Manitoba NDP leader accuses PCs of exploiting 'tense interaction' as an opportunity to attack his character
Tories say Wab Kinew's run-in with Obby Khan highlights Opposition leader's 'deficiencies'
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinewadmits his conduct wasn't perfect during arun-in with cabinet minister Obby Khan on Thursday, but alleges the events that followed weretwisted by the Progressive Conservatives for political gain.
Kinew has denied cursing and shovingKhan at a public event at the legislature, saying instead therewas only a "tense verbal exchange" and it wasn't the time and place for it.
The NDP leader appeared on CBC Manitoba's Up to Speedon Friday, where healleged the Tories' reaction is politically motivated.
"Mr. Khan, I take him at face value that he's upset that we had a tense interaction andI won't speak for him, obviously he can describe his emotional reaction to that," Kinew told host Faith Fundal.
"But I'm sure that once he shared that with the PC team, then the political staff jumps in and then it becomes an opportunity to take shots at me."
WATCH | Full interview with NDP Leader Wab Kinew denying Obby Khan's accusations:
Kinew said he expected to be the government's target inthe lead-up to a scheduled October vote.
"I think we all know that the PCs are not going to be able to run an election campaign on health care, or on their failures in government," he said.
In response, a spokesperson for the Tories said they"wholeheartedly reject the assertion" they played up the exchange.
"Minister Khan spoke truthfully and sincerely about the incident, while Mr. Kinew, who has a record of insincere apologies and being less than honest, admitted his conduct was poor and his exchange was tense," the party said in a statement.
"This is just another example in a series of inappropriate behaviours that highlight character deficiencies unbecoming of an elected official."
Khan, the minister for sport, culture and heritage, declined CBC'sinterview request Friday, saying, through a spokesperson,he'ssaid his pieceand he's "moving on."
He told reporters at an unrelated media event on Fridaythat his account of the events is true and he'd like a "heartfelt apology" from Kinew.
Thursday'sconfrontation happened in the rotunda of the legislature, where the NDPhosted a gathering to mark Manitoba's first Turban Day. A party banner was used as a backdrop behind the speakers.
The two politiciansacknowledged Kinewexpressed frustration that Khan made partisan remarks during his speech he told the ceremony thereshould have been PC and Liberal banners put up as well, because the issue was non-partisan but otherwise their accounts had few similarities.
"The leader of the Opposition pulled me in and said, 'You piece of s-. How dare you politicize this f-ing event. What you did is f-ing wrong,"' Khan told thechamber on Thursday.
"I'm emotionally shaken by this. I wasn't expecting that intimidation attempts, insulting language and when we left the handshake, there was a shove in the stomach."
WATCH | Khanaccuses Kinew of inappropriate behaviour (WARNING: contains offensive language):
Kinew said the NDP banner was in place because the party organized the event but welcomed people from other parties. He said there was no abusive behaviour during his exchange with Khan.
"I said, 'You should not have said these partisan things.' [Khan]comes back at me and he says, 'You have no class,"' Kinew said.
"At no time was there any swearing. At no time was there any name calling. And the interaction was of words exchanged, albeit tensely, over a handshake."
CBC News has asked the PCsto produce videos or photos of the run-in, but none were provided. The handshake occurred off to the side, away fromthe view of most cameras. CBCNews didn'twitness the exchange.
The Tories, though,issueda statement from cabinet minister Andrew Smith, whosaid he saw the interaction from across the rotunda. "While I did not hear the words Mr. Kinew said, the interaction was awkwardly close and clearly uncomfortable. Something was very 'off' about it."
Several NDP MLAs, who were seated nearKinew, wrote insocial media posts theywitnessed no aggressiveness. Khan'saccusations are "baseless and unbecoming," Nello Altomare said on Twitter. Lisa Naylor tweeted Khan's accusation "plays on racist tropes."
The NDP invited several school classesto the event.
ReannaKorade, a teacher at Arthur E. Wright School in Winnipeg, said she watched the entire exchangebecause she felt Khan's political comments, expressed minutes earlier, were out of place.
Korade, who said she isn't anNDP supporter, said shesaw notestiness or shoving, but only overheard someone say"time or place" and didn't hear their entire discussion. It appeared to be a pleasant conversation, she said, though Khanlookedagitated when he returned to his seat.
Political scientist Christopher Adams saidthe allegations are disconcerting.
"This is something that's been brewing for quite a while over the past number of years in the assembly," he said, sayingdecorum in the legislature continues to decline.
PCs continue to attack Kinew's past
The adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba said the Toriescan use this alleged altercation to fuel attacks Kinewhasn't changed from his troubled background, which includes past run-ins with the law.
"I have to say Wab Kinewhas not behaved according to thosecharacterizations" by the PCs. He has "inmany waysbuilt up this reputation with the Manitoba electorate, but with thisincident yesterday is an opportunity for the PCs to get back into those accusations,"Adams said on Friday.
He said dredging up aspects ofKinew'spast or, in this case, a present-day allegationmay resonate with some swing voters, particularlywomen, a majority of which support the NDP, polls suggest.
"You can bet right now, or leading into the election, there are focus groups going on to see how they respond to different messaging."
The NDP has been ahead of the governing Toriesin provincialopinion pollsfor two years, but the gapnarrowed tosix percentage points in the Probe Research poll from March, down from 11 points inDecember.
The Tories continue to referenceKinew'searlier yearsduring question period. It is usually devoid of specifics, but not always: On Thursday, beforeKhan's complaint, finance minister Cliff Cullen listed off Kinew'sprevious criminal charges after the NDP leader questionedPremier Heather Stefanson's personal wealth.
Kinewhas openly admitted toa conviction for impaired driving and for assaulting a cab driver in his early 20soffences for which he hasreceived pardons.
He was given a conditional discharge in 2004 for an assault in Ontario, and was charged with assaulting his partner in 2003. The latter charge was stayed, although his former partnermaintains Kinew threw her across the room.
Kinew has repeatedly apologized for his behaviour and denied the assault claim of his former partner. When previously questioned, he hassaid he's a changed man.
Speaker investigating
In the chamber on Thursday, Khan raised his version of events as a matter of privilege an issue where a politician's ability to perform their job is interfered with.
Speaker Myrna Driedger said she would make her decision at a later date, but it's unclear if she canreach any conclusion as to what happened.
The disputebetween Khan and Kinew stems from a disagreement over the politicization of the event.
Adams arguedthe event was inherently partisan because it was organized by the party, and said the NDP's decision to put its party banner in a prominent locationmade itmore so.
"If I were the minister, if I'd seen that banner or whatever, I probably wouldn't have stood at that microphone," Adams said, but he acknowledged Khan may have felt an obligation, as culture and heritage minister, to attend a commemoration of Sikh and Punjabi cultures.
In February, the NDP held a similar community event to mark Black History Month, but in that case the party banner was placed to the side.
With files from The Canadian Press
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