Pallister wants discussion on candidate disclosure, 'not entirely sure' voters knew Kinew's background

Premier Brian Pallister wants all parties in the Manitoba Legislature to look at how candidates are vetted before they run for office.

Pallister made the comments as he broke his silence on the controversy surrounding recently elected Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew.

Kinew, who became leader of the party last Saturday, had prior convictions for assault and impaired driving, for which he was pardoned in 2015. He was also charged with two counts of assault in 2003. Those charges were stayed, but new details about the alleged assault emerged shortly before he was elected party leader.

Pallister said Friday he's "not entirely sure" voters were aware of all of Kinew's background when they elected him as MLA for Fort Rouge in the 2016 provincial election and wonders if there was information "that should have been there" before election day.

He said he isn't bringing up the issue "in anyway to denigrate Mr. Kinew's attempts to make himself a better person," but to protect voters.

"I think it's important that we have a process that is fair and is seen to be fair, so that when people go to the polls they have the information that they deserve to have when making decisions," Pallister said.

Pallister said there should be a discussion about whether any of three parties with seats in the legislature have information about a candidate that involves criminal activity or alleged criminal activity, and whether such information should be disclosed to the public.

"Information was made available, allegedly, to the NDP in the process of one of their candidate interviews that wasn't made available in public, and I am not sure of the ethics of that and I want to be sure going forward, regardless of political party," Pallister told reporters Friday.

Pallister said he's familiar with having his personal life subject to scrutiny.

"When you step up to run for election certain things come to light, obviously in my case and I think in the cases of others. The question of where we draw that line is, I guess, where I am getting at," Pallister said.

The premier said he would like an analysis of the issue done with a "non-partisan approach" through the legislature.

Criminal charges or convictions, tax evasion or securities violations could be on the list of items that could be part of a broader disclosure made by parties or candidates, Pallister said.

He also said considerations of privacy for those entering political life should be part of the discussion.