Saturday, August 19, 2023 - When I prepared my audio commentary about Wab Kinew’s announcement he was going to take on the “causes of crime” head-on, I didn’t realize just how badly crafted his messaging was.
His rationale was that because he had first-hand experience of the justice system forcing him to confront his own alcohol-fueled offences, he was going to ensure others had the opportunity to do the same. "I want to be perfectly clear here — being held accountable by the justice system was a necessary step. It forced me to confront the fact I needed to change my life, to apologize and tackle my addictions."
You can hear my first take on it here: Sheriff Wab?
Citing a law passed in British Columbia, he asserted that “Where there are gangsters with million dollar homes and $100,000 cars under the noses of this government, we’re going to ask – “how did you get that?’ And if you can’t explain it we will hold you accountable.”
Unfortunately for Kinew, his policy researchers didn’t seem to clue him in that amendments to the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act have already provided the Manitoba government that power. And Kinew didn’t seem to remember those enabling amendments were passed in 2021, when he was leader of the NDP.
This allowed Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen to dunk on Kinew on social media, with some added embarrassment: “When B.C. announced their law in March, their Attorney General said "There is already a similar piece of legislation in place in Manitoba."
Ooops!
In my commentary I pointed out that Kinew’s swing to the tough-on-crime approach would put him at odds with far-left radicals in his caucus. In his speech he set himself up for even more embarrassment by proclaiming “I will never defund the police.”
But his Union Centre MLA Uzoma Asagwara (pictured above) told the Defund the Police rally in front of the Manitoba legislative building the NDP would do just that. Wonder how that conversation with her supporters will go, now that she’s been shoved under the bus by her leader.
While they don’t seem to pay attention to what was passed in the Legislature and try to ignore what their MLA said outside of it, it’s good to know that the NDP brain trust are following my commentaries with the Tribune. One of the planks in Kinew’s 5 point crime plan: ‘rebates for personal & business security systems’.
As I said about 10 days ago, we championed this suggestion from a listener on Kick-FM 15 years ago, and the NDP member who was Speaker at the time came on the air and endorsed it - George Hickes Once Had a Good Idea.
Coincidence?