Manitoba education minister's comments about NDP Leader were 'misguided and hurtful': Speaker

The Speaker of the Manitoba Legislature says a comment made last month by PC MLA Wayne Ewasko comparing Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew to Manitoba-born First Nations actor Adam Beach was misguided and hurtful, but did not break legislature rules. 

Speaker Myrna Driedger ruled on the NDP's complaint over the remarks during question period Monday.

Though she didn't find that Ewasko's comments broke House rules, that doesn't mean she condoned them, Driedger said. 

"We should all be sensitive to the fact that our society's history is crowded with examples of racialized remarks and actions causing great pain and hardship to many, many people," she said. 

"There is absolutely no need for any further such remarks being shared in this chamber."

Driedger added that she felt Ewasko exacerbated the issue when he failed to apologize after the comments were brought up by NDP MLA Uzoma Asagwara.

"Rather than apologizing unequivocally, the minister chose to dispute the matter and in my opinion, he made the situation worse with more insensitive comments," she said. 

"In the future, I would encourage members to make such apologies unequivocally."

No ill intent, minister says

Ewasko made the comment in the legislature last month during an exchange with NDP MLA Nello Altomare. 

"I actually thought the member from Transcona [Altomare] was going to turn a leaf and maybe take, um, self-serving comments away from his leader of the Opposition who seems to stand in this house on a day-to-day basis pretending to be some kind of actor. He's no Adam Beach, Madam Speaker," Ewasko said at the time.

Following question period Monday, Ewasko said there was no ill intent in his remarks. 

"I apologize to him if he took it the wrong way, but definitely was not intended as anything racial."

Asked by reporters if he understood why the comments could be considering offensive, Ewasko said he was suggesting Kinew was a bad actor as compared to a good actor such as Adam Beach. 

"And I would ask anyone here off the top of your head to name a well-known Manitoba actor not only in TV shows but in movies," he said. 

"So there was definitely no intent in regards to cultural background or racial slur or anything whatsoever." 

Kinew said he appreciated Driedger's ruling on the matter. 

"I would just say, I hope kids in Manitoba, when they grow up and become legislators, don't have to go through comments about who they are," he said. 

"For the average person out there, you can't make a comment about someone's race in your workplace, so why should a minister of the Crown be held to any different standard?"