PCs File Ethics Complaint into NDP Tech Minister’s Sale of Telecom Stock
WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s Opposition PCs called for the Ethics Commissioner to investigate the sale of telecom stocks by NDP Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz today.
Disclosure records indicate that Moroz sold over $5,000 worth of Telus stock after having access to a report critical of Telus for a service failure in the Interlake that may have contributed to the death of a 55-year-old man.
“The timing of the Minister’s stock sale is deeply concerning,” said La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth, PC Critic for Transportation & Infrastructure. “It appears the technology minister sold his Telus stock after he received the report into the 911 failure. This means the minister had inside information, then sold his Telus stock.”
Fisher Branch-area resident Dean Switzer died after suffering a heart attack on March 23. His family tried calling 911 for over an hour attempting to reach paramedics, but their calls failed to get through to the 911 dispatch centre.
The timeline of events is as follows:
- March 22–24 — 911 outage occurs.
- April 9 — Minister Mike Moroz sends letter to Telus, asking about status of investigation.
- May 7 — Minister Moroz sidesteps 911 question during QP, refuses to mention Telus.
- May 13 — Minister Moroz sells over $5,000 in Telus shares.
- May 14 — Minister Moroz acknowledges April 9th letter to Telus during QP.
- May 15 — Minister Moroz admits reviewing Telus interim report.
- May 19 — Conflict of interest declaration shows Telus stock sale.
“Wab Kinew showed his disregard for the law and Manitobans when he appointed a minister to be responsible for telecoms and technology, while owning personal stock in one of Canada’s largest telecom companies,” said Obby Khan, Leader of the Official Opposition. “We call on the Ethics Commissioner to thoroughly investigate the timing of the stock sale and when the Minister received the Telus interim report.”
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For media inquiries, please contact PCCaucus_Media@leg.gov.mb.ca