It’s turning into a war of words between Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller.
After Miller called the provincial government’s decision to not search a Manitoba landfill for human remains “heartless” on Wednesday, Stefanson fired back in a statement Thursday.
“When judgment and sensitivity are required, he has chosen to inflame and distort,” Stefanson said. “What should not happen – must not happen – is the continuing politicization of this awful tragedy.”
In the statement, she is once again explaining the reasoning for the province’s decision, including the impact on safety and workplace risks.
The premier says her government will continue to extend supports to the families and has expressed its commitment to support an appropriate memorial.
Miller said Manitoba’s move makes arriving at a decision to search this summer “logistically impossible.”
“We are willing to play a role, a very important role in this,” Miller said Wednesday.
“But the reality of where we’re working is that the government of Canada can’t nationalize the garbage dump or the waste disposal system of the City of Winnipeg.”
But Stefanson was having none of it.
“Rather than respond, directly or through his officials, Minister Miller has chosen recklessness,” she said.