Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and two New Democrat legislature members are denying they conspired to defame a politician who was kicked out of the governing NDP caucus.
They are also asking the courts to throw out a lawsuit brought forward by ousted member Mark Wasyliw.
Wasyliw alleges in a lawsuit filed last year that Kinew, Billie Cross and Mike Moyes conspired to defame him with false and reckless statements during his removal from caucus in September 2024.
Ian Bushie, an NDP MLA, was included in the original statement of claim but was later removed in an amended one. Moyes was added to the suit at that time.
Wasyliw has worked for years as a defence lawyer and one of his colleagues had represented disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard on sexual assault charges.
Kinew said someone cannot be affiliated with both Nygard and the NDP, although he later apologized to Wasyliw’s colleague and to defence lawyers in general.
Wasyliw alleges Kinew’s explanation for the expulsion from caucus suggested, in essence, that Wasyliw lacked integrity and did not hold NDP values.
The lawsuit also alleges Cross defamed Wasyliw by saying he had been abusive to colleagues in raising his voice. It alleges Moyes defamed Wasyliw by saying he had been deceitful and disrespectful.
In a statement of defence filed last month, the defendants argue Wasyliw’s suit “lacks substantial merit” and asks the court to dismiss it.
“The defendants deny … that the plaintiff’s removal was sudden or without justification and deny having made any public statements directed at the plaintiff which were reckless, false, and/or defamatory,” it said.
The joint statement said Wasyliw’s continued work as a defence lawyer was the subject of discussion and debate within caucus dating as far back as March 2023 — before the NDP formed government later that year.
It said Wasyliw indicated to caucus that he intended to wind down his law practice.
This changed in October 2023 after the NDP won the provincial election and Wasyliw publicly announced he intended to expand his law practice because he had not been appointed to a cabinet position, said the statement of defence.
Following this, conversations continued in caucus on whether Wasyliw could continue as a “supportive and respectful caucus member.”
The statement said Moyes approached Wasyliw in September 2024 and “pressed him with a choice” to fully commit to the caucus team or to his law practice.
Wasyliw chose his law practice, the statement said.
It also proposes that any losses to Wasyliw’s reputation are his own fault because he has “chosen to amplify and draw attention to the alleged defamatory statements and circumstances surrounding his removal from caucus.”
Wasyliw, first elected in 2019, now sits as an Independent member of the legislature.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.
By Brittany Hobson | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.