A major development deal already rejected over environmental concerns was back in the political spotlight Tuesday as the NDP used a memo linked to former premier Heather Stefanson’s government to hammer the Tories in the midst of a byelection campaign.
In response to opposition questions about the fate of a historic downtown church facing demolition, violent crime and his government ramming though an omnibus bill without public input, Premier Wab Kinew went on the attack, asking if there was a “conspiracy” among Progressive Conservative ministers to approve a controversial sand mine project after losing the Oct. 3 election.
“On Oct. 6, they inappropriately pressured our government to try and approve their rushing through an approval of the Sio Silica project,” Kinew said during question period.
The Alberta-based company’s application for an environmental licence to mine near Vivian, in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, was rejected by the NDP government in February.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
The land of a proposed silica sand processing site near Vivian, in the Rural Municipality of Springfield.
With a June 18 byelection in Tuxedo to fill the seat vacated by Stefanson, the NDP is reminding Manitobans that last December, Kinew accused the Tories of trying to rush approval of the mine during the transition period between governments immediately after the election, a breach of what’s known as the caretaker convention.
Before question period Tuesday, NDP caucus chair Mike Moyes (Riel) tabled documents that he said indicate more former PC cabinet ministers were trying to get the Sio Silica sand mine licence approved after losing the election but before the NDP government was sworn in.
He tabled a freedom of information request regarding government correspondence from Oct. 3-18 involving Sio Silica. The documents he obtained include Oct. 6 emails and an advisory note for then-premier Stefanson on the status of the project.
There are requests for that information from three ministers at the time: finance (Cliff Cullen, who did not seek re-election), economic development, industry and trade (Jeff Wharton) and agriculture (Derek Johnson). Then-clerk of the executive council Kathryn Gerrard notes that “we are in caretaker convention until the new government is sworn in.”
In January, Moyes accused Stefanson, the Tory leader, and Wharton of breaking conflict of interest laws in an alleged attempt to approve the proposed mine while the party was on the way out of office, and filed complaints against them with Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor.
The complaints were based on public statements made by former environment minister Kevin Klein and acting environment minister Rochelle Squires (who both lost their seats to the NDP on Oct. 3). They claimed they received separate calls from Wharton on Oct. 12, asking them to approve an environmental licence for the sand-extraction project.
Squires also said the mining project was described by Wharton as being of significant importance to Stefanson, but because of a conflict, the former premier couldn’t direct an approval herself.
Stefanson denied any conflict in a statement issued by the PC party.
On Tuesday, Moyes filed more complaints — this time against Cullen and Derek Johnson. He asked Schnoor to investigate whether they violated the Conflict of Interest Act by seeking information about the Sio Silica project after the October election with the goal of having the licence issued during the transition period when they were not supposed to make any major decisions.
“My question is, how many PC ministers have to be caught up in this thing before it is called a conspiracy?” Kinew asked Tuesday.
“Our caucus is working with the ethics commissioner and going to be following the process all the way through,” Wayne Ewasko said.
Interim PC leader Wayne Ewasko accused the government of “misuse of question period.” Every question the Opposition put to the NDP was turned into a question for the Tories about the Sio Silica affair.
“There’s lots of distracting and dodging of questions,” Ewasko told reporters after question period. He said nothing new was raised by the documents that were tabled.
“Our caucus is working with the ethics commissioner and going to be following the process all the way through,” he said.
Johnson, who was named in the latest complaint to the ethics commissioner, was asked if he requested or pressured anyone for information on Sio Silica in his final days as agriculture minister.
“Absolutely not,” the member for Interlake-Gimli said. “Briefing notes were being generated across every department for the transition,” he said.
“I know my department produced many, many briefing notes to put into the transition binder that the new minister would receive.”
FREE PRESS FILES
Derek Johnson was named in the latest complaint to the ethics commissioner.
Outside the chamber, the premier was asked to point to evidence showing the Tories applied pressure for the licence approval.
“There’s new information in these documents and they raise serious questions about what PCs were doing after they lost power,” Kinew told reporters. “The PC premier’s name is invoked. Multiple ministers are invoked.”
The advisory not for the former premier indicates the environmental and licensing process is nearing completion and that “a draft licence to ensure environmental protection has been prepared.”
Much of the document has been redacted.
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.
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