Klassen has support of Grit leader

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This article was published 19/06/2018 (2137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont is defending one of his MLAs, who — some would argue — has been making the news for all the wrong reasons.

In an interview on Tuesday, Lamont called Keewatinook MLA Judy Klassen “the strongest possible advocate” for her constituency, which encompasses the entire northeast corner of the province.

He also laughed off a rumour Klassen may be considering a jump to the rival NDP, after standing with female New Democrat MLAs to slam Premier Brian Pallister recently for his intimidating stare in the legislature and calling out Tories for their personal attacks against NDP Leader Wab Kinew in the house.

“There’s no truth to that whatsoever,” Lamont said. “Judy’s a proud Liberal.”

Last week, Klassen was roundly criticized — and later apologized — for telling Independent MLA Steven Fletcher (Assiniboia) the highway crash that left him a quadriplegic was a gift.

Also last week, joined by female NDP MLAs, she said she felt threatened by Pallister when he answers her questions in the legislature, saying he sometimes stares at her with “a complete hostile face.” Her comments — and the group’s assertion there was a culture of intimidation in the legislature — were criticized for undermining a grim report released the same day about workplace harassment in the civil service.

Klassen also remarked recently that northern residents forced to evacuate their communities because of forest fires may be better off sleeping in tents in a park rather than staying in Winnipeg hotels where young people would be more vulnerable to drug dealers.

As for Klassen’s alleged alliance with the NDP, Lamont said, the public needs to understand the lack of decorum in the legislature these days. Like Klassen, he said, he finds the personal attacks dished out “disconcerting.”

“It’s really got to do with the fact that a huge amount of time is being eaten up with some pretty nasty personal attacks that aren’t really relevant to issues” such as health and education, the Liberal leader said.

Klassen represents a vast constituency where residents face — to a greater degree than in most parts of Manitoba — high rates of poverty, a shortage of adequate housing, and other troubling issues, Lamont said. “It’s hard to understate the challenges that she has to deal with on a daily basis because of what happens in those communities.”

Lamont said Klassen has apologized to Fletcher and his understanding is the Assiniboia MLA wants to let the matter rest.

“I don’t think she intended any malice. She apologized. She took responsibility for it and the apology was accepted. And that’s the end of it,” he said.

Political scientist Paul Thomas said he doesn’t think Klassen’s recent statements will cause her party much damage as its leader seeks a seat in the St. Boniface byelection on July 17.

“Nothing that goes on in the legislature makes that big a ripple” outside of it, he said, noting the public is “kind of fed up” with the daily partisan attacks.

“I don’t think it’s going to cause any big trouble for her or her party,” Thomas said. “There would have to be something more serious.”

Reached late Tuesday, Klassen said everyone assumes she was defending Kinew when she raised a matter of privilege over persistent Tory attacks in the legislature about the NDP leader’s past brushes with the law. She said her goal was to get the Tories to stop suggesting people who had run-ins with the law cannot overcome their past.

She said she plans to clarify her statements today in the legislature.

Meanwhile, she laughed at the suggestion she might be considering a change in political parties. “There’s no truth to that whatsoever,” she said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca