Mark Wasyliw speaks during question period in the Manitoba legislature on Wed., April 7, 2021. Wasyliw, a backbencher with Manitoba's NDP government, has been removed from caucus.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin King - POOL
WINNIPEG – A backbencher with Manitoba’s NDP government has been removed from caucus over his link to convicted sex offender Peter Nygard.
The caucus chair says it has learned that a business partner of Mark Wasyliw is acting as Nygard’s criminal defence lawyer.
The chair, Mike Moyes, says in a statement that Wasyliw has failed to demonstrate good judgment and should no longer continue in his role in caucus.
Wasyliw, the legislature member for Fort Garry, was first elected in 2019.
He previously came under fire from the Opposition Progressive Conservatives for continuing to work as a lawyer while serving in the legislature.
Nygard, who founded his fashion empire in Winnipeg, was sentenced earlier this month to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women at his company’s headquarters in Toronto.
He continues to face charges in Manitoba, Quebec and the United States.
