Manitoba Speaker bars politicians from calling each other racist, transphobic, bigot in legislative chamber

Manitoba politicians in the legislative chamber won’t be allowed to accuse each other of being a misogynist, racist, bigot or homophobe, or being transphobic, without the risk of being reprimanded.

That’s according to a new set of rules from House Speaker Tom Lindsey, who announced them Monday while chastising MLAs for the deteriorating state of decorum in the chamber.

“Members of the public are stopping me on the street and saying … what they’re seeing going on in this chamber is terrible, and they’re begging me to do something about it,” Lindsey said Monday in the legislative chamber.

“Members have been using language that has been ruled unparliamentary in other jurisdictions. None of this should be happening in this House, and my concern over this has been growing.”

It’s the latest dressing down of MLAs by the Speaker after months of him decrying the heckling, name-calling and levels of noise in the chamber.

WATCH | ‘Transphobic,’ ‘racist’ among words now banned for Manitoba MLAs:

‘Transphobic,’ ‘racist’ among words now banned for Manitoba MLAs: Speaker

Manitoba’s Speaker of the House Tom Lindsey explains a new rule on Monday that prohibits MLAs from calling each other a bigot, homophobe, racist or misogynist, or calling each other transphobic, in the legislative chamber.

Last month, Lindsey found that Official Opposition leader Obby Khan made “hateful” comments targeting the gender of Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba’s first non-binary MLA.

Lindsey started the fall sitting with a warning to members that if they didn’t pull back on worsening heckling in the chamber, they could be booted from the chamber.

He has repeated that warning in recent months, before rendering a range of specific words considered unparliamentary language on Monday.

Members who call another MLA a transphobe, homophobe, bigot, racist or misogynist now risk warnings that range from being asked to withdraw their comment to dismissal from the chamber for the remainder of that day.

Lindsey said that doesn’t give MLAs licence to use language “that could be interpreted as bigoted, homophobic, misogynist, racist, transphobic or offensive in nature.”

The new list adds to a pre-existing rule that MLAs aren’t allowed to call each other liars.

Lindsey said he was driven to research what constitutes unparliamentary language in other Canadian jurisdictions due, in part, to feedback he has received from members of the public.

Over the past year, students visiting the chamber for question period have given feedback saying they found the chamber “loud and overwhelming” and emerged “shocked and confused about the disrespectful language,” Lindsey said.

Legislative staff also overheard a number of students once “repeating an unkind heckle that they heard in this house,” he said.

“They just see a room full of adults whom they are told are the leaders of our province yelling at each other and calling each other names,” Lindsey said.

“This is the opposite of how their teachers and parents are teaching them to behave.”

Though MLAs’ freedom of speech is protected under parliamentary privilege, members of the assembly also have an “immense responsibility not to abuse that privilege,” the Speaker said.

“The continued abuse of this privilege is disheartening,” he said. “It must stop.”

PC MLA kicked out of question period

On top of banning a list of words, Lindsey said he would be listening closely for “creative” alternatives employed by MLAs to skirt the new rules.

At the end of his announcement Monday, the Progressive Conservatives all clapped, while the governing New Democrats sat silent.

Nahanni Fontaine, shown in an April photo, suggested the new rules disproportionately hinder New Democrats’ ability to call out instances they view as bigotry, racism or transphobia across the aisle. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)

During the ensuing question period, Lindsey called different MLAs to order a few times for using unparliamentary language, including asking Khan to withdraw remarks he made. That included Khan characterizing Environment Minister Mike Moyes as appearing “shockingly honest” in comments he made to media, insinuating that he isn’t typically honest.

PC MLA Konrad Narth was made to withdraw a comment suggesting all the legislature hears from the premier is “hot air.”

In a rare move, Lindsey then kicked out Tory education critic Wayne Ewasko for the remainder of the day, after the MLA failed to issue an “unequivocal” apology for saying “quit drinking, Wab,” to the premier in the chamber on April 15.

That request for an apology stemmed from a complaint by NDP House leader Nahanni Fontaine, alleging Ewasko’s comment was a form of anti-Indigenous racism.

She was the last MLA to be ejected, after using the word “crap” in 2021, saying the government of then premier Brian Pallister’s didn’t “give a crap about Indigenous women and girls.”

Fontaine suggested the new rules disproportionately hinder New Democrats’ ability to call out instances they view as bigotry, racism or transphobia across the aisle.

“We are the only caucus with a trans man, we are the only caucus with Indigenous women, we are the only caucus with a Black man, we are the only caucus with Sikh members, we are the only caucus not only in Manitoba but across the country with a Black, queer, gender non-conforming member of the legislature,” said Fontaine.

The “new regime … puts at risk my caucus colleagues,” she said.

“It’s important to point these things out. You just let them be now?”

WATCH | Tory MLA booted from chamber after Speaker says apology fell short:

Tory MLA booted from chamber after Speaker says apology fell short

House Speaker Tom Lindsey made Tory MLA Wayne Ewasko leave the legislative chamber on Monday, after the MLA failed to issue an “unequivocal” apology for comments he made to Premier Wab Kinew last month, including “quit drinking, Wab.” Ewasko later said he did apologize but didn’t realize Lindsey needed him to say the word ” unequivocal.”

After question period, Ewasko suggested he did apologize twice in chamber, and his ejection was the result of a misunderstanding.

He said he didn’t realize the Speaker specifically wanted him to use the word “unequivocally” in his apology.

“So if that’s what it takes, then I unequivocably apologize for what I stated in the chamber, because it was not intended at all like the House leader had framed it,” he said.