ManitobaA Manitoba cabinet minister has offered a public apology after reposting an Instagram message filled with disparaging commentary about conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the day after he was shot and killed in the United States.Manitoba families minister has apologized for her actions for 2nd time in 2 months Darren Bernhardt · CBC · Posted: Sep 12, 2025 1:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoNahanni Fontaine, seen in a file photo, has sent out an apology for a controversial Instagram message she shared on her account. (Adam Yadaoui/Radio-Canada)A Manitoba cabinet minister has offered a public apology after reposting an Instagram message filled with disparaging commentary about conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the day after he was shot and killed in the United States.Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine shared a message from @che_jim, a U.S.-based Indigenous activist, for several hours Thursday on her Instagram page before removing it.The post criticized Kirk as a “racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic” individual who “stood for nothing but hate.”In response to a request from CBC Manitoba, Fontaine’s press secretary on Friday released a statement from the minister.”I apologize for sharing a post yesterday on the murder of Charlie Kirk. Violence has no place in our democracy. Political debate is achieved with words and discussion,” it read. “In a world too often divided, we should strive to show empathy to everyone even those we don’t agree with.”Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck Wednesday while speaking to thousands of students at Utah Valley University and was soon pronounced dead.He had more than 10 million followers on Instagram, and used his popularity to debate people on all kinds of issues, from immigration to abortion. Reports say Kirk was answering questions about gun violence when he was shot.The day of the shooting, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called the killing “deeply disturbing,” and offered condolences to Kirk’s wife and children.Fontaine’s repost on Instagram came the next day.It’s the second time in as many months that Fontaine has apologized for her actions. In July, she was caught on camera and swearing into a hot mic about sharing a stage with a sign-language interpreter.Fontaine said the interpreter shouldn’t have been on the stage because they distracted her and blocked her view of the audience.”Yeah, I’m like, ‘F–k, why did I have her on the stage?’ Jesus! I’m like, ‘you need to leave,'” the minister is heard saying into a hot mic in the APTN video.ABOUT THE AUTHORDarren Bernhardt has been with CBC Manitoba since 2009 and specializes in offbeat and local history stories. He is the author of two bestselling books: The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent, and Prairie Oddities: Punkinhead, Peculiar Gravity and More Lesser Known Histories.
Nahanni Fontaine apologizes for Instagram repost condemning Charlie Kirk on day after assassination
