Fontaine defiant after Speaker ejects her from chamber New Democrat kicked out of QP for saying government 'doesn't give a crap' about Indigenous females By: Carol Sanders Posted: 7:00 PM CST Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2021

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This article was published 09/03/2021 (1388 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP justice critic was ejected from the Manitoba legislative chamber by the Speaker on Wednesday for saying the Tory government “doesn’t give a crap about Indigenous women and girls in this province."

It’s against the rules to use "unparliamentary language" during question period. When pressed to retract her comment, Nahanni Fontaine refused.

She made the remark after asking the government when it would implement the two-year-old recommendations of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Fontaine referred to the discovery of the remains of 28-year-old Jana Williams in Winnipeg March 4. The mother of two, who was a member of the Hollow Water First Nation, was six months pregnant and loved by her family. "Jana deserves to be honoured," she told the house.

Justice Minister Cameron Friesen said "Manitobans are devastated by the loss of this woman," and that a police investigation is underway. "We want someone to be held accountable."

Fontaine called out the government for not offering condolences to the Williams family or taking action on the calls for justice in the report.

Premier Brian Pallister responded by accusing Fontaine of "shameless political behaviour" and exploiting Williams’ death to score political points.

“They don’t give a crap about Indigenous women and girls in this province.”
– NDP Justice Critic Nahanni Fontaine

"I’m not trying to score political points," said an emotional Fontaine, who is Indigenous, while getting heckled by Friesen, who chirped "disgraceful."

Fontaine shot back that the Pallister government feigns concern for their lives.

"They don’t give a crap about Indigenous women and girls in this province."

Speaker Myrna Driedger halted question period, said the member for St. Johns had used "unparliamentary language," and asked her to withdraw the statement.

"I will not," Fontaine said.

Nahanni Fontaine tweeted a video of her statement in the House. Watch it on Twitter.

wfpremovefromapp:

Today, I was kicked out of the House and not allowed to return for the day.

Why?

Because I said the PCs don’t give a “crap” about MMIWG2S.

People are more concerned with a word rather than the slaughter of our women, girls and two-spirit. pic.twitter.com/VzPvQ4Gn6P

— Nahanni Fontaine (@NahanniFontaine) March 10, 2021

:wfpremovefromapp

The Speaker asked again, saying that "sometimes we get caught up" in the passion of the moment and that most times MLAs will retract what they said. Fontaine refused. "There’s a slaughter of Indigenous women," she said. "I will not withdraw my comments."

The Speaker asked a third time and when Fontaine refused, she was ejected for the day.

Fontaine left the house in tears. Later, in an interview in her office, Fontaine said that she was on the verge of uttering an expletive but checked herself because she was in the chamber and used the word "crap" instead. The house appeared more alarmed over a word than the issue she raised, said Fontaine who didn’t regret saying it.

"For the house to be more concerned and outraged over a word rather than the crisis — rather than the slaughter — of Indigenous women and girls and the two-spirited, there was no way I could reclaim that word because there’s a crisis," said Fontaine.

"Until people face it and get enraged by the crisis and are motivated to do something, then maybe. But for you to be more concerned about the word than the crisis is unacceptable."

The MLA said being an Indigenous woman in the chamber is an added "layer" of concern. She said the premier’s remarks, which were directed at her, were condescending, dismissive and "flippant about what is a crisis in this country."

“For the house to be more concerned and outraged over a word rather than the crisis– rather than the slaughter — of Indigenous women and girls and the two-spirited, there was no way I could reclaim that word because there’s a crisis.”
– NDP Justice Critic Nahanni Fontaine

"Standing up for women and Indigenous girls, and to be kicked out of a place where I’m trying to raise these issues — and the premier making disparaging remarks about me, personally — highlights how difficult this space can be."

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he supports his justice critic "100 per cent" and questioned why she was kicked out of the chamber for saying the word "crap."

"That word would be allowed on radio and television," Kinew told reporters. "I think we should all be more upset about the crisis around missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls."

The last time a member was ejected from the chamber was in October 2019. Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard was kicked out for heckling Friesen, who was the health minister at the time, over personal care homes. The Speaker, Driedger, asked Gerrard three times to apologize and withdraw his comments. With his arms crossed, the Liberal MLA stood in his place and refused. The Speaker ordered him to leave the chamber for the rest of the day.

It’s the second time this week that MLAs were called out by the Speaker. Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont showed up for question period on Monday with no necktie, a violation of the legislature’s dress code for men in the chamber. Lamont apologized, left and returned wearing a red tie minutes later.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020.

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