Manitoba politician says he thought he was within his right to push silica mine

Manitoba’s Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton is pictured in a file image from February 2019.

WINNIPEG — Former Manitoba cabinet minister Jeff Wharton said Monday he thought he was following the rules when he pushed for a silica sand mine to be approved after his party was defeated in an election.

Wharton said he accepts a report from the provincial ethics commissioner that found Wharton and two other senior Tories violated the conflict of interest law. Wharton said he felt he was within his right at the time.

"My understanding was that I was not off base ... I now understand that that's not the case," Wharton said in an interview.

"The fact that this particular project was a large investment into Manitoba was a good thing for Manitobans. And I stand by that today."

Wharton spoke to media for the first time since Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor issued a 100-page report last week into the actions of the former Progressive Conservative government regarding a proposed silica sand mining operation in southeast Manitoba.

The project would have allowed thousands of wells over 24 years across a large swath of southeastern Manitoba and created an estimated 8,000 jobs, although only an initial phase was being considered for approval.

Schnoor wrote that after the Tories lost the Oct. 3, 2023, election, senior Tories tried to get the project approved before the new NDP government, led by Wab Kinew, could be sworn in. Their actions violated the Conflict of Interest Act and contravened the caretaker convention — a long-standing parliamentary principle that forbids outgoing governments from making major decisions, the report said.

The report, which is awaiting a vote in the legislature, recommends a fine of $18,000 for former premier Heather Stefanson, a $12,000 fine for former deputy premier Cliff Cullen and a $10,000 fine for Wharton, the economic development minister at the time.

The ethics commissioner also said some things that he was told by Wharton, Stefanson and Cullen contradicted evidence.

Wharton told the commissioner about a phone call with Cullen that did not actually occur, the report said.

Wharton also told the commissioner he was not aware of advice from the head of the civil service, Kathryn Gerrard, that the Tory plan would violate the caretaker convention. That "is not supported by the evidence", Schnoor wrote.

Wharton said Monday his memory and the passage of time between the election loss and his discussion with the ethics commissioner were factors.

"I was providing information based on my best ability. And obviously other folks weighed in and there were some contradictions, which I've accepted and I've moved on," Wharton said.

Wharton said he accepts the report's recommendation of a fine but was noncommittal on whether he would pay it out of his own pocket or seek help from caucus or another group.

"I haven't even thought about that, to be quite frank. I'm more concerned about just moving forward and ... keep doing what I was elected to do by the folks of Red River North," he said, referring to his constituency north of Winnipeg.

The mining project did not get approved, due in part to opposition from bureaucrats and two other Tory ministers who refused to be part of the plan. Environment minister Kevin Klein and the acting minister, Rochelle Squires, both rebuffed Wharton's request to use a little-known section of the Environment Act to award an environmental licence in the days after the election loss.

The NDP government formally rejected the proposal months later, citing concerns that included the potential impact on drinking water.

Wharton is the only one of the three Tories still in politics. He has been stripped of his Opposition critic duties but remains in caucus.

Cullen has not commented on the matter. Stefanson issued a written statement last week that said she acted in the public interest and deferred to the NDP after the election.

The governing New Democrats say the Tories owe the public a full explanation about what happened. In question period Monday, the NDP targeted Tory Leader Obby Khan, who served in Stefanson's cabinet.

"The leader of the Opposition was a cabinet minister when ... those members tried to avoid, dance around, step aside from Canadian democracy," deputy premier Uzoma Asagwara said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press