On Oct. 9, Premier Wab Kinew addressed members of the media, saying his comments were merely a refection of the frustration people feel over “what they perceive to be [as] a revolving door in the justice system.”
Two days prior, Kinew was in the legislature, responding to questions from the opposition, when he brought up the case of a truck driver who was recently granted bail after allegedly causing a fatal crash last year — a controversial aspect of the bail decision being that the driver fled Canada not long after the wreck.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew
Not long after that, Singh left the country.
According to news reports, Singh was arrested Aug. 21 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport after arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Around a week later, he was granted bail — with conditions — by a provincial court judge.
In the legislature, Kinew criticized the decision to grant Singh bail and used the case to comment on what he sees as a flawed bail system that jeopardizes public safety.
“When it comes to the Crown [prosecutor] in this case, reading the comments in the media, [the Crown] said — and I quote — ‘This release would endanger public confidence in the justice system.’ End quote. I happen to agree with that,” Kinew says in online footage.
Kinew also told the legislature that judges need to consider how their decisions may be perceived by the public.
Both the Manitoba Bar Association (MBA) and the Criminal Defence Lawyer Association of Manitoba (CDLAM) slammed Kinew for his comments, saying they jeopardized judicial independence and a “fair and impartial” justice system.
“It is concerning when politicians offer commentary on cases before the courts that have not yet been adjudicated,” said MBA president Stacey Soldier in a news release. “Such comments undermine the rule of law and ignores the presumption of innocence. Furthermore, it could ultimately affect the fairness of a trial which doesn’t just affect an accused person, it also affects victims and loved ones.”
The release goes on to state that such remarks “undermine public confidence in the administration of justice and run counter to the constitutional principles that separate the judicial and legislative branches of government.”
For its part, the CDLAM called judicial independence “an important feature of our system of law.”
“The Premier should refrain from comment about matters before the courts and consider that his comments do more to hurt the public’s confidence in the administration of justice than this decision ever could,” stated CDLAM, which called “on all members of the provincial legislature to stop speaking about criminal cases still before the court.”
“Trusting in our Crown Attorneys and Judges to properly exercise their discretion and decision-making abilities will ensure judicial independence remains respected.”
Days after his comments in the legislature, Kinew told news reporters he had been speaking in general terms, and that his remarks reflect people’s concerns with the bail system.
“Well, I was speaking in general,” Kinew said. “Speaking in general, I hear about catch-and-release all the time from Manitobans — that’s what this issue is about. The issue is about the public losing confidence in the way bail is being handled in Canada, in Manitoba, and people wanting communities to be safe.”
Kinew said he was “giving voice to what a lot of people in the community are saying.”
“I respect that line between what we do here as the legislative and executive branches of government, and what the judges and [justices of the peace] do with the judicial branch of government, but this is a democracy, and every arm of government needs to have a way to listen to the voice of the people. And in this case, I’m just helping to articulate a real concern that I think everyone recognizes around bail reform, catch and release — whatever you want to call it. The point is a lot of people are fed up and frustrated with what they perceive to be a revolving door in the justice system.”
This is not the first time Kinew has come under fire from lawyers.
In September 2024, Kinew was blasted by several lawyers’ groups for expelling an MLA from the NDP caucus because the MLA happens to work at a law firm that was acting for convicted sex predator and one-time fashion mogul Peter Nygard.
MLA Mark Wasyliw, who is a criminal lawyer with the Winnipeg firm Gindin Wiebe Segal Law, was ousted from caucus because a colleague at the firm was defending Nygard.
Various lawyer groups, including the Law Society of Manitoba (LSM) and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, denounced Wasyliw’s ouster.
At the time, the LSM stressed the importance of an independent legal system.
“The public interest requires that everyone accused of a crime, no matter how repugnant, receives vigorous legal representation. The rule of law mandates that lawyers represent such clients without fear of reprisal. For these reasons, it is essential that the legal profession and the regulation of the legal profession remain independent.”
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