Unresolved questions require independent commission
Manitoba's ethics commissioner, Jeffrey Schnoor, recently released a report in which he concluded that former Progressive Conservative premier Heather Stefanson and two of her former cabinet ministers violated the province's conflict-of-interest laws after losing the 2023 election.
They were accused of breaching the rules in an effort to approve the controversial Sio Silica sand mine during the short 'caretaker period' before the new NDP government was sworn in.
Schnoor found that their actions 'lacked ethical and constitutional legitimacy,' but failed to identify what motivated them to act so recklessly. He says he found no evidence that any of the them acted for personal benefit but, if that wasn't the reason, why did they do it?
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Then-premier Heather Stefanson and finance minister Cliff Cullen announce the 2023 budget to media. Columnist Deveryn Ross says it's time to have an independent commission examine PC spending decisions.
That's just one of many serious questions still swirling around the former government.
Last week, Finance Minister Adrien Sala asked auditor general Tyson Shtykalo to investigate what went wrong with Manitoba Public Insurance's Project Nova technology project. MPI abandoned the program two months ago after a review estimated that total project costs had soared from $107 million to $435 million.
The project was initially justified as an upgrade of MPI's digital capabilities, which would enable Manitobans to renew or amend their auto insurance and driver's licences online. It would also provide 'seamless connectivity' between MPI and repair shops.
That was the hope back in 2020. Five years later, however, MPI Minister Matt Wiebe describes the program as a 'waste of taxpayers' money.' Where did all that money go, and why did MPI keep spending it?
In April, the Kinew government asked Shtykalo to investigate an (almost) $100-million taxpayer-funded contract to build daycare facilities throughout the province. It alleges that the project, in which the province partnered with a company named JohnQ Public Inc., 'may not have followed normal provincial or municipal procurement practices.'
Specifically, the government claims the contract enabled the previous government to funnel $2.8 million to Boom Done Next, a company owned by Marni Larkin. Larkin was the campaign manager for the Tories' 2023 doomed re-election campaign. How does a company earn almost $3 million on such a project?
Two weeks ago, a CBC report revealed that the previous government gave an $18 million grant to JohnQ Public days before the 2023 provincial election was called. There was no public announcement of the funding, which was reportedly for a large land purchase in the RM of Ritchot to develop a proposed 'Winnipeg regional rail port.' Why the secrecy and rushed timing of the grant?
In February, at a debate between PC Party leadership candidates Obby Khan and Wally Daudrich, Kahn alleged that Daudrich was the party's top donor for 12 years and accused him of receiving 'licensing permits up north under the table' from the previous government.
Daudrich's company, Lazy Bear Lodge and Expeditions, first received approvals to operate off-road vehicle tours near Churchill in 2004. The total number of permits for all tour operators in the coastal plain of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area was limited to 18 between 1984 and 2020. Five years ago, however, the former Tory government reportedly approved two additional permits, both of which were awarded to Lazy Bear.
Did Khan have inside knowledge that permits were improperly issued to Daudrich's company, or was his accusation simply bluster in the heat of the moment?
There is no evidence that anybody acted improperly in these instances, let alone illegally, but there are many questions and few answers.
Weekday Evenings
Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening.
The Kinew government and many Manitobans are counting on the auditor general to expose and explain the questionable conduct of the previous government, but their hopes may be overly optimistic. That's because Shtykalo has significant discretion as to which matters he chooses to investigate, and his office has limited resources. Even if he decides to review the issues referred to him, more than a year could pass before any reports are issued.
That's neither good enough nor fast enough.
The better, more efficient course of action is for the government to appoint an independent commissioner to investigate the many unresolved issues, and to give that commissioner the power to compel testimony and gather evidence if necessary.
Manitobans deserve to know the truth. An independent commission is the best path to those answers.
Deveryn Ross is a political commentator living in Brandon. deverynrossletters@gmail.com X: @deverynross
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Solid reasons to lower the voting age to 16
Article content In Scotland, post-referendum research shows that teens enfranchised at 16 continued to vote at higher rates than peers who had to wait until 18, confirming that starting earlier helps build lifelong voting habits (Eichhorn & Huebner, 2025). Article content Canadian students are often introduced to democratic participation early through the Civix Student Vote program, which mirrors real elections and helps prepare future voters. In the most recent federal election, 949,361 students cast a ballot in this mock vote. Article content It would be far more effective to allow these students to vote in real elections while they are still in school, taking social studies courses that keep them informed about current events and the political process. For those in Alberta concerned that schools are indoctrinating students with progressive beliefs or influencing them to vote for the Liberals or NDP, the most recent Student Vote results are revealing. In 2025, students would have elected a Conservative minority government, compared to the adult population, which returned a Liberal minority. Article content Article content That alone casts doubt on fears of ideological bias. Article content Canada lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1970 without disruption. According to Statistics Canada, enfranchising 16- and 17-year-olds would increase the voting population by only about three per cent. And if that three per cent has such a profound effect on election outcomes, then I would argue we have far bigger issues in our democracy than teenage maturity.
