Former PC cabinet minister thought push for Manitoba silica mine was within rules

Steve Lambert · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 26, 2025 4:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

Former Manitoba furniture curate Jeff Wharton said Monday helium thought helium was pursuing the rules erstwhile helium pushed for a silica soil excavation to beryllium approved aft his enactment was defeated successful an election.

Wharton said helium accepts a study from the provincial morals commissioner that recovered Wharton and 2 different elder Tories violated the struggle of involvement law. Wharton said helium felt helium was wrong his close astatine the time.

"My knowing was that I was not disconnected basal … I present recognize that that's not the case," Wharton said successful an interview.

"The information that this peculiar task was a ample concern into Manitoba was a bully happening for Manitobans. And I basal by that today."

Wharton spoke to media for the archetypal clip since Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor issued a 100-page study past week into the actions of the erstwhile Progressive Conservative authorities regarding a projected silica soil mining cognition successful southeast Manitoba.

The task would person allowed thousands of wells implicit 24 years crossed a ample swath of southeastern Manitoba and created an estimated 8,000 jobs, though lone an archetypal signifier was being considered for approval.

Schnoor wrote that aft the Tories mislaid the Oct. 3, 2023, election, elder Tories tried to get the task approved earlier the caller NDP government, led by Wab Kinew, could beryllium sworn in. Their actions violated the Conflict of Interest Act and contravened the caretaker normal -- a long-standing parliamentary rule that forbids outgoing governments from making large decisions, the study said.

The report, which is awaiting a ballot successful the legislature, recommends a good of $18,000 for erstwhile premier Heather Stefanson, a $12,000 good for erstwhile lawman premier Cliff Cullen and a $10,000 good for Wharton, the economical improvement curate astatine the time.

The morals commissioner besides said immoderate things that helium was told by Wharton, Stefanson and Cullen contradicted evidence.

Wharton told the commissioner astir a telephone telephone with Cullen that did not really occur, the study said.

Wharton besides told the commissioner helium was not alert of proposal from the caput of the civilian service, Kathryn Gerrard, that the Tory program would interruption the caretaker convention. That "is not supported by the evidence," Schnoor wrote.

Wharton said Monday his representation and the transition of clip betwixt the predetermination nonaccomplishment and his treatment with the morals commissioner were factors.

"I was providing accusation based connected my champion ability. And evidently different folks weighed successful and determination were immoderate contradictions, which I've accepted and I've moved on," Wharton said.

Wharton said helium accepts the report's proposal of a good but was noncommittal connected whether helium would wage it retired of his ain pouch oregon question assistance from caucus oregon different group.

"I haven't adjacent thought astir that, to beryllium rather frank. I'm much acrophobic astir conscionable moving guardant and ... support doing what I was elected to bash by the folks of Red River North," helium said, referring to his constituency northbound of Winnipeg.

The mining task did not get approved, owed successful portion to absorption from bureaucrats and 2 different Tory ministers who refused to beryllium portion of the plan. Environment curate Kevin Klein and the acting minister, Rochelle Squires, some rebuffed Wharton's petition to usage a little-known conception of the Environment Act to grant an biology licence successful the days aft the predetermination loss.

The NDP authorities formally rejected the connection months later, citing concerns that included the imaginable interaction connected drinking water.

Wharton is the lone 1 of the 3 Tories inactive successful politics. He has been stripped of his Opposition professional duties but remains successful caucus.

Cullen has not commented connected the matter. Stefanson issued a written connection past week that said she acted successful the nationalist involvement and deferred to the NDP aft the election.

The governing New Democrats accidental the Tories beryllium the nationalist a afloat mentation astir what happened. In question play Monday, the NDP targeted Tory Leader Obby Khan, who served successful Stefanson's cabinet.

"The person of the Opposition was a furniture curate erstwhile … those members tried to avoid, creation around, measurement speech from Canadian democracy," lawman premier Uzoma Asagwara said.