Last week in media interviews, prominent Winnipeg lawyer, Robert Tapper, said that “Greg Selinger is simply no Gary Doer.”

Mr. Tapper isn’t the first Manitoban to express these sentiments and he likely won’t be the last. But the reason that Mr. Tapper was expressing so publicly his feelings show just how far the NDP have sunk under Premier Greg Selinger.

Mr. Tapper was speaking last week after he learned that he was removed by the Selinger government from Manitoba’s Combative Sports Commission (formerly the Manitoba Boxing Commission). The Commission is responsible for regulating and sanctioning boxing and other combative sports. It’s a commission that Mr. Tapper has served on for two terms and stems from a long standing interest he has in the sport of boxing where he was a former head of judging. Those who serve on the Commission receive a small stipend for their work.

So why was Mr. Tapper removed from the Commission?

Mr. Tapper stated that he received a call from the office of the Minister responsible for appointments to the Commission asking if he was willing to serve another term on the Commission which he agreed to do so. Sometime later, he learned that the NDP Cabinet decided not to reappoint Mr. Tapper. What happened that resulted in the removal of Mr. Tapper?

It hardly seems like a coincidence that the removal came after Mr. Tapper was hired by the Manitoba P.C. Party to lead a court action against the NDP government’s introduction of the PST increase. Many feel that the NDP broke the law by increasing the PST without a referendum as the law requires and would like this tested in court. This is the kind of work that Mr. Tapper does for a living and agreed to take on the case. Being a lawyer is his day job. He has represented people from all different political parties. His work on the Commission was something he did as a result of his passion for the sport of boxing and has nothing to do with his work as a lawyer.

So was Mr. Tapper removed from his appointment on the Commission simply because he is now taking on the NDP government over the implementation of the PST? No other reason has been put forward by Premier Selinger leaving people to believe that this is simply punishment politics.

There seems to be another motive behind Mr. Tapper’s removal. It looks as though Greg Selinger and the NDP are trying to send a signal, one they have sent before. The signal is that if you disagree with something the NDP has done, don’t do it publicly, or there may be repercussions. More than one government whistleblower has found that out.

In the end it just seems like a vindictive move by a very tired government.