Premier Greg Selinger has apologized to the legislative assembly for not disclosing in 2012 he received a free ticket to a Jets game.
"I sincerely apologize to the members of this chamber for this unintentional omission and wish to set the record straight," said Selinger.
Selinger admitted this week he took a ticket, but made a $300 donation to charity in lieu of the cost of the ticket.
Ministers in the Selinger government came under fire for accepting free tickets to NHL games in Winnipeg. In 2012, Selinger told the house he never took a freebie.
The premier says he apologized now to put the issue behind him. "Simply, because it became a live issue this week and this is the time to deal with it, so that we can stay focused on the priorities of Manitobans," he said.
Reaction to the apology was mixed, even among those who have been critical of the premier, as of late.
"What we saw today is that he stood up and clarified the matter and I think it puts an end to the issue," said former NDP cabinet minister Theresa Oswald.
"It's late in coming, but it is an apology, and I was raised to believe you accept it when people offer it," said Progressive Conservative leader Brian Pallister. "I'm sure he apologized for reasons I may question."
Selinger said he never owned up to it in the past because his ticket came from Ken Cheveldayoff, a Saskatchewan politician and brother of Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
"At the time, we were dealing with Crown corporation tickets and tickets for local businesses. This was an out of town visitor," said Selinger.
Ken Cheveldayoff tells CTV that Selinger did offer to buy the ticket but he suggested the premier make the donation instead.
- With a report by Jeff Keele
