Office of Manitoba cabinet minister Nahanni Fontaine vandalized in Winnipeg

Winnipeg police say they are investigating after the office of a First Nations politician in Manitoba was vandalized over the weekend. Wooden boards are now covering up the smashed windows of MLA Nahanni Fontaine‘s constituency office on Main St. in Winnipeg. Fontaine is Manitoba’s Minister of Families, Minister responsible for Accessibility, and Minister responsible for Gender Equity. Earlier this month, Fontaine was under fire reposting a photo text post on Instagram condemning recently assassinated American right-wing activist, Charlie Kirk. The post she shared came from Instagram-user @che_jim, a U.S.-based Indigenous activist, who said he had no empathy for Kirk, who he said “stood for nothing but hate.” Kirk was known for opposing gun control, 2SLGBTQ rights, and his belief that systemic racism did not exist. It’s not clear whether Fontaine’s sharing of the post had anything to do with vandalism that occurred at her office. This incident comes after months of calls for Fontaine’s removal from cabinet by Manitobans of various political leanings. The calls first began at the end of June due to comments Fontaine made while at a government-funded event she was hosting. She was caught on a mic speaking to an aide in front of reporters, saying the American Sign Language interpreter working at the event should not have been on stage. APTN News later found out Fontaine asked the interpreter to leave the stage following her speech, directly before her hot-mic comments. Premier Wab Kinew has stood behind her following her apologies for both incidents, saying he would not remove her from cabinet. APTN requested comment from both the province and Winnipeg Police on the matter. The latter would only confirm they received a report and are investigating. A provincial spokesperson referred to the damage at Fontaine’s constituency office as “vandalism”, adding the building will remain open and appointments for services can be scheduled through phone and email. Continue Reading