Manitoba Independent legislator Mark Wasyliw has initiated a defamation lawsuit against Premier Wab Kinew and two other members of Kinew’s NDP government. Wasyliw alleges that they wrongly linked him to convicted criminal Peter Nygard to justify his expulsion from the party.
The lawsuit, filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench just before Christmas, demands a public apology and monetary compensation from Kinew, along with MLAs Billie Cross and Ian Bushie, for statements made in or around September 2024 regarding Wasyliw’s previous work as a defense attorney.
Wasyliw is also seeking a court order to prevent Kinew, Cross, and Bushie from further damaging his reputation through defamatory comments. The NDP caucus removed Wasyliw from its ranks in September 2024, a decision that Wasyliw claims was abrupt and unjustified.
According to Wasyliw, Kinew and his colleagues tarnished his character by associating him with Nygard as a pretext to diminish his political influence within the community. The legislator alleges that Kinew insinuated that Wasyliw lacked the proper values to be an NDP member and implied that being a defense lawyer was morally questionable.
Wasyliw asserts that statements made by Kinew, Bushie, and Cross were part of a coordinated effort to harm him. The legislator specifically points to Kinew’s remark on September 17, 2024, where he stated, “You can be affiliated with the NDP or you can be affiliated with Peter Nygard, but you can’t do both.”
While the allegations have yet to be examined in court, Wasyliw refrained from commenting on the matter, as did representatives from Kinew’s office. The incident stems from Wasyliw’s professional relationship with lawyer Gerri Wiebe, who was representing Nygard, leading to his removal from the NDP caucus.
In response, Kinew issued an apology to defense lawyers in the Manitoba Legislature on October 2, 2024, acknowledging the situation and expressing regret for any harm caused.
