Premier stands by Fontaine over ‘hot mic' comments about interpreter
Wab Kinew broke his silence Friday about a 'hot mic' scandal involving cabinet minister Nahanni Fontaine, whose portfolio includes families, accessibility, and gender equity.
'Our minister has apologized and is putting in the work with the community so it's with the greatest of humility that I want to ask folks in the deaf community to keep working with her,' Kinew told reporters following an unrelated news conference in downtown Winnipeg.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine has faced significant backlash about private remarks she made to a staffer on June 26 while debriefing her speech at a gala to celebrate Indigenous women graduates.
The premier said he's spoken to Fontaine, who he said has been meeting with affected individuals this week, and he remains in her corner.
Fontaine has faced significant backlash about private remarks she made to a staffer on June 26 while debriefing her speech at a gala to celebrate Indigenous women graduates.
'The woman, she shouldn't have been on the stage… I'm like f—k, why did I have her on the stage? Like, Jesus, I'm like, 'You need to leave,'' Fontaine said about the translator in a video that was recorded and released by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
The Opposition Tories have called for her resignation.
Fontaine has issued numerous apologies — via written medium and radio — since the footage aired.
Earlier this week, she told the Free Press she was disappointed in herself and the poor event set-up that caused her to be frustrated.
Fontaine said she was surprised by the limited space on the stage — on which she and the translator had to stand — because it was overcrowded with decorations. She suggested it was a safety hazard.
Manitoba Deaf Association president Shawna Joynt and treasurer Doug Momtiuk visited her office on Wednesday to discuss those comments and the backlash.
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The association issued a statement that described their meeting with Fontaine as positive and applauded the MLA's commitment to work with ASL interpreters to ensure her events remain accessible in the future.
Fontaine has expressed her desire to learn 'from this huge misstep,' the association said.
'We will continue to be by her side as advisers on our accessibility needs. We know this will not sit well with everyone and we do understand these feelings,' the executive team wrote in an email to the Free Press.
The association's leadership reminded critics in the statement that Fontaine helped 'secure' an interpretation program at Red River College Polytechnic. 'She strongly believes in the importance of training more sign language interpreters,' the executive noted.
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter
Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.
Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.
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