Kinew’s tough talk leaves room for interpretation

Is “tough on crime” Wab the real deal?

It’s no secret that Premier Wab Kinew — Manitoba’s nationally popular first minister — has adopted an increasingly tough persona, with increasingly strong language, when it comes to justice and public safety.

This week during an address to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, Kinew told local government leaders he was forming a police task force to punish drug traffickers with a merciless vigor.

“And so we’re taking action… to bring the hammer down on drug traffickers — people who are pushing our communities and are causing death and causing destruction,” Kinew said, adding: “We should not have any mercy for those folks.”

This somewhat new character — the premier as a remorseless crusader for safer streets — has made several appearances this fall.

In October, Kinew publicly disparaged a judge who granted bail to a truck driver who was involved in a highway collision near Altona that killed a woman and her eight-year-old daughter. Angered at the decision, Kinew said he felt it necessary to “remind those sitting on the bench that you have to make your decision based on the world as it is, not as you would like it to be.”

Then, earlier this month, Kinew brought out his iron fist again after the Supreme Court of Canada rejected the imposition of mandatory minimum prison sentences for possessing child pornography. The court argued that mandatory minimums unjustly eliminated the discretion of judges to impose lesser sentences when warranted.

Kinew went off like an uncovered blender in responding to the high court’s decision.

Kinew argued “skinners” (jailhouse slang for sex offenders) should be removed from protective custody so jailhouse justice could take its course. “Not only should you go to prison for a long time, they should bury you under the prison,” he said.

He used the same tone when debating the merits of a new facility that will detain people suffering from meth-induced psychosis for up to 72 hours. Despite increasingly heated criticism of the law and the facility, the premier has defended this hard-line approach.

“We’re not starting from a place of utopia and bringing a sobering centre into the pearly gates of heaven,” Kinew said this week.

The last quote was clearly a muddled attempt at delivering a powerful one-liner but the sentiment was clear: the NDP government will safely isolate people suffering from meth-induced psychosis but will not coddle them.

Is this newly unveiled tendency to project iron-fisted resolve something that has always been part of Kinew’s mindset, or is it just political pandering to a skittish electorate?

No and yes.

These comments do reflect authentic, long-held beliefs and traumatic personal experiences. These include the fact Kinew’s father was sexually assaulted in a residential school, a trauma he has written about in his books. And both the premier and members of his family have struggled with substance abuse.

That does not mean, however, there isn’t a measure of political theatre. Kinew is clearly aware of the strategic benefits that accrue every time he performs an Equalizer-like flex.

Kinew’s comments and his get-tough policies have essentially taken the Progressive Conservative opposition off the board when it comes to crime and punishment. When the 72-hour involuntary treatment bill was in the legislature, the PCs offered only token commentary and no opposition. In fact, the entire Tory caucus voted in favour of the law.

Missing from Kinew’s “tough on crime” persona are facts about what’s really going on in the justice system, or any hint he might try to compromise to address some of the concerns and criticisms he has faced.

On his well-publicized comments about bail and judges, Kinew admitted he was responding to a concern among the public that too many people charged with crimes are being released on bail.

Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced a bill last month intended to make bail laws stricter.

There are some constituencies, including some who likely reside at or near the core of NDP support, who find his tough-love approach a bit alarming.

More than 200 people showed up last weekend to protest against the 72-hour involuntary treatment of people suffering from meth psychosis. Although that’s hardly a popular uprising, it’s a surprisingly strong reaction to a policy that Kinew has defended unashamedly. Many in the protest complained Kinew was starting to sound like populist conservative leaders. That’s not a great label for a New Democrat to carry.

In the wake of all this tough-guy talk, it’s fair to ask: is this genuine Wab or a character he is playing for voters?

Some of the anger is real and connected to seminal events in his life. However, Kinew does not always play tough when it comes to justice and public safety. For example, away from cameras and microphones, Kinew makes regular visits to the Manitoba Youth Centre to talk with young offenders about how to turn their lives around.

So, is it genuine or an act? The longer Kinew keeps up the tough-guy talk, the less important that question becomes.

dan.lett@winnipegfreepress.com