You'd think it would be a small thing for Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who brought the Progressive Conservatives to power in 2016, to avoid accusations from the Opposition NDP once regarded as rather hysterical that he is little more than a nurse-firing, education-slashing plutocrat (which itself tells you how easy it is to become a plutocrat in Manitoba). Yet he has reduced the number of hospital emergency rooms in Winnipeg to three, unilaterally digitized the printed classroom resources housed at the city's Curriculum Support Centre, and attempted to quash auto insurance reforms that may hurt a firm he still owns. Add his many, many, many, many bozo eruptions, and he's made one hell of a first impression.
Although Pallister's approval rating is back to his immediate post-election numbers, he will still be on the defensive as the provincial election draws near. Apparently believing the best defence is a good offence, the PCs are trying to shift the focus to the record of NDP Leader Wab Kinew. Not his record of political accomplishments nonexistent, since this is the only office he's ever held but his other record.
In 2017, Winnipeg-based media outlets began receiving anonymous tips that Kinew had been charged in 2003 with two counts of assaulting his live-in partner of two years. The woman, Tara Hart, came forward in September to stand by the allegations, which Kinew denied. The Crown stayed the charges against him for reasons that remain unknown to this day. Kinew has acknowledged that his history has been marked by violence and addiction, but insists he has changed for the better. Perhaps the only reason this did not take him out of that year's race for leadership of the NDP is the fact that his only opponent was perennial butt-monkey Steve Ashton, who has been named as a possible source of the leaks.
All this means that both Kinew and Pallister will be in a defensive stance until September 10, potentially making this election the ugliest in Manitoba history. (Dougald Lamont, who leads the eternally broke and irrelevant provincial Liberals, will also be there, although nobody will notice.) But even before the writ has officially dropped, the ugliness is in high gear. Already the PCs are reminding voters of the charges against Kinew with an enthusiasm that suggests he views them as nothing short of a blessing.
One MLA, Shannon Martin, brought up Hart's name in an unrelated Twitter spat with former NDP staffer Rachel Morgan (no relation), which had begun when he quoted a tweet from the official Auschwitz Memorial account, accusing the NDP of "diminish[ing] the true victims of fascism" when using that word against the PCs. (As the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, I have a lot of thoughts about that, none of which are suitable for this column.) The next day, he was back at it, kicking off the next round at 11:36 a.m. with a quote about Kinew from domestic violence activist Zita Somakoko. He wrapped up the ensuing second argument over the charges with Morgan at 3:13 p.m., sharing a graphic depicting a woman with a bruised eye and the caption REAL MEN DON'T HIT WOMEN.
Lest you think this is just Martin making himself look ridiculous, the PCs have set up an attack site, wabrisk.ca, which prominently features a new video naming the assault charges as a reason Kinew is "A Risk We Can't Afford." It is the party's official comms strategy to weaponize alleged violence against a woman for political purposes. Their determination to make Kinew look monstrous makes themselves look utterly classless and deeply insincere.
The PCs could have done this with some dignity. In practical terms, their record on sexual violence has some high points, such as changes to tenancy laws that would allow assault victims to break leases early, plus family court supports and a one-stop resolution service for family disputes. With Manitoba reporting the second-highest rate of family violence in the country in 2018, these are welcome changes that the PCs could run on without ever saying Kinew's name. Instead, they are taking the crassest and most self-serving route available, which offers no comfort to a woman who has tried to hide from public recognition since first speaking out.
If Kinew is lying about the events of 2003, he does not deserve to take power. If Pallister thinks this is the right way to run a campaign, he does not deserve to hold it.
Photo Credit: CBC News
Written by Jess Morgan
