PCs make opposition to landfill search a central facet of campaign as Manitoba election day nears

As the Oct. 3 election day in Manitoba draws closer, theProgressive Conservatives are now actively campaigning on their opposition to searching a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women police presume are victims of an allegedserial killer.

In a full-page advertisement in the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday, the PCs drew attention to four party campaign planks and provided a place of prominence to leader Heather Stefanson'sopposition to the landfill search.

"Stand firm," reads the ad, next to a photo of Stefanson bearing the caption, "For health and safety reasons, the answer on the landfill dig just has to be no."

The ad was publishedtwo days after a televised party leaders' debate where Stefanson raised the landfill search during the first opportunity she had to ask NDP Leader Wab Kinewa question about his support for a search. Apair of recent polls suggest the NDP is poised to wrest power away from the PCs.

"Why are you willing to put $184 millionandManitoba workers at risk for a search without a guarantee?"she asked, making reference to the maximum cost estimate for a proposed search of the Prairie Green landfill in the rural municipality of Rosser, north of Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Police Service believes the bodies of presumed homicide victims Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran lie within the landfill. The police revealed thisin December, setting off discussions about a potential search among all three levels of government, Indigenous leaders and the families of the missing women.

Stefansoninitiallyannouncedin July the province would not help fund that search, citing health and safety concerns for workers and low prospects of success. The PC leader has since repeated her opposition dozens of times, but only over the past week made this positiona central aspect of her messaging.

'Disgusting'

Chief Kyra Wilson of Long Plain First Nation, the home community of both Myran and Harris, described the newPC strategyas extremely hurtful to the families dealing with the loss of their loved ones.

"I think that it's just a complete lack of compassion and disregard for everyone that's impacted by this," she said in an interview.

"The fact thatHeather Stefanson andthe PCsare using a family's pain to motivate their campaign messaging, I think that is disgusting. Ithink that it's sick."

Cambria Harris, the daughter of Morgan Harris, accused Stefansonin a Facebook post of launching "a smear campaign" against her family's desire for the landfill search.

"Thank you Heather Stefanson for continuing to show us Manitobans that you do not in fact stand for the Indigenous community," Harris said in the post.

Nahanni Fontaine, the NDP incumbent candidate for St. Johns, said it's unfortunate the PC partychose to campaign on its opposition to the landfill search.

"I think it is entirely disrespectful to politicize and make this an election issue and I would submit most Manitobans would agree with us," said Fontaine."It's one of many dog whistles that we're seeing in this election."

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Kevin Klein, the PC candidate for Kirkfield Park, said Sunday it's fair to describe opposition to a landfill search as a central part of his party's campaignbut insisted"other parties" areraisingthe landfill search for political gain.

"Maybe they see it asa wedge issue. Maybe it will help them. Maybe that's why they're talking," said Klein, whose ownmother was murdered in Oshawa, Ont., in 1991.

"I think it's something that has been made political by others and they're bringing it back to the forefront and they want to keep talking about this because this is their agenda.

"Our premier has not wavered. Our premier has stuck to the facts and her decision."

Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said it'salmost impossible to politically finesse a stance on the landfill search because the ethical and emotional content is so high.

He said Stefanson and the Progressive Conservative Partymay genuinely consideralandfill search with a low prospect of successnot fiscally responsible and also may have polling to suggest a segment of the voting public agrees.

Thomas also said it's possible the PCs are acting defensively now that they're trailing the NDP in the polls.

"Their goal has become to hold as much political ground as possible. They might calculate that they have to go all-out negative in the final 10 days and make Wab Kinew and Indigenous issues a lightning rod to generate concern and to motivate their supporters," Thomas said.

"This is risky. The approach has to be carefully balanced, not hysterical or seen as unfair. Otherwise they might prompt a backlash, especially among women voters in Winnipeg and even more specifically in south Winnipeg."

Chief Wilson suggested Stefanson's repeated focus on the potential cost and safety of a landfill search seems to preclude other ways to move forward.

"We're not saying give us $184 million and we'll call it a day. What we're saying is come to the table, have a conversation with us, bring solutions forward," Wilsonsaid."That is what she is not doing."

Manitoba's election day is Oct. 3.

PCs make opposition to landfill search a central facet of campaign

1 year ago

Duration 2:28

The Conservatives say the matter of whether to search a landfill for the remains of murdered Indigenous women has become an election issue. The Tories took out a full-page ad in Saturday's Free Press saying they oppose a search at Prairie Green landfill for health and safety reasons.