Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 05, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A8 EDITORIALS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 8 COMMENT EDITOR: Gerald Flood 204- 697- 7269 gerald. flood@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL M ANITOBA'S NDP government has been struggling to untangle a public relations pretzel for nearly two years without a lot of success, but Premier Greg Selinger and his ministers did a credible job Tuesday in explaining the confusing web of allegations. If they had acted long ago, however, the odour of doubt and lingering suspicion might have been less sniffy. There were several missed opportunities to explain the circumstances that caused an assistant deputy minister in the Department of Immigration to distribute a controversial email inviting civil servants and various stakeholders to a debate in the legislature in April 2012. The email sparked an investigation by the Manitoba Ombudsman following a complaint the civil servant had acted in a partisan manner, either on his own initiative, or at the urging of the immigration minister at the time, Christine Melnick. The various issues became immensely more complicated when Ms. Melnick initially denied instructing the civil servant, Ben Rempel, to distribute the email. Shortly after the ombudsman began his investigation, however, the minister admitted she had directed Mr. Rempel to send the email. Mr. Selinger was also informed of the deceit, but it remained a secret until the ombudsman's report was tabled last December, some 16 months after the incident. The premier should have disclosed the new information immediately or ordered Ms. Melnick to do so, rather than waiting for the report to be released. Not only had the public been deceived, Ms. Melnick had also misled the legislature in denying her personal role, a breach of the Legislative Assembly Act. And during this entire period, Mr. Rempel was hung out to dry and left to listen silently as the opposition questioned his judgment and ethics. Mr. Selinger had a duty to remove that stain as quickly as possible and he has no excuse for not doing so. Ms. Melnick has since further confused matters by claiming she was directed by NDP political staff to order Mr. Rempel to rally support for the government's motion on immigration. The validity of her allegations is questionable because of her claim she suffered memory loss due to undiagnosed diabetes, but so far she has not produced hard evidence she was pushed. What is clear, finally, is political staff helped lead the effort to create a spectacle of support for the NDP's motion. Even House Leader Andrew Swan said Tuesday he called people in his constituency to inform them of the debate and request their presence at the legislature. Ms. Melnick was undoubtedly told to get the word out, but Mr. Selinger says she was never ordered to direct her assistant deputy minister to do anything. If she or her personal staff had sent the email, the question of the independence of the civil service would never have surfaced. An NDP spokesman said it was " no secret" the government was orchestrating an event - no secret, that is, to the NDP. As far as the opposition, the media and the public were concerned, Ms. Melnick's department acted alone. If the breadth of the NDP effort had been properly disclosed when the controversy first erupted, it would have provided a context that has been missing. It's also possible Ms. Melnick believed she was supposed to enlist the support of Mr. Rempel, even if no one mentioned his name. Ms. Melnick appears to have been the author of her own misfortune, but the premier ensured the controversy continued to fester. He could easily have disclosed her misrepresentation ( or misunderstanding) of the facts without jeopardizing the ombudsman's consideration of the issues surrounding the proper relationship between politicians and civil servants. But he didn't. That's his failing and he must wear it. Home ec remains relevant As a University of Manitoba home economics grad with a lifelong career as a registered dietitian, it seems human ecology dean Gustaaf Sevenhuysen is dollar- focused, naive and shortsighted ( The wreck of home ec , Feb. 1). Sevenhuysen's plans expose a lack of understanding in human ecology's interdisciplinary relationship, the basis of which is a knowledge of psychology, finance and life sciences. Without the core focus on human ecology, however, those disciplines lose relevancy in day- to- day life. Sevenhuysen should be looking beyond job titles in places such as Monster. com. If he does, he will find human ecology grads gainfully employed and in demand. JO- ANNE METCALFE Portage la Prairie Buck hunt not a harvest The act of trophy hunting is morally unacceptable and lacks any element of humanity ( Manitoban snags fallow deer world record , Feb. 1). The slaughter of the largest buck Michie has seen in his 24 years of outfitting is not harvest, as suggested by the writer. Harvesting, or hunting, is the act of gathering food, not the taking of life for personal glory and pleasure. JEFF MCMASTER Winnipeg Iceplex not ideal for curling After attending the Safeway Championship at the MTS Iceplex over two days, I'm not sure it's a suitable venue for curling events ( Championship back in the big city , Jan. 29). The seating outside of the ice area of the arena is uncomfortable for more than one draw. And while the upstairs lounge provides a number of good seats near the windows, it, too, is less than ideal since one