WINNIPEG — A candidate for leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives says he won't apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Wally Daudrich made the comment earlier this week in the Manitoba capital while speaking at one of the meet-and-greet events he has held recently.
Daudrich, who runs an ecotourism and polar bear tour business in Churchill, Man., said there's no homelessness issue in the northern town for obvious reasons.
He told the event that his plan is to bring 10 polar bears to Winnipeg and release them in front of the legislature.
A party member who was at the event, Thomas Rempel-Ong, says there's no reason to joke about vulnerable people becoming bear food.
The Opposition Tories are to choose between Daudrich and legislature member Obby Khan in the leadership race, set to be decided April 26.
Daudrich's comment, first reported by CBC, came at the start of his speech Wednesday evening.
"I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don't have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?" Daudrich is heard saying on a video of the meeting posted on social media.
"When there's serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the (legislature) ... and let them have at 'er."
In an interview Friday, Daudrich said he won't apologize.
He said homelessness is primarily caused by drug addiction, and he's against drug addiction.
"Obviously being out on the streets has serious repercussions and that is the point of the comment," he said.
"It's a joke. There's no apology. I'll probably say it again next week."
Rempel-Ong, a Winnipeg resident who volunteers with an agency that serves the homeless, said he was taken aback when he heard the comment.
"In my world, you don't joke about feeding homeless people to the polar bears."
The party's leadership election committee had no comment on the matter Friday.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, a non-profit housing advocacy group, said Daudrich's comment hurts.
"The recent remarks trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent are hurtful and deeply damaging," the group said in a press release.
"Such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes, diminish the struggles of those experiencing homelessness, and ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity."
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the comments "disgraceful and unacceptable".
Khan called his opponent's words an attack on the homeless community.
"His sick joke does not represent my views as a sitting P.C. (legislature member) or of other Manitobans concerned about addressing this very serious issue."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
