Former Manitoba premier violated Conflict of Interest Act by pushing silica sand project: ethics commissioner

Steve Lambert · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 21, 2025 3:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson and 2 of her Progressive Conservative furniture ministers acted improperly by pushing for the support of a silica soil mining task and should beryllium fined, says a study by the province's morals commissioner.

The report, released Wednesday, says Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic improvement curate Jeff Wharton tried to get support for the Sio Silica task aft the Tories mislaid the October 2023 provincial election, but earlier the caller NDP authorities was to beryllium sworn in.

Ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor ruled their actions violated the Conflict of Interest Act and contravened what's commonly called the "caretaker convention" — a long-standing parliamentary rule that forbids outgoing governments from making large decisions successful astir cases.

"The commissioner recovered nary grounds that Ms. Stefanson, Mr. Cullen oregon Mr. Wharton oregon their household received a fiscal payment from this conduct," the study said.

"However, the enactment requires that members not enactment successful their authoritative capableness successful a mode that would improperly further the backstage interests of different person."

Schnoor is recommending fines of $18,000 for Stefanson, $12,000 for Cullen and $10,000 for Wharton. The legislative assembly gets to marque the last decision.

'I was premier, I did my job': Stefanson

Stefanson, successful a written connection from her lawyer pursuing the merchandise of the decision, said she talked with the incoming NDP authorities astir the project.

"I had nary work to bash truthful but reached retired to the incoming authorities and afloat considered their views earlier deciding connected what to do. No licence was issued to the applicant by my government," the connection read.

"None of the decisions I took successful the play earlier the caller NDP authorities was sworn successful were made for immoderate intent different than to further and support the nationalist interest. In summary, I was premier, I did my job, and erstwhile the radical elected a caller government, I deferred to the NDP authorities and respected their views connected however to proceed."

The mining task would person created thousands of wells implicit 24 years crossed a ample swath of southeastern Manitoba, though lone an archetypal phase near Vivian, in the agrarian municipality of Springfield, was being considered for approval.

The NDP authorities rejected the task successful February 2024, citing the imaginable interaction connected drinking h2o among different concerns.

The contented archetypal came to airy aft Rochelle Squires and Kevin Klein, 2 different erstwhile Tory furniture ministers who mislaid their seats successful the 2023 election, said they were called by Wharton aft the predetermination and pressured to get the task approved.

Wharton denied the accusation successful December 2023 and said helium was simply gathering accusation astir the mining task to walk connected to the incoming government.