Questions about Manitoba PC campaign expenses leave Opposition on defensive early in legislative session

Questions about Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party expensesduring the 2023 election campaign have impaired the OfficialOpposition's ability to hold the NDP government to account during the early days of the fall legislative session.

Over the past three days, NDP Premier Wab Kinew and three different NDP cabinet ministershave attempted to place the PC Opposition on the defensive by raising campaign expense allegations reported by the Winnipeg Sun.

One of those allegations, published Sunday, involvesa $3,800 vehicle rental invoice from a company that lists intimacy coaching among its services, and states in corporate records it offers "online courses, downloadable content" and "mentoring for the purpose of self-development."

Interim PC Leader Wayne Ewaskosaid the expense was legitimate but the invoice used the wrong letterhead.

A second Sun story, published Wednesday, alleged the PCs paid for a $995 flight from Mexico to Winnipeg for 2023 PC campaign co-chair Candice Bergen, a former Conservative member of Parliament.

Bergen said her company invoiced accordingly for strategic advice it provided tothe PCs.

"We follow the highest standards in all we do and I strongly reject any insinuation otherwise," Bergen said Wednesday in a statement.

Kinewused the allegation about the flightin an attempt to turn the tables on Ewasko during question period at the legislatureon Wednesday.

"With moneythat was raised from hard-working people across this province, who were told that, 'Hey, thePC partyhad a chance in 2023,' what was paid for? Well, a trip from Mexico to Winnipeg," Kinew said in the legislative chamber.

Ewasko, in turn, accused Kinew of deflecting, even as he conceded he was unhappyto learn of questions regarding his party's expenses.

"I'm stressing accountability and transparency and trying to makesure that we're movingthe PCParty,as the government in waiting, intothe futurewith integrity," he said.

Expenses were audited: party president

Ewasko deferred questions about the expenses to Progressive Conservative Party president Brent Pooles.

Pooles said in a statement the expenses in question were audited. He deferred further questions to Marni Larkin, the PC campaign chair in 2023.

Larkindid not make herself available for comment on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, NDP Environment Minister Tracy Schmidtsuggested the questions about expenses will affect the upcoming PC leadership race.

Prospective candidates in that racehave until noon on Tuesday to submit their applications for the contest.Itwill be decidedon April 26, 2025, if more than one candidate is approved by the party's leadership selection committee, according to its stated rules.

As of Oct. 9, there are two prospective candidates.Fort Whyte PC MLA Obby Khan announcedin August his intention to run. Churchill hotelier and ecotourism operator Wally Daudrich said in September he is preparing to run.

A third potentialcandidate whose name appears on the party leadership-race website, Winnipeg taxation consultant Trevor Sprague, said he will not complete the application process.

The party is looking for a new leader after Heather Stefanson, whosePC government was defeated last October by the NDP,announced in Januarythat she would step down as party leader. She lateralsostepped down as the MLA for Tuxedo.

Khan expressed concern about the campaign expensestories published by the Sun, whosecorporate president, Kevin Klein, is a former fellow PC cabinet minister.

"It is discouraging seeing a former colleague on the attack against his own party," Khan said in a statement on Tuesday.

Klein said his newspaper is not attacking any party or individual.

"Our job is to hold all leaders accountable, regardless of affiliation, and to inform the public with integrity," he said.

The Klein Groupassumed ownership of the Winnipeg Sunearlier this year. According to corporate records,Daudrich is one the company's directors.

Klein said the paper is not involved with the PC leadership race.

"The process of choosing a leader is entirely in the hands of the PC party membership," Klein said.