With politics being as divided as ever it seems, there is a desire by many to hear from elected leaders who believe in less partisanship and less division. On the surface, this seems to be something that the current NDP Premier in Manitoba, Wab Kinew, has tapped in to when he uses terms like “One Manitoba.” The problem is that repeatedly, the actions of the NDP Caucus and their supporters don’t reflect a party trying to unite people.
The most recent example of this came during a debate held in western Manitoba that featured candidates running in the Spruce Woods provincial by-election. During opening comments, the Liberal candidate stated all the things he hoped to accomplish if he were to be elected. The NDP candidate quickly replied with a profanity and stated that the Liberal wouldn’t be able to achieve anything because the Premier would only listen and talk to other NDP MLAs. This exchange was not well received by those in attendance or most who later heard the comments as it suggests that the NDP are not interested in hearing from anyone who doesn’t vote for them.
This came on the heels of another controversy that was sparked by the NDP Minister of Families following a speech she gave at a graduation ceremony that had an ASL interpreter providing sign language on stage. After the speech in what she believed was a private conversation, the NDP Minister said the ASL interpreter was a distraction and said they should be removed from the stage. This naturally caused an outcry in the deaf community who rightly responded that ASL interpreters are critical at many events to ensuring that those who need these services can understand and participate in the event. While the Minister later apologized for the comments she believed were made in private, they were yet another indication that when the NDP talk about unity and One Manitoba, it is little more than talk.
Perhaps these recent examples should not be a surprise even if they are disappointing. Observers of the last Legislative session will have noticed that the NDP government has quickly settled into a perspective that any views or opinions that are different from their own are not valued or listened to. This was most evident in some committee hearings where members of the public came to make presentations to give their views on proposed legislation that was being considered. This is a process that is rare in Canada as Manitoba is one of the few Legislatures that allow for public comment on bills at committee. During my time in elected office, I have seen hundreds of presenters, and the expectation is that elected members of the committee respectfully allow the public to present their views, even if they are counter to what the government is proposing.
Yet, NDP members at various committee meetings routinely disrespected or openly mocked Manitobans who presented views different than their own. It was the clearest display yet that the Kinew government talks about unity while its actions create division.
Without question this is a divided time in politics throughout the world. The ability to respectfully disagree or to work together across party lines seems to be diminishing. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Manitoba NDP are committed to deepening division in our province despite words to the contrary.
