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