Manitoba Opposition Leader Obby Khan was condemned Tuesday by Speaker of the Legislature Tom Lindsey for remarks made toward a non-binary cabinet minister that Lindsey described as hateful and inhumane.
Khan, however, rejected Lindsey’s version of events, which included releasing a short audio recording. He said he meant nothing hateful when he called Deputy Prime Minister Uzoma Asagwara a “terrible person” and added the remark “whatever you are”.
The debate erupted during a tough question period on March 17. The NDP complained to Lindsey that Khan had made the remarks, which were clearly not captured by the live recording of the official legislature amid much debate.
On Tuesday, Lindsey ruled on the matter and released a 15-second audio clip recorded by various microphones inside the room.
“On this recording, I can clearly hear the leader of the official opposition saying, ‘You’re a terrible person, whatever you are,'” Lindsey told the room.
“I was shocked and horrified to hear that such an inhuman comment was actually made in this room.”
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While Lindsey found the words offensive, he ruled they did not constitute a threat that breached parliamentary rules, as put forward by the ruling New Democrats.
Khan repeated his version of events on Tuesday. He said he was challenging the PHD petitioners to repeat anything they said outside the chamber, where they would not be protected from legal action. Parliamentary privilege protects politicians from possible defamation suits for remarks made in the chamber.
“I have not made any statement intended to target or demean the minister or anyone else based on their background, identity or role,” Khan told reporters.
“I said, ‘Whatever you’re going to say, say it out.’
The 15-second audio recording released by Lindsey captures Khan saying “whatever you are” amid other onlookers and an NDP cabinet minister speaking and answering a question. The noise grows louder immediately after this phrase, and New Democrats can be heard protesting the comment.
The audio recording is only a “snippet” of the noise at the time, Khan said Tuesday.
PDK did not buy Khan’s explanation. They pointed to previous controversial remarks by the Tories, such as their 2023 election campaign promoting “parental rights” over children’s education. The NDP called that idea a hidden threat to transgender children.
Asagwara said Khan does not deserve to be in office.
“The Leader of the Opposition has shown Manitobans once again that he is not only unfit to lead his caucus, he is actually unfit to be elected.”
Khan apologized to the chamber immediately after the Speaker’s decision, before he had a chance to hear the replay.
“I apologize to everyone in the room and to all Manitobans for those words. I look forward to seeing the full audio or hearing the full audio of it. But if that’s the Speaker’s interpretation, I apologize for that. I apologize for any harm those comments may have done.”
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
