Wab Kinew reveals his inner circle, Manitoba Opposition critics
Rookie Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew has revealed who will serve as critics for Manitoba's Official Opposition.
On Thursday, Kinew announced St. Johns MLA Nahanni Fontaine will be the party's new house leader, replacing Jim Maloway, who was a Steve Ashton supporter.
Ashton, a veteran Manitoba politician, lost his bid for leadership of the NDP to Kinew last Saturday.
Fontaine, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, has been vocal in her support of Kinew, who has been surrounded by controversy after details about allegations of domestic assault in 2003 emerged just days before NDP members elected their new leader.
Police charged Kinew with two counts of domestic assault in 2003 stemming from an alleged incident with his ex-partner, Tara Hart. The Crown later stayed the charges and Kinew maintains he never assaulted Hart.
Minto MLA and former Manitoba justice minister Andrew Swan will be the NDP's new caucus whip and health critic. He had previously been justice critic and replaces MLA Matt Wiebe on the health file, who will take over as education critic from Kinew. Wiebe endorsed Kinew during the race for leadership of the party.
Fontaine will take on the role of justice critic.
Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey will continue as chair of the caucus. He backed Ashton in the NDP's leadership race.
Kinew announced the new roles at the Manitoba Legislature with Fontaine, Swan and Lindsey by his side.
He wouldn't say where the nine other NDP MLAs were, but said he has the support of everyone in his caucus.
Future of MLA ousted from caucus unclear
Kinew replaces former premier Greg Selinger as leader of the party. Selinger stepped down from the role after his party lost the 2016 provincial election.
Logan MLA Flor Marcelino had been serving as interim leader.
Selinger is still an MLA and is deputy critic for environment and climate change and agriculture. He is doing work for the caucus as a mentor, Kinew said Thursday.
The new NDP leader declined to discuss details about the future of MLA Mohinder Saran, who was booted out of the NDP's caucus in January after being accused of sexual harassment.
Kinew said he believes there's a possibility a resolution in the issue could be found but refused to say what Saran would have to do to be allowed back into the NDP caucus.
Kinew, though, continues to face questions about his own past, including the 2003 assault allegations and his 2004 convictions for assault and impaired driving. He received a pardon for those convictions in 2015.
On Thursday, Sen. Murray Sinclair said the focus on Kinew's assault allegations has turned into a "witch hunt."
Kinew said Thursday he's not a victim and understands there are concerns about his past.
"There are legitimate questions," he said.
He insists he's a different person now than he was in 2003 and 2004 and has repeatedly apologized for his past.
"I have put myself through a remarkable transformation in life," Kinew told reporters.
