NDP Faces Ethics Scrutiny as Tories Accuse Technology Minister of Insider Trading

In the aftermath of a damning ethics report exposing the previous Tory premier and two cabinet ministers, the Progressive Conservatives have shifted the focus onto the NDP minister of Innovation and New Technology, accusing him of insider trading. LaVerendrye MLA Konrad Narth submitted an ethics complaint to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner, claiming that Manitoba’s Minister of Innovation and New Technology, Mike Moroz, sold his shares in Telus after learning about an investigation into a system failure causing 911 service disruptions.

This system failure was linked to an incident on March 23, wherein a 55-year-old Fisher Branch resident, Dean Switzer, died due to a heart attack. The failure to connect with 911 services was reported on April 8 by CTV news, and the following day, Minister Moroz wrote to the Telus president, expressing concerns over the network outage and seeking solutions to prevent any recurrence. Moroz shared that the Opposition only questioned him about the 911 issues in the legislature a month later.

During a session in the house, PC MLA Josh Guenter questioned why Moroz only released the Telus report after selling his shares and why he delayed addressing the 911 failures. Moroz clarified that although the ethics commissioner did not mandate him to divest his assets, he chose to sell his shares in Telus and BCE as he strived to adhere to higher ethical standards. Moroz underscored that he went beyond the commissioner’s advice and sold the stocks, incurring losses of $1,000 on Telus and $10,790 on BCE.

In response to accusations of insider trading, Moroz emphasized that the telecom industry is regulated by the CRTC and all relevant information is publicly accessible through documentation and news reports. He highlighted that the Opposition’s oversight in conducting thorough research would have led them to the same conclusion about the availability of public information. Moroz stated that he made a conscious effort to exceed the standard expectations by selling his tech and telecom stocks, despite not being obligated to do so.

The ethics complaint filed by the Progressive Conservatives against the NDP minister is indicative of the political landscape’s intensifying dynamics, where scrutiny on ethical conduct has become a focal point of contention. With allegations of insider trading at play and contrasting views on transparency and ethical responsibility, the political discourse in Manitoba is poised on a razor’s edge as opposing parties engage in a battle over principles and accountability.