WINNIPEG — The leader of Manitoba's Progressive Conservative opposition was sharply rebuked by the legislature's speaker on Tuesday for comments directed at a non-binary cabinet minister, which the speaker described as hateful and dehumanizing. Obby Khan, the PC party leader, faced criticism after an audio recording captured him saying to Deputy Premier Uzoma Asagwara, “You are a terrible person, whatever you are,” during a heated question period on March 17.
Speaker Tom Lindsey, a member of the governing New Democratic Party, released a 15-second snippet of audio from the chamber to substantiate the complaint lodged by the NDP. The recording, captured by different microphones amid the noise of heckling, clearly picked up Khan's words as Asagwara was responding to a question on the floor. “On this recording, I can clearly hear the leader of the official Opposition say, ‘You are a terrible person, whatever you are,’” Lindsey told the assembly. He added, “I was shocked and appalled to hear that such a dehumanizing comment had in fact been made in this chamber.”
The incident unfolded during a raucous session in the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, where opposition questions often devolve into interruptions and cross-talk. The official livestream of the proceedings did not clearly capture the remark due to the overlapping voices, prompting the NDP to formally complain to Lindsey shortly after. While Lindsey deemed the comments offensive, he ruled that they did not amount to a direct threat under parliamentary rules, as argued by the government.
Khan, who has led the PCs since 2022, immediately pushed back against the speaker's interpretation following the ruling. Speaking to reporters outside the chamber, he insisted his words were not aimed at Asagwara's identity. “I did not make any statements intended to target or demean the minister or anyone else based on their background, identity or role,” Khan said. He claimed he was instead challenging NDP hecklers, telling them, “Whatever you are saying, say it outside,” referring to the protections afforded by parliamentary privilege, which shields politicians from libel suits for in-chamber statements.
The released audio fragment supports both sides to some extent: Khan's phrase “whatever you are” is audible, followed by immediate uproar from the NDP benches and louder heckling. Khan described the clip as merely a “fragment” of the broader chaos, arguing it lacks the full context of the exchange. Despite his explanation, the NDP dismissed it outright, viewing the remarks through the lens of ongoing tensions over LGBTQ+ rights in the province.
Asagwara, who serves as Manitoba's deputy premier and minister of finance, is one of the province's most prominent non-binary politicians. Elected in 2019, they have been a vocal advocate for inclusive policies, including expanded access to gender-affirming care. In response to the controversy, Asagwara did not hold back. “The leader of the Opposition has shown Manitobans yet again that he is unfit not only to lead his caucus, he is actually unfit to be elected,” Asagwara said, according to statements reported after the ruling.
The NDP connected Khan's comments to a pattern of rhetoric from the PCs, particularly during the 2023 provincial election campaign. At that time, the Tories emphasized “parental rights” in education, a platform the NDP and advocacy groups criticized as a dog-whistle attack on transgender youth and school inclusivity programs. “This is not an isolated incident,” NDP House Leader Nahanni Fontaine said in the chamber, linking the March 17 remarks to what she called the party's history of veiled threats against marginalized communities.
Parliamentary privilege has long been a contentious aspect of legislative proceedings in Canada, allowing free speech within the house but often leading to debates over its limits. In Manitoba, similar dust-ups have occurred in recent years, including accusations of transphobia during budget debates and education policy discussions. The speaker's decision to release the audio marks a rare intervention, aimed at transparency in a chamber where audio quality can obscure accountability.
Following Lindsey's ruling, Khan offered an apology in the legislature before even listening to the full recording. “I apologize … to everyone in the chamber and all Manitobans for those words,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the full audio or listening to the full audio of that. But if that’s the interpretation of the Speaker, I apologize for that. I apologize for any harm those comments may have made.” The gesture drew mixed reactions: NDP members called it insufficient, while some PC supporters viewed it as a conciliatory step amid partisan fray.
The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Manitoba politics, less than a year after the NDP's surprise majority victory in the October 2023 election, ending 47 years of combined PC and previous Conservative rule. Khan's PCs, reduced to 22 seats, have been regrouping under his leadership, focusing on economic issues like inflation and housing. However, social policy debates, including those around gender identity, continue to polarize the 57-seat assembly.
Experts in parliamentary procedure noted that while Lindsey's ruling stopped short of sanctions, it underscores growing scrutiny on language in Canadian legislatures. “Speakers are increasingly called upon to navigate these cultural flashpoints,” said University of Manitoba political science professor Paul Thomas, who has studied legislative decorum. He pointed to similar incidents in Ottawa and other provinces, where audio releases have fueled public discourse on inclusivity.
Advocacy groups reacted swiftly to the news. Rainbow Resource Centre, a Winnipeg-based LGBTQ+ support organization, issued a statement condemning the remarks as harmful, regardless of intent. “Words like these contribute to a climate of erasure for non-binary and trans individuals,” executive director Brian Mark said. On the other side, some conservative commentators defended Khan, arguing the focus on identity distracts from substantive policy critiques during question period.
As the legislature reconvenes for its spring session, the incident is likely to linger in debates. The NDP has signaled it will press for further accountability, potentially through committee reviews of chamber conduct. Khan, meanwhile, has committed to reviewing the full audio context, though he maintains his explanation stands. With provincial elections not due until 2027, such exchanges could shape voter perceptions of leadership fitness in the coming years.
Beyond Manitoba, the episode highlights broader national conversations on gender identity in politics. Similar rebukes have occurred in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where conservative leaders have faced criticism for comments on pronouns and school curricula. In Winnipeg's diverse urban landscape, where Asagwara's Union Station riding includes a significant immigrant and LGBTQ+ population, the stakes feel particularly personal.
For now, the chamber moves forward, but the audio clip—brief as it is—serves as a reminder of how quickly words can escalate in the pressure cooker of question period. As Lindsey put it, the goal is to maintain a space for robust debate without crossing into dehumanization. Whether Khan's apology bridges the divide remains to be seen, as both sides dig in on their narratives.