By Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
The sculpture titled “The Golden Boy” tops the exterior of the Manitoba Legislature is seen in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
The Speaker of the Manitoba legislature, Tom Lindsey, tossed a Tory Opposition member from the chamber Monday, warned that other politicians could follow, and laid down a new list of words that will now be forbidden during debates.
Lindsey’s latest attempt to restore order follows an often-chaotic spring sitting that has seen heckling reach high levels of volume and, according to Lindsey, increasingly low levels of quality discourse.
“Members of the public … feel that what they’re seeing going on in this chamber is terrible, and they’re begging me to do something about it,” Lindsey said, adding that some school teachers have said they don’t like their students witnessing question period during visits to the building.
Lindsey ordered Progressive Conservative member Wayne Ewasko to leave the chamber for the day Monday over comments Ewasko made last month while heckling Premier Wab Kinew.
Ewasko had suggested Kinew, who doesn’t drink alcohol, had been drinking. Lindsey ordered Ewasko to apologize unequivocally Monday, and did not accept it when Ewasko apologized if Kinew took offence to the comments.
After additional warnings to fully apologize did not get a satisfactory response, Lindsey ordered Ewasko out until Tuesday.
Kinew, who is First Nation, said the comments were racist.
“It is a discriminatory comment that plays on an ugly stereotype about Anishinaabe people,” Kinew told reporters.
“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.”
Ewasko said his comments were not racist, but were a reflection on Kinew’s own heckling and other behaviour during question period.
“It was a little off (from) how he usually answers questions or doesn’t answer questions,” Ewasko said.
“His behaviour was unacceptable, I feel, as a premier.”
Ewasko is the first politician to be ejected from the Manitoba legislature since New Democrat Nahanni Fontaine in 2021. She was ordered out after refusing to withdraw the word “crap” from an accusation she made against the Progressive Conservative government of the day.
Lindsey has tried to clamp down on heckling repeatedly in recent months to little effect. He issued a new warning Monday that he will now be more likely to eject people for the day if they disregard his orders.
He also revealed words that are being added to the list of unparliamentary language forbidden in the chamber. Bigot, racist, misogynist, homophobe and transphobe will join existing banned words such as liar and crap. Lindsey said other jurisdictions have already banned the words.
It’s not clear how long Lindsey’s new orders will be followed. Kinew indicated he will continue to use certain words.
“I will continue to call out racism when I see it. I will continue to call out different forms of hate when I see it,” Kinew said.
“I’ve known (Lindsey) for a decade now. We’ve been colleagues and when somebody says something is racist, I think it’s up to the folks who have not been part of that historically targeted community to listen.”