misses the exciting sounds of the game. Even if the seats were more comfortable inside the arena, they are limited to side viewing of the ice. There are no end seats and no corner seats, which are desirable to most curling fans. If future curling events are held at the MTS Iceplex, I would also encourage them to remove the hockey glass from around the ice surface, as it mars many sightlines, especially near the players' benches and penalty box. LYLE KASTRUKOFF Baldur Don't rush balanced budget In his recent House of Commons announcement of the date for his 2014 budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty could not resist again mentioning his government's commitment to balancing the budget in 2015 ( Budget to drop in middle of Olys , Jan. 28). Absent in these reminders is a recognition by the government of the difficulties ( and, in some cases, downright misery) a headlong rush of cutbacks to balance the budget by 2015 will cause to many Canadians. There is nothing magic about the 2015 date - except the fact the next federal election will be that year. A more gradual approach balancing the budget would achieve the same end result while sparing many Canadians the hardships of rushing the issue. RICHARD JOHNSON Winnipeg Child welfare training needed I agree with Grand Chief Nepinak when he says child welfare agencies must look at preventions and support of parents whose children are at risk ( Escaping a vicious cycle , Feb. 1). Apprehension should be the last resort. Aboriginal child welfare agencies have not yet provided the answer, but staff selection and training is a move in the right direction. Having worked with aboriginal agencies as a trainer and consultant, I have seen staff who aren't equipped to deal with dysfunctional parenting or children in need of protection. Sufficient training and staffing levels are needed. This will be costly, but could help reduce the likelihood of another murdered child and a subsequent multimillion- dollar investigation and report. WRAY PASCOE Gimli The value of unions Re: Public pension liabilities top $ 300 billion , Feb. 4. I feel sorry for the employees of the five global corporations for which Gwyn Morgan has been a director - I'm guessing none of the workers have pensions. Unilaterally ignoring democracy by using tools such as back- to- work legislation and contracting out public services is the reason unions continue to exist. It's easy for Morgan to talk about the excesses of public pensions from his golden ( not just gold- plated) retirement. If I was in his position, I probably would not be concerned about having a defined- benefit pension plan. Morgan fails to mention Canada Post got themselves into this mess by making two conscious decisions: terminally funding pensions by taking " holidays" ( or undercontributing yearby- year), and not negotiating better contribution terms with their employees. The fact private- sector employees do not have a gold- plated pension is not a reason to celebrate or to take away what has already been bargained in good faith with public employees. If governments are truly strike- fearing, that is hardly the fault of the workers. They should stand up for what they believe is right - that's what the unions have done. DAVE FERGUSON Winnipeg �� Given the gold- plated pensions provided to postal workers by Canadian taxpayers, it seems only fair postal workers be first on the list to have their home mail delivery eliminated in favour of community mailboxes. TERRY PARSONAGE Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 204- 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTERS OF THE DAY The ongoing spat between Premier Greg Selinger and Christine Melnick has underscored a critical point: Selinger is the antithesis of leadership ( Selinger's capacity to lead now the issue, Feb. 4). Throughout the entire he- said, she- said affair Selinger has never spoken directly to Melnick, never once bringing her in to discuss the issue of the controversial emails. We now learn Selinger's people have consistently blocked Melnick's attempts to speak to the leader. A real leader does not hide behind his staff. A real leader will face the tough issues and have those difficult conversations, something Selinger is not capable of doing. We have a collection of bureaucrats and managers running the legislature - no leaders. Their sense of ego and entitlement has run its course. GARY HOOK Winnipeg �� While I'm not a supporter of the NDP, I laud Premier Greg Selinger for taking the course of action he did with Christine Melnick. He dealt with an under- performing member of his caucus in a timely and appropriate manner. If Melnick was as delinquent in her position as the article implies, in the private sector she likely would have lost her job. As a duly elected MLA this option is not available, nor should it be. However, her inability to fulfil her ministerial duties warrants the premier's action. The premier took the course of action he did knowing full well that the consequences may result in the ensuing backlash that has occurred. The fact Melnick went public with this issue speaks volumes of her aptitude and character, further confirming the premier's decision was the appropriate one. BILL ROBERTSON Winnipeg A question of leadership Selinger's failing festers JOE BRYSKA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Greg Selinger announces the removal of Christine Melnick from the NDP caucus Tuesday. A_ 08_ Feb- 05- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A8 2/ 4/ 14 7: 42: 00 PM ;