Minister Fontaine Must Resign

Minister Fontaine Must Resign

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine has shown that she is unsuitable for public office.

After the tragic shooting death of US political activist Charlie Kirk, Fontaine shared a social media post expressing “absolutely no empathy” for him.

The post described Kirk as a “racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece” who “stood for nothing but hate.”

Everyone is entitled to their personal opinions - and to share those opinions, however objectionable - without fear of prosecution.

Maybe it's too much to expect empathy from Nahanni Fontaine.

But at an absolute minimum, you'd hope a Minister of the Crown would understand the importance of condemning violence and reject any messages that could be interpreted as tacitly supporting it.

Celebrating death - directly or indirectly - is incompatible with these responsibilities.

Minister Fontaine’s actions are not abstract political commentary - they are a serious breach of judgment for someone in Cabinet, whose words carry weight and visibility far beyond personal social media.

Those in public office must exercise judgment and responsibility, especially when expressing private opinions publicly.

Fontaine’s social media post erodes public trust and diminishes the integrity of government.

Premier Wab Kinew has stated he will not remove her from cabinet, citing the need to “work through this together”.

But this is not a trivial misstep.

Allowing a Cabinet Minister to publicly celebrate death sends a dangerous message: that disregard for human life and divisive rhetoric are acceptable behaviours for Manitoba leaders.

Manitobans deserve a government that acts with integrity and holds its ministers to the highest standards.

If you agree, please sign our petition calling on Nahanni Fontaine to resign.