Former Manitoba NDP candidate, VP quits party, citing premier's policies and leadership style

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 7:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 23 minutes ago

A erstwhile Manitoba NDP vice-president and campaigner has discontinue the enactment implicit what helium describes arsenic Premier Wab Kinew's "top-down enactment style" and unprogressive policies.

Chris Wiebe, who ran arsenic the NDP campaigner successful the southeastern Manitoba constituency of Dawson Trail successful 2023 and besides served arsenic the party's vice-president for confederate and southeastern portions of the province, gave up his NDP rank successful March.

"There are a fig of reasons I would say: Dysfunctional enactment wrong the enactment itself. Also, they campaigned arsenic progressives, but they're governing arsenic conservatives," Wiebe said Monday successful an interrogation extracurricular the University of Winnipeg's Richardson College for the Environment and Science, wherever helium works arsenic a chemistry professor.

Wiebe, who finished 2nd to Progressive Conservative MLA Bob Lagassé by 543 votes successful Dawson Trail successful 2023, said helium is disappointed the NDP authorities has made small advancement since the predetermination connected clime alteration and does not look to person a climate-change plan.

Wiebe said helium was motivated to talk retired aft Kinew said Friday helium was unfastened to lipid shipments done Hudson Bay. Wiebe claims Kinew insisted successful 2023 the enactment did not enactment pipelines.

"We had aggregate meetings with Mr. Kinew passim the run arsenic candidates to speech astir policy, and 1 of his lines successful the soil was nary much pipelines," Wiebe said.

'Room for everybody' connected Team Manitoba, says Kinew

When asked astir Wiebe's comments, Kinew rejected the thought his enactment had specified a prohibition.

"It's a large structure and there's country for everybody connected committee Team Manitoba," Kinew said Monday.

Wiebe, who said helium was inspired to participate authorities by the precocious Transcona societal politician Bill Blaikie, said helium does not judge determination is country wrong the enactment for progressive authorities and does not judge Kinew accepts input from candidates when it comes to forming policy.

He said helium is disappointed the Kinew government has kept immoderate Progressive Conservative taxation cuts going and contends determination has been insufficient attraction to core areas of government.

"We're surviving done a 3rd property of [Brian] Pallister," Wiebe said, referring to the erstwhile PC premier of Manitoba who won presumption successful 2016 and 2019. 

"I deliberation that it's an austerity fund that they've fixed us, and wellness attraction is not getting amended and education is not getting better. We're struggling with post-secondary education. So I don't spot overmuch of a quality betwixt america and the Conservatives."

Kinew laughed disconnected this comparison.

"Anyone who's seen maine play hoops would cull the examination to Brian Pallister and for what it's worth, I've ne'er seen Brian Pallister enactment connected a brace of skates," the premier quipped.

Paul Thomas, prof emeritus of governmental studies astatine the University of Manitoba, suggested helium would not be quick to disregard Chris Wiebe.

"This is not an angry, disgruntled idiosyncratic similar Mark Wasyliw, whose ambitions were blunted by Kinew's determination to exclude him from furniture and past has gone connected rants connected societal media attacking the leader," Thomas said, referring to the now-Independent MLA for Fort Garry.

"This is somebody who's a reflective superior idiosyncratic and has immoderate well-thought-out positions."

Thomas said the Kinew authorities has been forced to contend with superior issues specified arsenic the U.S. commercialized warfare and Manitoba's wildfires and whitethorn not beryllium capable to absorption connected keeping enactment members happy.

The prof besides suggested the premier's absorption connected polling and popularity whitethorn impair his quality to make policy.

"He loves to delight the audiences, I think, and 1 wonders whether that contributes to a reluctance to marque pugnacious decisions," Thomas said.