Manitoba’s NDP Minister of Families Nahanni Fontaine does not deserve your empathy. She does, however, deserve to be fired. Immediately. Just one day after American conservative activist Charlie Kirk was brutally assassinated while speaking to students in Utah, Fontaine shared a post celebrating his murder. The post called Kirk a “racist, xenophobic, transphobic, islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece” and proudly declared, “I extend absolutely no empathy for people like that.” This wasn’t some private rant. This was a cabinet minister — a person entrusted with caring for Manitoba’s most vulnerable — publicly cheering the violent death of another human being because she disagreed with his politics..HEINRICHS: The green guillotine.Fontaine’s apology was swift, hollow, and predictable. But her actions screamed the opposite. Her initial post wasn’t a mistake. It was a conscious, hate-filled decision that reveals her true character. This is the same minister who, just months earlier, was caught on a hot mic complaining about an American Sign Language interpreter sharing her stage, grumbling, “F--k, why did I have her on the stage?” She apologized for that too. A pattern is emerging where Fontaine says something vile, gets caught, and issues an empty apology while Premier Wab Kinew looks the other way.Kinew’s response has been a masterclass in weakness and hypocrisy. He called Fontaine’s comments “concerning” but refused to remove her from the cabinet, meekly stating, “I don’t believe in cancel culture.” What a pathetic excuse. This is not about cancellation. This is about accountability and basic human decency. A man was shot in the neck and killed in front of his wife and children. The only appropriate response from any person, let alone a government minister, is horror, condemnation of the violence, and compassion for the grieving family. Fontaine instead chose to dance on his grave. Kinew himself acknowledged this, saying her comments “run completely against the thoughts that I was sharing, which is that we have to have empathy for other people.” Yet he does nothing. His inaction proves his words are meaningless..Imagine for a moment if the roles were reversed. What if a conservative cabinet minister had posted a message celebrating the assassination of a progressive activist? The outrage would be deafening. There would be protests, relentless media condemnation, and deafening calls for immediate dismissal from the very same NDP now hiding behind excuses. This stunning double standard exposes the rotten core of today’s left-wing politics. They preach tolerance but practice pure, unadulterated hatred for anyone who dares to disagree with them. Fontaine’s post is the logical endpoint of this mindset. If you can’t defeat your opponents in debate, then dehumanize them. Suggest they deserve no empathy. Imply their violent removal is justified.This incident transcends mere political misstep. Fontaine is the Minister of Families. Her portfolio requires a deep, unwavering commitment to compassion, inclusion, and the protection of all people. She has shown herself to be utterly incapable of this duty. How can she possibly advocate for children and families when she openly celebrates a political murder and shows contempt for the deaf community? Her presence in cabinet is an insult to every Manitoban who believes public servants should uphold basic standards of decency..THOMSON: Is it time to reconsider the death penalty?.Premier Kinew faces a simple choice. He can continue to protect a minister who traffics in hate and embarrassment, or he can show a shred of leadership. True leaders hold their team to a higher standard. They understand that public office is a privilege, not a right, and that words have consequences. By keeping Fontaine in cabinet, Kinew signals that his government condones her vile behaviour. He ties his own reputation to her disgrace.The people of Manitoba deserve better. They deserve a government that unites rather than divides, that practices what it preaches about empathy, and that holds its ministers accountable for their actions. Nahanni Fontaine has forfeited her right to serve. Wab Kinew must find the courage to fire her.