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Saturday's letters: Secret research on puppies horrifies
Article content I just finished reading the article in your Aug. 7th paper about the use of dogs in a secret research lab and I am totally aghast. I had no idea that this inhumane research was still being done in Canada. Thankfully, a couple of whistleblowers were able to get the information out even though staff is warned never to speak to anyone about this, even to people they work with unless they are in the facility. Article content Article content Article content The image in my mind of a dog, motionless after a procedure, whimpering in a cage with no bed, is a nightmare. And to top it off, Frank Prato, the founder of the Lawson Imaging Research Program, has received $500,000 in grants since 2020 from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (publicly funded through federal tax dollars). Article content Article content A few years ago, my husband drove me to the Misericordia after I was experiencing disorientation and confusion. I left the emergency room, without having any care, after an eight-hour wait. This scenario is far too common and is frankly, disgusting. In 2023, Danielle Smith promised to build a new, state-of-the art hospital in the Ellerslie area. Now, she claims there's no money in the budget to continue with construction, even though the land had already been purchased by the NDP. Article content Article content The billions of dollars in the Alberta Heritage Fund can easily pay for a new hospital and other infrastructure needs. Smith seems to have her own petty agenda and is not working for the people of this province. It seems she and Trump a have a lot in common. Article content Where was I when the traffic laws became a joke? It's deadly out there folks. Buses, trucks and cars stream through red lights like we are a Third World country. Stop signs are an absolute joke in Edmonton and be wary if it is a four-way stop because one of the four drivers gambles that the other three will actually be stopping as they blast through. Article content Ever been tailgated? The posted speed is irrelevant, be it 40, 60, 70 or a hundred. The self-entitled, self-important drivers don't care about safety, the law or you. Crosswalks, watch out and make yourself very seen. Vehicles with modified mufflers, yikes! Where was I when traffic laws became discretionary? Oh, let's change the insurance statutes. That will help, not.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pharmacare at risk
Opinion The federal Pharmacare plan appears to be in jeopardy. In the spring election, Mark Carney promised that he would protect Pharmacare and other valued health care services if he won — contrasting his commitment to protect health care with the cuts that Canadians could expect if they elected Pierre Poilievre. It worked, and Canadians gave the Liberals another term with Carney at the helm. Now in power, the Carney government seems to be backtracking from this promise. As Canada faces unprecedented economic threats from the United States' trade policy, Pharmacare is being increasingly framed as a luxury we cannot afford. But Pharmacare is health care. Access to prescription drugs is life saving and medically necessary, not something that's simply 'nice to have' in times of plenty. Manitoba was the first province to sign onto the federal Pharmacare plan. It's a deal that's worth over $200 million in federal funding. That's a lot of money that provides a lot of help to Manitobans who need it. Still, the current federal Pharmacare plan is far from perfect. It's limited in its coverage, typically only applying to diabetes treatments and contraceptives. In Manitoba, due to the provincial government's leadership, the plan also covers hormone replacement therapies. As important as it is, this limited coverage was only meant to be the first step in developing the federal Pharmacare plan. In this first phase, the federal government committed to signing deals with all the provinces and territories to develop a truly national Pharmacare system. The past federal government set aside $1.5 billion for this initial phase of the program. So far, only Manitoba, PEI, BC, and the Yukon have signed on. Establishing a universal, single-payer Pharmacare plan across the country was always supposed to be the second phase of the federal Pharmacare deal. The new federal health minister is now saying that this is a different government, with a different set of priorities and circumstances. The Liberals claim they will protect the existing deals, but with so few provinces and territories signed on, the whole program could be at risk of being eliminated. Even if the established deals do hold, there is little chance of expanding Pharmacare to offer universal coverage if the federal government is no longer committed to completing the first phase of the program. This is an issue of fairness. It is about adherence to the letter and spirit of the Canada Health Act (CHA). The CHA establishes that all Canadians deserve a common standard of health care services, regardless of which province they live in. A deal that only includes three provinces and one territory doesn't meet that important benchmark. As it currently stands, the federal Pharmacare plan is neither universal nor comprehensive, with access to the program determined by your postal code, not your medical needs. If they are willing to backtrack on their commitment to truly protect Pharmacare for all Canadians, what else will the Carney Liberals try and push through in the name of defending against Trump's tariffs and the economic upheavals they bring with them? Are federal health transfers next on the list of broken promises? What about the Canadian Dental Care Plan? In these challenging times, with much talk of nation- building projects, we must ask ourselves: what kind of nation-building are we investing in? Why is universal health care — so prized by Canadians — not a fundamental plank of this government's planned response to Trump and his threats to Canadian sovereignty? No one is denying that things are tough right now. The cost of living continues to rise. Tariff threats from the United States are becoming realities and jeopardizing the livelihoods of many Canadians. Now more than ever, with so much economic uncertainty and risk of job losses, people need to be able to depend on the public health care system. Manitoba has a Pharmacare deal, for now. But it will take leadership and political will to keep the existing program intact and to push for its full expansion into a system that offers all Canadians universal prescription drug coverage. Thomas Linner is the provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition.
