Manitoba news — the premier laughed and reportedly made barking noises at the Opposition leader during a policy meeting. The justice minister took 30 minutes to answer a single question. And a political scientist who studies Manitoba politics says the toxic atmosphere in the legislature is getting worse, not better. This week at the Manitoba Legislature was something else.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | September 19, 2026
Sources: CBC News Manitoba | Last updated: September 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Premier Wab Kinew laughed and made what Tories described as barking noises at Opposition Leader Obby Khan during a Tuesday estimates committee meeting
- Khan was questioning the premier about a policy he says infringes on the rights of non-union workers
- Justice Minister Matt Wiebe took 30 minutes to respond to a single question from Independent MLA Mark Wasyliw about the cost of the premier’s security detail
- Wiebe implied he takes questions more seriously from members of registered political parties — Wasyliw was removed from NDP caucus in 2024
- University of Manitoba political scientist Christopher Adams called it deeply rooted dysfunction at the committee level
- House Speaker Tom Lindsey has already tried to rein in deteriorating behaviour in the chamber
What Actually Happened at Tuesday’s Committee Meeting
Manitoba’s legislature estimates meetings are meant to be serious business. They are the sessions where Opposition and independent MLAs get to question cabinet ministers directly about spending, policy decisions, and accountability. They are not question period — not the theatrical daily sparring match. They are supposed to be the part that actually works.
Tuesday’s meeting was not that.
During an estimates session, Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan was questioning Premier Wab Kinew about a government policy on large infrastructure projects — specifically Khan’s claim that it infringes on the rights of non-union workers. A few seconds after Khan made his case, Kinew began laughing.
“Again, you know,” Khan said.
“Oh man,” Kinew replied.
Khan asked the premier to be respectful while he asked questions on behalf of Manitobans. Kinew then, according to the Tories and what is audible on the legislature’s video feed, started barking.
“This is unbecoming of the premier. It is unfortunate,” Khan said.
The Progressive Conservatives posted the exchange on social media, accusing Kinew of acting like a child. Asked about it Thursday, the premier was characteristically unapologetic: “I like to have fun,” Kinew said after an unrelated news conference. “The PCs are very downer,” he added, before pivoting to criticize the party for threatening to hold up the budget implementation bill.
The History Between Kinew and Khan
The animosity between these two leaders is not new and not subtle. At an estimates meeting last May, Kinew called Khan a “joke,” mocked him for crying during an earlier media scrum, and told him to call him “dad.” Khan, for his part, has repeatedly called Kinew a “bully” and told him to look in the mirror if he wanted to see a joke.
Heckling and sharp exchanges during question period are baked into the design of the legislative system. Estimates committees are a different environment — smaller, more procedural, intended for genuine policy scrutiny rather than performance.
Christopher Adams, a political scientist at the University of Manitoba who has written a book on Manitoba politics, drew that distinction clearly: heckling is routine in question period, but estimates meetings traditionally involve substantive policy exchanges. “Committees are supposed to work,” he said. “It’s not grandstanding for the public eye or for the media, but it just shows you how deeply rooted this toxic atmosphere is.”
“It’s not the government’s role to denigrate the Opposition, or to heckle to the point where the person can’t ask questions,” Adams added.
The Justice Minister and the 30-Minute Non-Answer
If the premier’s behaviour was the headline, what happened in a separate committee meeting the same day was arguably more concerning for democratic accountability.
Independent MLA Mark Wasyliw asked Justice Minister Matt Wiebe a question about the cost of Premier Kinew’s security detail. Reasonable question — public money, public safety, public interest. Simple enough that a prepared minister sitting with department staff should be able to answer in minutes.
Wiebe took 30 minutes.
During the wait, there were periods when the minister and staff spoke amongst themselves. At other times, Wiebe was on his phone.
Cabinet ministers are legally permitted to take as much time as they want at estimates. The rules even allow up to 45 days to respond in writing. Wiebe did not use that option either.
“He didn’t want to answer, and he wanted to make sure that the time was wasted, and he succeeded,” Wasyliw said afterward. “The whole point of estimates is to hold the government accountable. And you’d think a minister would have the ability and the confidence to defend their record. This minister has shown that he can’t do that.”
Wiebe’s response was pointed in its own way: “When it’s a serious question from a serious member and from a registered political party here in the province of Manitoba, I do everything I can to get that information,” he said.
The implication was clear — Wasyliw, removed from NDP caucus in 2024, was not being treated as a sufficiently serious member to deserve a prompt response. Whether a minister gets to decide which MLAs deserve accountability based on party affiliation cuts to the heart of what legislative committees are for.
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A Legislature Already Under Strain
Tuesday’s events did not happen in a vacuum. Manitoba’s legislature has been dealing with a decorum crisis for months.
House Speaker Tom Lindsey tried to get a handle on deteriorating behaviour last month by barring MLAs from calling each other racist, bigot, misogynist, homophobe, or transphobic. Other recent incidents include PC MLA Wayne Ewasko saying “quit drinking, Wab” to the premier — a comment the NDP alleged was anti-Indigenous racism, which Ewasko denied. Khan also made what the Speaker called a “hateful” remark when he said “You are a terrible person, whatever you are” to Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba’s non-binary health minister.
These incidents span both sides of the aisle. This is not a one-party problem or a one-person problem. It is a broader cultural problem in how Manitoba’s elected officials choose to engage with each other — and by extension, with the democratic institutions they were elected to serve.
The Speaker presides over question period, but committee meetings operate differently: a fellow MLA chairs and usually does not interrupt heckling as frequently. That structural gap — less oversight, less accountability for conduct — is part of why this week’s behaviour was able to unfold the way it did.
Why This Matters for Manitobans
Estimates meetings exist for one reason: to let elected representatives ask hard questions of the government on behalf of the people who voted for them. When a premier uses that time to laugh and bark at the Opposition, and a minister uses it to sit on his phone for 30 minutes, something real is being lost.
It is not just about manners. It is about whether the tools of democratic accountability are functioning.
Premier Kinew says he likes to have fun. The PCs say it is unbecoming. The independent MLA says accountability is being deliberately undermined. The political scientist says committees are supposed to work. They cannot all be right — but they cannot all be entirely wrong either.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Manitoba Legislature as announcements are made.
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