PC leadership hopeful Khan breaks with interim leader, won't call refusal to search landfill a mistake

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Manitoba Progressive Conservative leadership campaigner Obby Khan has declined to support his interim enactment leader's declaration it was a mistake for the former PC authorities to refuse to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of murdered First Nations women.

Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan said Friday the decision made by erstwhile premier Heather Stefanson's PC government was based connected accusation it possessed at the time, adjacent though he said hindsight is 20/20 and helium believes his erstwhile authorities displayed a deficiency of empathy and compassion successful the mode it communicated that decision.

Khan's opponent, hotelier Wally Daudrich, said helium would person been "all in" connected a landfill hunt but would person enlisted the private assemblage to assistance fund it to trim fiscal load connected the government.

On Wednesday, the archetypal time of a caller sitting of the Manitoba Legislature, interim PC Leader Wayne Ewasko roseate successful the enclosure and apologized to the families of 4 women murdered by serial slayer Jeremy Skibicki successful 2022 for refusing to search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of 2 of his victims, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

"Honourable Speaker, our authorities erred. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that,"  Ewasko said during question play connected March 5, 1 week aft 2 sets of human remains were discovered arsenic portion of a landfill hunt initiated by Wab Kinew's NDP government.

"We went guardant and followed proposal to stress prosecution supra all," Ewasko said. "We mislaid our mode successful regards to empathy and besides mislaid our mode successful regards to closure being brought guardant to the families of the victims."

Khan backs apology, defends decision

After Ewasko's apology, Khan refused to accidental whether helium supported it, adding helium would supply an opinion following the decision of the PC enactment contention connected April 26.

The MLA relented 2 days later, stating successful an interrogation that Ewasko was close to apologize for the party's messaging and communications astir the landfill search — but would not accidental the Stefanson authorities made a mistake by refusing to behaviour the search.

"I deliberation the determination that was made astatine the clip was based connected the accusation that was presented astatine that time. I deliberation if you tin present look successful hindsight, and accidental the accusation that's present disposable to america and what tin beryllium done would person favoured a antithetic effect astatine that time," Khan said Friday successful an interrogation successful Winnipeg.

"I deliberation astatine that clip the proposal was justness for the families is is what needs to beryllium done, justness and the transgression lawsuit was inactive happening astatine that time," said Khan, noting a search of the landfill did not statesman successful earnest until Skibicki was convicted for the murders of Harris, Myran, Rebecca Contois and a pistillate granted the name Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, oregon Buffalo Woman.

"The NDP did not commencement the excavation until aft the lawsuit was ruled connected and justness was served to the family. Hindsight is ever 20/20," Khan said.

Khan was a subordinate of the PC caucus erstwhile the Stefanson authorities made its determination not to hunt the landfill.

Daudrich says helium would person built fund

Daudrich, who does not person a spot successful the legislature, said Friday helium would person been "all in" connected a landfill search, noting helium has 4 daughters.

"I can't ideate reasoning astir losing 1 of my children and particularly nether the circumstances that immoderate of these radical person mislaid their daughters," Daudrich said successful an interrogation successful the R.M. of Stanley.

Daudrich said helium would person enlisted fiscal enactment from businesses to behaviour the search.

"What I was saying is what we should bash is enactment immoderate effect wealth to commencement a money and past inquire corporations to lend to that money truthful that we would person the money, truthful that we really person the affectional closure connected that issue," helium said.

Khan and Daudrich made their comments 9 days aft 2 sets of quality were discovered astatine Prairie Green Landfill. Hours aft they spoke, Manitoba RCMP confirmed 1 acceptable of remains belonged to Harris.

While she was successful office, Stefanson cited respective reasons for not conducting the search. She expressed concerns about the information of workers conducting excavations astatine the landfill and said the hunt could impair the prosecution of Skibicki, who is present serving 4 beingness sentences.

Stefanson's PC authorities was defeated successful October 2023, pursuing an predetermination run during which she campaigned connected her refusal to hunt the landfill. 

She apologized aft the run for predetermination ads she said "were not intended to wounded anyone" but did not apologize for the refusal to hunt the landfill.

Skibicki was convicted successful July 2024. Excavations astatine the landfill began substantively successful December 2024. After that, it took 3 months before workers astatine the excavation tract discovered quality remains.

More empathy needed, some say

Both Khan and Daudrich said they agreed with Ewasko's contention the erstwhile PC authorities did not show capable empathy with regards to the landfill search.

Khan suggested the enactment displayed this deficiency of empathy successful the mode it communicated with the public.

"I deliberation it was agelong overdue for america to admit and admit publically that we had mislaid our mode with our messaging," Khan said.

"What I'm truly looking guardant to, hopefully erstwhile I go the leader, is getting our communications with Manitobans connected an empathetic, compassionate level, speaking to Manitobans with a bosom and psyche similar we each have."

Daudrich said the 2023 predetermination run was "mismanaged from the beginning" and said helium was thankful for Ewasko's apology.

"I deliberation it closes that section of however we mismanaged a portion of our past predetermination run and that we would determination forward," helium said.

Stefanson did not respond to CBC News requests for remark implicit the weekend. Neither did Marni Larkin, 1 of the co-chairs of the 2023 PC predetermination campaign.

The different 2023 run co-chair, erstwhile Conservative MP Candice Bergen, said Saturday she stands by comments she made aft the election, erstwhile she said "voices that encouraged sensitivity and compassion were mostly ignored" astir the run table.

The PCs volition take a caller person connected April 26.