WINNIPEG -- Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is being accused of being divorced from reality by a member of the Opposition after telling reporters that being poor doesn’t excuse someone from stealing.
He made the comments in a media scrum Thursday, the day after a violent attack at a Liquor Mart left three workers hurt, one of whom had to be taken to hospital.
“Stop making the false assertion that someone who is poor has an excuse for stealing from other people – they don’t,” said Pallister, after saying he came from a poor background but chose not to commit crimes.
“There’s a need to stop describing people who hurt other people as victims,” he said
Pallister also said people should stand up for law enforcement and he raised the issue when meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week.
He also shared stern words for offenders.
“It’s just got to be absolutely clear to anyone out there, that this kind of behaviour, individuals choosing to act like this is totally, totally unacceptable, and the full force of the law will be brought to bear on people engaged in this kind of behaviour.”
When asked about the potential for stiffer punishments as a deterrent, he deferred to the minister of justice and gave a vague warning anyone planning to commit a crime.
“We have ways of finding you, and we will find you, and you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. So rethink your decision making.”
Opposition MLA Nahanni Fontaine balked at Pallister’s comments.
“This whole Liam Neeson-kind of ‘I’m going to find you approach’ from the premier is the antithesis to what we need,” she said, adding that it could make people less safe.
“You’re not dealing with, in any substantial manner, the root causes upon which this increased level of violence that we’re seeing is predicated on.”
Fontaine said while funding police adequately is important, more support is needed for community organizations like Bear Clan, Mama Bear Clan and Ma Mawi, an approach supported by experts.
During his scrum, Pallister had said his government launched “over a hundred initiatives over what some refer to as the root causes,” referencing poverty.
But Fontaine said his comments on poor people and theft were revealing.
“I would suggest to you that that is a clear indication of how divorced the premier is from the reality of Manitobans, and it must be nice to be able to just throw people under the bus in respect of what they have gone through,” she said.
“If we don’t deal with people’s trauma, if we don’t deal with the fact that people are growing up in abject poverty, we’re never going to be dealing with any of these issues on any substantial level.”
Fontaine spoke in favour of an idea from the union representing Liquor Mart works, -- a summit to come up with solutions to the problem of thefts.
“That’s a nice idea,” said Pallister, referring it as a “secondary suggestion after the fact.”
