Political ads are ramping up in advance of the Manitoba election and the past legal troubles of Opposition Leader Wab Kinew are already a focus.
Draft versions of two upcoming NDP ads were posted online briefly yesterday before being pulled.
In one, Kinew talks about overcoming addiction and turning his life around. In the other, Kinew’s wife says Kinew is a changed man.
Paul Thomas, a political analyst at the University of Manitoba, says the New Democrats have little choice but to address the issue, since the governing Progressive Conservatives are focusing on it.
In a 2015 memoir, Kinew wrote about some of his legal troubles, including convictions for impaired driving and assault.He recently received a record suspension for both offences.
The book did not mention two charges of domestic violence Kinew faced in 2003, which were stayed by the Crown a year later.
Kinew has denied those accusations, but the Tories say he has a lot to answer for before voters go to the polls on September 10th.