NDP caucus chair Mike Moyes has broken his silence to reveal more about the removal of Mark Wasyliw from the party’s caucus on Monday, which has ensnared Premier Wab Kinew in a public spat with the MLA.
Moyes told reporters Wednesday the Fort Garry MLA had treated the job as a side hustle to his law practice.
Moyes, the MLA for Riel, said caucus leadership met repeatedly with Wasyliw and tried to work with him over the last year to encourage him to be a “strong team player” and a role model for new NDP MLAs.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
NDP caucus chair Mike Moyes told reporters Fort Garry MLA Mark Wasyliw had treated the job as a side hustle to his law practice.
“Unfortunately, he continued to demonstrate a pattern of deceit and disrespect that was harmful to our team.”
He went on to say: “Being an MLA is a full-time job… It’s not a side hustle.”
Moyes accused Wasyliw of “numerous” comments and incidents that were “extremely disrespectful” toward the premier, cabinet ministers and others in the year before he was turfed.
Moyes said the decision to remove Wasyliw, a criminal defence lawyer, from the governing party’s caucus was not solely based on the fact the Fort Garry MLA’s colleague is defending convicted sex offender Peter Nygard in cases in Winnipeg and Toronto.
“This was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Moyes told reporters at the legislature.
Moyes said the former caucus member was offered a choice.
“Leave your law practice or leave caucus,” said Moyes. “He made his choice.”
Moyes said he hoped Wasyliw would give up his law practice and “become a good team member.”
The decision to oust Wasyliw prompted him to accuse Premier Wab Kinew of being a workplace bully and a “dysfunctional and toxic leader,” while sparking backlash from Manitoba’s legal community.
In a statement earlier Wednesday, Wasyliw claimed Kinew made the decision to oust him from caucus, while challenging Moyes to speak to media. Kinew and Moyes denied the claim.
“A real leader holds themselves accountable for the decisions that they make,” Wasyliw wrote. “Wab is trying to avoid accountability and responsibility.”
Moyes also denied Wasyliw’s claims the NDP caucus hadn’t been informed prior to his removal and no discussion took place.
Moyes said consensus was reached during a caucus meeting Sunday, and insisted everyone present was given an opportunity to speak.
“That consensus was decided by me as the chair of caucus,” he said.
He accused Wasyliw of breaking a commitment to the premier and chief of staff to “wind down” his law practice, after the NDP won a majority in last October’s election.
Moyes said Wasyliw dialled back the commitment, after he wasn’t made a member of cabinet.
“I think what you’re seeing is a lot of sour grapes,” said Moyes.
In response to criticism from the legal community, he said the caucus is not taking a position that people do not deserve to be defended in court.
Kinew on Tuesday said the NDP caucus made the “right decision,” and insisted Wasyliw was given a choice to be part of the NDP “team” or be affiliated with the convicted sex attacker and go with a law firm that is “making money” from him.
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching
Reporter
Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.
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