aren’t really about throwing rocks and words at another person but about what a community does to facilitate kindness, accountability, and justice once racism is called out for what it is.
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These days, I could choose any number of racist incidents used by politicians across North America — see, for example, U.S. President Donald Trump commenting on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “physical features” and how Chinese citizens in the U.S. don’t match up to him (starts at 6:00) but Manitoba’s got its own special brand of divisive, harmful statements and actions based in racial stereotypes.
The most recent winner of the most xenophobic statement in Manitoba politics goes to Lac du Bonnet PC MLA Wayne Ewasko, who, on April 15 in the legislature, yelled at Premier Wab Kinew while he was speaking: “You’re drunk, you’re drunk. I thought you quit drinking” (see the official account of the Speaker of the Manitoba Legislature on page 1661 here).
Kinew has a well-documented history with alcohol, but hasn’t drank for years and, like other Canadian politicians, alcohol does not influence him or his decision-making.
The level of stupidity in this comment! It’s like defining a 50-year-old by their 20-year-old decisions; in other circumstances it could be called harassment. It’s certainly not a barometer for running a Canadian province.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, for example, has a well-documented toxic relationship with alcohol, but it apparently hasn’t negated his career. Moe’s alcohol use has resulted in a 1992 conviction for impaired driving, a 1994 charge of impaired driving (which was stayed/withdrawn), and most notably, a fatal car crash in 1997, for which he was fined for driving without due care.
Yet, Kinew is apparently the one who has to answer questions about alcohol.
“It is a discriminatory comment that plays on an ugly stereotype about Anishinaabe people,” Kinew told reporters afterwards.
“I don’t drink. But ask yourself why, as a native guy, do I have to come out today and say I don’t drink. (Ontario Premier) Doug Ford doesn’t drink. (U.S. President) Donald Trump doesn’t drink. I don’t drink. That’s something that a lot of successful people don’t do.”
Kinew later got into a heated — but very interesting — debate with CBC Manitoba morning host Marcy Markusa during his monthly visit to her show over the duty of those in the media to call something racist when they hear/see it and not treat it as “the other side” of arguments (that part begins at 9:00).
I cannot tell you how many times I have had similar situations, with blatant racism, hate and falsehoods about Indigenous peoples constituting the arguments of those who want to argue residential schools “intended well,” First Nations chiefs are all corrupt, or Indigenous peoples are welfare bums, addicts, and are only motivated by taking money and services from the government.
Other Manitoba politicians such as Deputy Premier Uzoma Asagwara point out this is not a first for Ewasko, saying the Manitoba politician has “a history of saying wildly offensive and racist things in the chamber,” and specifically aiming them at Kinew.
Ewasko offered a tepid acknowledgement of his statement (but did not acknowledge it was racist) and was briefly suspended from the legislature.
Then, in a baffling moment that didn’t deal with the situation in any meaningful way, Manitoba House Speaker Tom Lindsey “banned” all of politicians in the Manitoba legislature from calling each other racist, transphobic, misogynist or bigots.
I’m here to call Ewasko’s taunts racist. Period.
In any other place of employment, this would be called bullying and harassment, and would be handled through individual discipline, reparations and some sort of workplace-safety training.
No one is perfect, of course, and mistakes can be made in heated moments, but racism does nothing but cause division and harm, and is not an acceptable way to communicate in a civil society.
I wonder if citizens in Lac du Bonnet talk like that.
I wonder what they think of a person representing them who uses such racist language and won’t take responsibility for it.
I wonder what the majority of Manitobans think — and expect — of those who debate their issues, serve and represent them.
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