Stefanson Faces Backlash For Ignoring Question About Death Of Indigenous Woman

Krystal Mousseau was an Indigenous woman who died in 2021 while being transported out of the Brandon ICU to another province. In light of her death, NDP leader Wab Kinew highlighted new information about the company contracted by the Manitoba government to transport patients.

“Does the premier agree that a team transporting ICU patients should have the necessary training and equipment to do so safely?” Asked Wab Kinew

Instead of directly answering the initial question of the official leader of the opposition, Premier Stefanson used her time in question period to congratulate her son and his high school hockey team for winning their hockey championship game. It is not uncommon for MLAs to use question period to talk about personal issues; the timing was questionable.

Stefanson is a seasoned politician and understands the limited time allotted to each member within the question period. Her decision to use it for personal shout-outs left no time to respond to Kinew’s initial question. And on her supplement follow-up to Kinew’s first question, more questions about her time as Health Care Minister arose.

Stefanson’s administration is again receiving heavy backlash from Manitobans for her handling of issues regarding health care and the Indigenous community. The premier asked the community to accept her statement of heartfelt sympathy towards the Mousseau family.