Manitoba premier confirms hiring private investigator to dig up info on NDP Leader
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister confirmed on Tuesday he hired a private investigator to gather information on NDP leader Wab Kinew in advance of the 2019 provincial election, a move one political expert says compromises the integrity of the province's democracy.
Pallister confirmed the news when asked during a news conference on Tuesday.
“When we had information brought to us about a criminal record that the NDP had covered up, and that their leadership candidate Wab Kinew had covered it up. We didn’t take it at face value.”
In Kinew’s 2017 memoir, he revealed he had some run-ins with the law in his early 20s, offences for which he has since received pardons.
Later, it was learned that two issues were not mentioned in his book. Pallister said he wanted to get the facts about Kinew’s past.
“So, we had a criminal record check done and I think that’s an important thing to do. I think research matters.”
Kinew responded to the premier’s comments, saying the tactics being used reflects poorly on the party.
“It’s very desperate, it’s not true, and I think this is what we see every time the premier gets in trouble, he tries to attack me,” he said.
Kinew said he hasn’t filed a complaint.
Neil McArthur is the director of the centre for professional and applied ethics at the University of Manitoba, and he specializes in political philosophy.
He said information outside of the public domain that requires the hiring of an investigator should be off-limits.
“The idea that our politicians, including our premier, will be snooping around in each other’s secret business or private business, I think that just undermines the functioning of our democracy.”
Pallister said it was his obligation to research his opposition, and said when you become a public official, your life in on display.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.