Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has issued a public apology and disclosed to Manitoba’s ethics commissioner that he twice used chartered flights arranged by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to attend the Grey Cup, saying it never occurred to him that the trips required official clearance.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kinew acknowledged he should have gotten permission under the Conflict of Interest Act before going on the Bombers plane in 2023 and again for a planned trip in 2024 to watch his hometown team.
Kinew said he believed paying for four seats at a cost of $8,000 meant there was no need to report the travel.
“When I get tickets to a Jets game and I pay my own way, I don’t have to disclose those,” said Kinew.
“So I figured paying my own way to the Grey Cup meant I wouldn’t have to disclose. But I talked to the ethics commissioner this morning, and he said I should, so I did.”
Under the act, any non-commercial flight for an elected official must be approved by the commissioner, who requires an explanation as to why private air travel is essential.
Kinew’s new filings are posted on the ethics commissioner’s website, but reporters pressed him on whether he believes he violated conflict-of-interest laws.
Kinew did not answer the question, stating only that he assumed reimbursing the flight costs exempted him from reporting.
The premier’s 2023 charter flight to Hamilton became public after staff expense records revealed that his assistant’s hotel costs were billed to the government while the Bombers covered the transportation.
Kinew insisted he personally paid for his own hotel room when the Bombers lost to the Montreal Alouettes on November 19, 2023.
Asked why that hotel expense appeared on the government’s out-of-province travel logs, Kinew replied, “I don’t run the website. You’ll have to go straighten out all your details with whoever’s providing them.”
In the legislature, Progressive Conservative Leader Wayne Ewasko said Manitobans deserve straight answers.
“It’s not about attending the Grey Cup,” said Ewasko.
“It’s about following the law and disclosing the thousands of dollars that he may or may not have paid for that chartered air service.”
Progressive Conservative MLA Greg Nesbitt took matters a step further by filing a formal complaint with the ethics commissioner.
Nesbitt asked for an investigation into potential violations of the Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act, pointing out concerns about delayed government disclosures under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as changing explanations from the premier’s office.
“Manitobans deserve full transparency and accountability from their elected officials,” said Nesbitt.
If the ethics commissioner finds that Kinew breached the law, penalties could range from a reprimand to a fine or even a recommendation that his seat be declared vacant.