NDP call out Manitoba education minister for comparing Wab Kinew to Indigenous actor | CBC News

NDP call out Manitoba education minister for comparing Wab Kinew to Indigenous actor | CBC News

The Manitoba NDP have lodged a complaint against the province’s education minister for what it calls racially motivated and demeaning comments made about Opposition Leader Wab Kinew.

The incident happened during Tuesday’s question period in the Legislature, during an exchange between NDP MLA Nello Altomare and Education Minister Wayne Ewasko while debating Bill-35, also known as the Education Administration Amendment Act.

During one of his rebuttals, Ewasko made a comparison between NDP Leader Kinew and Manitoba-born Indigenous actor Adam Beach.

“I actually thought the member from Transcona was going to turn a leaf and maybe take, um, self-serving comments away from his leader of the Opposition who seems to stand in this house on a day-to-day basis pretending to be some kind of actor. He’s no Adam Beach, Madam Speaker,” Ewasko said.

MLA Uzoma Asagwara brought the incident up Wednesday in the chamber as a matter of privilege.

“It’s a deeply disrespectful and demeaning remark,” Asagwara said. “It is an insult which is itself a violation of privilege This comment would not have been made about a non-Indigenous member. What’s more it would not be tolerated in another workplace.”

WATCH | Wayne Ewasko compare Wab Kinew to Adam Beach:

PC minister says NDP leader Wab Kinew is ‘no Adam Beach’

Wayne Ewasko, Manitoba’s minister of education and early childhood learning, compares NDP Leader Wab Kinew to First Nations actor Adam Beach during question period Tuesday. The NDP complained to the Speaker on Wednesday, saying Ewasko’s remarks constitute a breach of privilege.

Asagwara said the comment was made to diminish and insult Kinew as an Indigenous member of the chamber. They also added that the influence the comments could have is “chilling.”

“It singles out the leader of the Official Opposition in a way that other members who are non-Indigenous do not have to contend with,” they said. “Comments of that nature are a detriment to all members of this house and all members should be aligned in knowing these types of comments have no place in any space anywhere.”

Asagwara called not only for Ewasko to apologize but to “fully and unconditionally retract his remarks.”

Ewasko confirmed he made the comment on Wednesday and said he made the comparison to Beach because he is a well-known Indigenous actor from “right here in this great province.”

“I was pointing out the fact that he’s not a great actor like Adam Beach. I could have used multiple other actors,” Ewasko said. “I will apologize for using Adam Beach’s name.”

Ewasko continued by stating that he holds Beach in high regard.

“I could have said Denzel Washington but then the member would have gone and hammered me on that. I could have used Jim Carrey, Madam Speaker, but the member would have got up and countered me on that,” he said. “But you know what Madam Speaker, actually Jim Carrey, he does have a film called a 1997 film called Wild Wild.”

Ewasko said there was no ill intent meant by pointing out that Kinew is not a great actor and “Manitobans are seeing it displayed here today as well as the member for Union Station (Asagwara) stands up and tries to smear me.”

When asked about the incident by reporters, Kinew called the comments “offside.”

“I think that it’s unfortunate that he’s continued to double down on [the comments] and run away,” he said. “In his remarks in response to the matter of privilege, he confirmed that he chose Adam Beach because he’s an Indigenous person. So clearly there’s a racial dynamic to what’s going on here.”

Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard also weighed in on the matter and said the legislative chamber is an important venue for debating policies and ideas but that the last few weeks and months it’s become more focused on personal attacks.

“We’re not here to denigrate others in this chamber. To try and cut them down. To try and imply, particularly when there are racial overtones, to try and make implications that somebody is less than somebody else,” Gerrard said in the house.

“I think that we need to stand up against personal attacks and this needs to be much more vigorous than it has been in few weeks and months and this is an example,’ he added.

Speaker Myrna Driedger said a matter of privilege is a very serious concern.

Driedger said because the minister did not make an unqualified apology she would have to consult the authorities and will return to the house later with a ruling.

#NDP #call #Manitoba #education #minister #comparing #Wab #Kinew #Indigenous #actor #CBC #News

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