NDP caucus chair says ousted MLA treated Manitoba government role as 'side hustle'
Another voice has joined the public war of words between a Manitoba MLA ousted from caucus and the premier who backed the decision to scrap him from the team.
Manitoba caucus chair Mike Moyes faced reporters Wednesday, following days of back-and-forth between Fort Garry MLA Mark Wasyliw and Premier Wab Kinew.
“MLA Wasyliw is trying to distract from his behaviour by peddling falsehoods about cabinet, the premier, and our party,” he said.
“I expect he’ll continue. In the meantime, our caucus is focused on working for Manitobans.”
The saga began Monday, when it was announced Wasyliw had been removed from caucus because a lawyer employed at the same law firm the MLA works for represented Peter Nygard, the fashion mogul sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women.
Members of the province's law community, including the Manitoba Bar Association, have condemned the decision.
Wasyliw said the decision was a front, as he was one of the few people to stand up to the premier, and Kinew wanted him gone.
Mark Wasyliw is pictured during an interview on Sept. 16, 2024. (Daniel Halmarson/CTV News Winnipeg)
He accused Kinew of fostering a toxic, dysfunctional government.
Following those remarks, Kinew fired back, claiming it was caucus leadership’s call to turf him from the team, after Wasyliw was given the choice between staying on with his law firm or staying on with caucus.
Wasyliw responded again on Wednesday in a post on his X page.
“During the interview, Wab tried to distance himself from the decision calling it a ‘caucus decision’ that he supported. It was not. It was his and his alone,” he wrote.
He also accused the premier of blocking Moyes from speaking with reporters.
Wab Kinew speaks with reporters at a Sept. 17, 2024 news conference at the Manitoba Legislative Building. (Jeff Keele/CTV News Winnipeg)
Wednesday, Moyes broke his silence on the public spat.
He said Wasyliw had pledged to the premier and the chief of staff before the 2023 election that he would wind down his law practice. Moyes claims Wasyliw walked that back when he wasn’t appointed to cabinet.
Furthermore, Moyes said cabinet leadership worked with the backbencher over the past year to encourage him to be a team player and a role model for new MLAs.
Still, Moyes said the MLA demonstrated a pattern of deceit and disrespect that was harmful to the team.
“There’s been many disrespectful incidents where he has disrespected numerous caucus members, cabinet ministers, and the premier. There’s been incidents where he didn’t follow our process,” Moyes said.
Mike Moyes is pictured during a Sept. 18, 2024 news conference at the Manitoba Legislative Building. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)
He declined to give specifics, saying he didn’t want to get into a mud-slinging contest.
Wasyliw’s work alongside Nygard’s lawyer was simply the last straw for caucus, Moyes said.
“Being an MLA is a full-time job. Our constituents deserve our total attention. This job is a privilege and a public service. It’s not a side hustle.”
Wasyliw has said he will continue to sit in the legislature as an Independent and speak for constituents who feel the NDP has strayed from its traditional values.
Meantime, the Progressive Conservatives have called for a third-party investigation into Wasyliw's allegations against the premier.
- With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele and the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Hezbollah leader says pager attack crossed a 'red line' and vows to retaliate against Israel
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border on Thursday as Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation for attacks earlier this week on his group’s communication devices.
BREAKING Pablo Rodriguez to sit as an Independent MP after resigning from Trudeau's cabinet
Longtime cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez will be sitting as an Independent MP after stepping down as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s transport minister and Quebec Lieutenant, CTV News has learned.
Quebec woman charged with first-degree murder in death of five-year-old boy
A 29-year-old Quebec woman is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of a five-year-old boy southwest of Montreal.
CTV News in Italy Stolen Winston Churchill 'Roaring Lion' portrait returned after ceremony in Italy
A special ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Rome marked the successful recovery of an iconic portrait of Winston Churchill after a two-year search by Ottawa police.
'Put them on the exhaust pipes': Alberta mayor appears to advocate for the killing of feral cats
The mayor of an Alberta city appeared to suggest that residents should use inhumane tactics to deal with feral cats.
Huge python grabs Thai woman in her kitchen, squeezes her two hours before she can be freed
A 64-year-old woman was preparing to do her evening dishes at her home outside Bangkok when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and looked down to see a huge python taking hold of her.
Ontario police arrest 2 suspects, search for 3 others in door-to-door-sales fraud
Two people have been arrested, and three others are still at large in connection with a door-to-door sales fraud that police said victimized more than 200 people across Ontario.
NASA scientists recreate Mars 'spiders' on Earth for first time
NASA scientists have successfully replicated spider-like shapes found on the surface of Mars in a laboratory setting for the first time.
Ontario mother scammed out of $1,800 in Taylor Swift ticket scam
An Ontario mother lost $1,800 hoping to get Taylor Swift tickets for her seven-year-old daughter. 'I don't understand how someone could just take advantage of someone and their hard-earned money, and it was a gift for a seven-year-old girl,' Dana Caputo, of Tottenham, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.