Manitoba NDP files ethics complaints claiming outgoing PC government tried to push mining deal through

The Manitoba NDP's caucus chair is filing two ethics complaints over allegations the former provincial government tried to ram through approval of an Alberta mining company's sand-drilling proposal, days after the Progressive Conservatives lost the Oct. 3 provincial election.

Mike Moyessaid heplanned to formallylodge the complaints Friday with the legislative assembly's ethics commissioner against former premier and current PC Leader Heather Stefanson, and Red River North MLA Jeff Wharton, a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister.

"On Oct. 3, Manitobans sent a clear signal that they no longer trusted the former government. But even after this day, the PCs tried to make a major decision on behalf of the people who had voted them out," Moyes said at a news conference, adding he intended to file the complaints immediately after speaking.

"Like you, we have many questions. And we believe Manitobans deserve answers. It's time for MLAsStefanson and Wharton to face Manitobansand own up for their actions."

Moyes,who was elected in October as the MLA for Winnipeg's Riel constituency,said he was filing the complaints to push the Manitoba Legislative Assembly's ethics commissioner to independently investigate Stefanson and Wharton "for corruption, for putting their own interests ahead of Manitobans'and violating the Conflict of Interest Act" over allegations surroundingthe file regarding Alberta-based Sio Silica.

The company has proposed drilling as many as 7,200 wells in southeastern Manitoba over the next 24 years in an effort to extract up to 33 million tonnes of ultra-pure silica sand.

Manitoba PC Party spokesperson Matt Preprostsaid "no significant policy or political decisions were made following the election and were instead left for the incoming NDP government to consider."

"The members in question will co-operate fully with any potential investigation by the ethics commissioner," Preprost said in an emailed statement.

Alleged breach

The update comes weeks after CBC News reported both Premier Wab Kinew and former PCenvironment minister Kevin Klein alleged the former government tried to approve the proposal in breach of what's known as thecaretaker convention.

Under that convention, outgoing governments are supposed to only engage in urgent, routine, reversible or uncontroversial operations during the brief period between an election andthe next government beingsworn in.

Klein and former PC cabinet minister Rochelle Squires both of whom lost their seats in the election alleged Wharton called and asked them to approve the project in the time period after the election and before the new government took over.

Klein at the time was the government's environment minister, andSquires was an acting environment minister.

While the NDP won Manitoba's provincial election, the PCs continued to govern until Oct. 18, when Kinew was sworn in as premier.

But Wharton has denied those claims, saying he called the two departing MLAs simply to gather information about the planned Sio Silica mine to share with the incoming NDP government.

Squires, who first made her allegations in a column in the Winnipeg Free Press,also wrote in her column that Wharton told her the Sio Silica project was "of significant importance" to Stefanson, but that "because of a conflict, she herself couldn't offer that directive."

PC spokesperson Preprost later disputed that claim, saying in an emailed statement that Stefanson "has no conflict of interest with Sio Silica."

"The former premier respected due process in the transition phase and no licence was granted," Preprost said.

Questions remain

When asked whether there was a particular section of Manitoba'sConflict of Interest Act that Stefanson and Wharton are alleged to have broken, Moyes defined a conflict of interest asan MLA"exercising their official power in terms of improperly furthering a private member's interest." TheNDP believes that's what happened, he said.

He did not provide information regarding the allegations beyond what has been publicly reported on the topic and saidhe thinks the allegations made by the former PC cabinet ministers speak for themselves.

"We know what Manitobans know, and there's a lot of questions in terms of the conduct of these two members," Moyes said, adding that while Whartonhas answered some questions about the allegations, Stefanson "has been very quiet."

"We're talking about a major file here, and ... to just kind of sweep it under the rugwould be a disservice to Manitobans."

Moyes said the file is currently being reviewed by Environment and Climate Change MinisterTracy Schmidt, who is doing due diligence work with experts in that department "to make sure that were looking at all the different aspects of that file."

Manitoba Legislative Assembly Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoorhas previously said MLAs can ask him to investigate alleged breaches of that legislation, but he himself has no power to start an investigation.

Any request for an investigation then has to be tabled in the assembly within the first five sitting days after the request is made, he said.

NDP MLA calls for investigation into PC actions around sand mining project

8 months ago

Duration 2:11

Mike Moyes, NDP caucus chair, is filing two ethics complaints over allegations the former provincial government tried to ram through approval of a company's sand-drilling proposal, days after the Progressive Conservatives lost the Oct. 3 provincial election.