Dark days for provincial NDP
NDP faces scandal, resignation of political star
Christmas came a bit early for the Progressive Conservative government.
Tories have their feet propped on desks all over the building — from the policy wonks in the bowels of the Legislature to the comforts of the ministers' offices — and are warming their hands from the glow of the tire fire that is the New Democratic Party.
Timing, it is said, is everything. Ask Kevin Chief.
No matter the damage caused by the resignation of the popular Point Douglas MLA, it was lost in the flames of a scandal involving another caucus member. Allegations and an apparently completed investigation into claims of verbal sexual harassment by Maples MLA Mohinder Saran effectively killed any chance the New Democrats had to say farewell to Chief in any dignified way.
Indeed, several requests from CBC News for an interview with anyone from the party to celebrate Chief and his departure were turned down — perhaps due to worries the questions would shift from Chief to Saran.
The four-paragraph press release devoted one line to Chief's contribution to the party.
"He is a valued colleague and member of our NDP team. We will miss his experience, his wisdom, his guidance and his friendship," the statement said.
A day and half after that shower of praise, CBC News caught up to Fort Rouge MLA Wab Kinew at an event to launch Bernadette Smith's campaign ... to replace Chief. Kinew made up for some of the silence on Chief's departure, calling him a champion for the North End, a role model to young Indigenous kids and a man that succeeded despite facing all kinds of adversity along the way.
Chief was one of the party's brightest stars, not to mention often considered a potential leader. The handling of his departure was odd to say the least and undignified at best.
But how the NDP are stewarding accusations against Saran bears more scrutiny.
The party flat-out refused to name Saran, obliging media outlets to use sources to identify him as the MLA in question. Yet the provincial human resources has already investigated. The NDP's statement says "the branch completed its investigation and is working with all parties to resolve all outstanding issues."
So someone somewhere has looked at this and concluded something.
No one in caucus is talking. A terse "no comment" was the reply from MLAs reached by CBC News. Questions to provincial party executives are deferred back to caucus communications, which has thrown a blanket over any further discussion about Saran.
"Due to confidentiality issues and to protect the identity of the complainant, there will be no further comment," the NDP statement read.
If there is any truth to the allegations made by the "complainant," then he or she is actually a "victim" of sexual harassment — something to remember when calculating political fallout.
It isn't easy being NDP
Political scientist and author Chris Adams is looking back much further than the bookends of Chief resigning and allegations against Saran.
"This has been a pretty dark week for the NDP, I'd say. And, you know, I think people have said for many months, and I think you could say for two years it's been a dark time for the NDP," Adams said.
Indeed, the wounds opened by the ministerial revolt against Premier Greg Selinger have not healed. There are deep divisions and no sense of where the party will go from here.
Adams rattled off strikes against the Official Opposition, noting the ineffectiveness of interim leader Flor Marcelino and stumbles during Question Period where some of the party's key critics were caught making tasteless, sexist jabs at members of the government.
Still, Adams sees an early entry (Bernadette Smith) into the sweepstakes to replace Chief as a possible distraction for the party.
"I think it changes the conversation a bit. To quickly get a new candidate in there, running, so people aren't thinking about the loss of Kevin Chief, they are starting to work toward the next by-election," Adams said.
It's changed the conversation for the Manitoba Liberals. Interim leader Judy Klassen says they are already putting a team together and think they have a shot in Point Douglas.
But no amount of by-election intrigue will make questions about Mohinder Saran's behaviour go away, unless he is found completely guiltless.
The New Democrats have two big dates looming on their calendars: a policy meeting in the spring and a leadership convention in the fall. If no one in the NDP breaks out the fire extinguisher and begins to rebuild, the PC government will continue to warm themselves by the glow of the political fire on the other side of the house.
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