Ignorance far from bliss, PC leader pleads in effort to leave stench of '23 campaign behind
Obby Khan wants to make it perfectly clear that the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba's controversial 2023 election campaign is not an accurate reflection of who he is.
Khan, who became PC party leader in late April, said he continues to struggle to explain his role in that campaign, particularly ads and flyers promoting him as the champion of 'parental rights,' a well-established dog whistle for anti-LGBTTQ+ activists in Canada and the United States.
When the idea for the advertisements was first brought up, Khan said no one from the central campaign team ever warned him the term 'parental rights' was being used in heavy rotation by anti-LGBTTQ+ activists seeking to remove books from school and public libraries and expunge any reference to sexual orientation or gender in public school settings.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba Leader Obby Khan says he supports the LGBTTQ+ community and would never knowingly promote hatred towards them.
'People will believe me or not believe me on this,' Khan said in an interview on the Niigaan and the Lone Ranger podcast. '(But) I did not know the parental rights was a dog whistle. I was legitimately, like, 'It makes sense, you want to be involved (in your child's education). Let's go, let's go do this.' And then, it was afterwards… that I was made aware of (the meaning). People were talking to me about this and it was kind of like one of those 'a-ha' moments.'
Khan said he supports the LGBTTQ+ community and would never knowingly promote hatred towards them. However, he said during the campaign, the parental rights issue was presented to him as a way of pledging support to families struggling to get their children's' education back on track after the worst years of the pandemic.
Although he is reluctant to say he was misled by the campaign, Khan did say that he now realizes how divisive the term is and wants to apologize to anyone who thought he was promoting a hateful concept.
'I do believe parents should be involved in their children's lives but it's really sad and unfortunate that we used it in a way to create divide and anger and hurt some people, because that was never my intent. My intent was really about trying to protect all kids. If it has caused some harm to some people, I apologize for that.'
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Khan said he also had an 'a-ha' moment on the 'stand firm' against the landfill search campaign ads. In fact, he said the first time he learned of the advertisements was when he drove past one on a McGillivray Boulevard digital billboard with his son in the car.
'Seeing the damage that it's done, the divide it's created, and anger… I'll say it again: unequivocal apology to the families and… the entire province of Manitoba.'
Khan is not the first Tory to argue the most controversial planks in the 2023 election campaign were kept from candidates until the moment that they were broadcast in advertisements and plastered across digital billboards. However, many of the other candidates from that election have moved on, while others enjoy a political existence that is well away from the spotlight reserved for political leaders.
The 2023 campaign is clearly still an albatross for Khan, the lens through which everything he says and does is assessed.
For example, Khan had to scramble recently to explain why he did not participate in last Sunday's Winnipeg Pride parade, the annual celebration of LGBTTQ+ culture. Pride organizers said neither Khan nor any of his MLAs signed up as an official entry in the parade; Khan said he personally could not attend because of a conflicting obligation and besides, Pride organizers did not invite anyone from his party to participate.
In any other year, with any other leader perhaps, this might not be a big concern. But when the poster boy for an ill-fated parental-rights campaign advertisement does not reach out to the Pride community, it leaves both leader and party open to criticism.
Can he rise above the meanness of the 2023 campaign and once again stake out ground near the middle of Manitoba's political spectrum?
On the positive side of the equation, he seems wired for the job.
Despite a lack of experience in politics — he won a 2022 byelection to replace former Tory premier Brian Pallister in Winnipeg's Fort Whyte riding — he is gregarious and unafraid of wading into a room full of voters.
Khan is also used to a certain degree of success in his personal and professional life.
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A superstar lineman in the Canadian Football League, Khan spent only eight years in professional football but won folk-hero status here in Winnipeg. After retiring, he became a successful business owner with two different local restaurant chains.
As for politics, it goes without saying that his victory in 2023 in Fort Whyte was important for his party; Khan was one of only three Tories to win seats in Winnipeg. He quickly translated his political resilience into a leadership win.
Now that he's in charge, Khan said he is looking for ways of getting past the mistakes made during the 2023 campaign.
'For any of the hurt or the damage that's been caused throughout the (campaign), I apologize for that. It was never my intent. My intent is always to work for a better Manitoba, for everyone.'
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Dan LettColumnist
Dan Lett is a columnist for the Free Press, providing opinion and commentary on politics in Winnipeg and beyond. Born and raised in Toronto, Dan joined the Free Press in 1986. Read more about Dan.
Dan's columns are built on facts and reactions, but offer his personal views through arguments and analysis. The Free Press' editing team reviews Dan's columns before they are posted online or published in print — part of the our tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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