Manitoba Independent legislator Mark Wasyliw has initiated a legal action for defamation against Premier Wab Kinew and two other members of Kinew’s NDP administration. The lawsuit alleges that they linked the former defense attorney, now MLA, with convicted criminal Peter Nygard as a pretext to expel him from the party.
In a court filing submitted to Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench just before Christmas, Wasyliw, who represents Fort Garry, is requesting a public apology and compensation from Kinew, along with Seine River MLA Billie Cross and Keewatinook MLA Ian Bushie, for remarks they made about his legal work in September 2024.
Wasyliw is also seeking a court order to prevent Kinew, Cross, and Bushie from further damaging his business and reputation through any form of communication. The NDP caucus announced Wasyliw’s removal from the caucus in September 2024, a move Wasyliw describes as sudden and unjustified in his court filing.
According to the claim, Wasyliw accuses Kinew and his colleagues of tarnishing his reputation by associating him with Nygard as a means to diminish his political standing within the community. Wasyliw alleges that the trio orchestrated a plan to harm his reputation.
Furthermore, Wasyliw asserts that Kinew suggested he lacked the necessary values to be an NDP member and implied that being a defense lawyer was morally questionable. Wasyliw points to a statement made by Kinew on September 17, 2024, as defamatory.
Wasyliw claims that Bushie and Cross also made damaging statements. Nevertheless, none of these claims have been tested in court, and no defense statement has been submitted.
Wasyliw and Kinew’s office declined to provide comments. Kinew issued an apology in the Manitoba Legislature on October 2, 2024, to defense lawyers, including Gerri Wiebe, who was representing Nygard in court, for the handling of the situation.
The legal battle between Wasyliw and the NDP members continues as the lawsuit progresses.