The candidates vying to lead Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative Party are defending themselves against separate accusations of political opportunism and using divisive rhetoric.
Fort Whyte PC MLA Obby Khan criticized his leadership race rival Wally Daudrich late last week because the Churchill hotelier told supporters he favours placing temporary Canadian residents “on the next plane back to the homeland they obviously prefer” should they fail to respect laws in this country.
A longtime conservative activist, meanwhile, spent the weekend casting doubt on Khan’s conservative bona fides by circulating photos of him posing with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before Khan became a PC MLA.
Khan criticizes Daudrich on immigration
In an email sent to supporters late in December, Daudrich condemned violence and vandalism directed against Jews in Canada and urged police services to enforce hate crime laws more vigorously.
This enforcement, Daudrich wrote, will come to naught if Canada keeps “importing hatred and ethnic strife through a flawed immigration system” that does a poor job vetting prospective immigrants.
“Anyone who comes here and fails to respect our laws and our traditions should be placed on the next plane back to the homeland they obviously prefer,” Daudrich wrote.
“This applies especially to temporary residents such a students or foreign clergy, irrespective of their religious affiliation.”
Khan said Friday while he agrees acts of hate must be prosecuted, he said that ought to be the case for any perpetrator, whether or not they were born in Canada.
“This type of charged rhetoric is divisive, and it’s frightening, for that matter,” Khan said in an interview.
“To be clear, we’re talking about the law is the law, and if you break the law, you suffer the full consequences. But we celebrate people, traditions and diversity in this province and within this party, so I’m not sure what [Daudrich] is talking about when he says ‘our traditions.'”
Daudrich said Friday he believes strongly any foreign residents who break Canadian laws must be sent to their countries of citizenship as soon as possible.
“I also strongly believe that if you wish to make Canada your home that you should respect Canadian traditions, even if you don’t share in these traditions,” Daudrich said in a statement.
“If you can not respect Canadian traditions you should as soon as possible leave here and go to the jurisdiction which supports the traditions you are willing to respect.”
Khan called ‘Liberal’ who wants to lead conservative party
Also on Friday, 16-year Winnipeg PC member Darren Penner began posting images of Khan posing with prominent Liberal leaders, including Trudeau and former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, from 2014 to 2019.
Khan won the PC nomination in Fort Whyte in February 2022 and won a byelection in the Winnipeg constituency one month later.
Penner said he questions Khan’s commitment to the Progressive Conservatives.
“There’s a photo of him campaigning with Liberals in 2014. There’s a photo of him campaigning with Liberals in 2015. There’s a photo of him campaigning with Liberals in 2019,” Penner said in an interview.
“I have no personal ill will toward Mr. Khan, except that he appears to for a long period of time have been a Liberal who now wants to lead a conservative party.”
Penner also drew attention to a 2019 Instagram post where Khan praised Trudeau’s immigration policies and accepted the prime minister’s apology for appearing in brownface at a school gala in 2001.
“I would suggest that in 16 years of being involved in Conservative politics at all different levels, I don’t think I could find one other person I have ever interacted with who has said as glowing things about Justin Trudeau as Mr. Khan has,” Penner said.
A screen capture of a 2019 Instagram post featuring Justin Trudeau, right, and Obby Khan, who was elected as a Progressive Conservative MLA in 2022. (Obby Khan/Instagram)
Khan said he finds Penner’s statements laughable and said he has appeared in photos with many people over the years.
“I know what it means to be a conservative. My father raised us this way our entire life,” said Khan, describing conservative values as commitments to hard work, accountability and fiscal responsibility.
“And again, let’s not forget I won. I believe I’m the only one in this race that has won as an elected official under a conservative banner.”
Khan said Penner is working for Daudrich, something Penner and Daudrich campaign manager Mike Patton denied.
Daudrich’s campaign poked fun of Khan’s acceptance of Trudeau’s apology in 2019.
“I am just glad to see that there is still one elected representative who is prepared to stand up publicly in support of Justin Trudeau,” Daudrich said in a statement.
Dozens of Liberal MPs have called on Trudeau to resign in recent weeks.
Manitoba PCs members are slated to vote for their next leader this spring. The party intends to announce the winner of that vote at a convention on April 26.
