Bokhari desires extra transparency at metropolis corridor if elected Winnipeg’s subsequent mayor
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Publishing date:
Jul 09, 2022 • 15 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation 
Winnipeg mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari says more transparency is needed at city hall. Photo by Ryan Stelter /Winnipeg Sun/Postmedia Network
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Winnipeg mayoral hopeful Rana Bokhari says while there are things in place to hold people accountable at city hall, more needs to be done.
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Bokhari says there are lots of issues to talk about during this year’s campaign but in light of the ongoing Winnipeg Police Headquarters scandal, the former Manitoba Liberal leader wanted to address accountability as her first official mayoral announcement.
“I’ll be frank, this definitely was not my intent for this to be my very first announcement,” Bokhari said Friday, speaking from her mobile home-turned mobile campaign office.
“As a lawyer in good standing, I find it very difficult to go to the public and say, ‘Hey, trust me’ when I haven’t talked about this piece.”
Bokhari said she would continue the call that Mayor Brian Bowman has made about calling an inquiry into the police headquarters, which the city has filed legal action against those involved.
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The Manitoba NDP has also been asking the government to call an inquiry but the province has said it has to wait for all the current court proceedings to finish.
Bokhari said there can be misconceptions as to what a public inquiry is actually seeking.
“That public inquiry is not only to review the full police headquarters debacle, but it’s also to look at the decision-making process on council,” Bokhari said.
“That’s the piece that I cannot understand why anyone wouldn’t want to do. Why would you not want city council decisions to be reviewed through an inquiry? It makes no sense.”
If elected, Bokhari wants city hall to be more transparent. She acknowledged that there are tools in place such as the Integrity Commissioner as well as the open government portal, but wanted to increase engagement with the public.
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Engage Winnipeg is currently an online platform the public can use to submit feedback on policy issues and Bokhari says it has not been utilized to its fullest extent.
“I definitely want to take a look at that and ensure […] we’re increasing that public engagement for public policy,” she said.
Bokhari also wants to work with the provincial government to improve current conflict of interest legislation and ensure that whistleblower protection is clear and has teeth.
Relationships between the city and the province have improved in recent months, and it has been a common talking point for mayoral candidates thus far in the campaign. Bokhari, who also has experience in provincial politics, says she has a “complete understanding” of how city government works.
“I recognize that without collaboration, we’re going to be kind of treading water here for a bit,” Bokhari said.
Bokhari is one of 11 mayoral candidates vying for the top job in Winnipeg as voters head to the polls on Oct. 26 to elect a new mayor and council.
Twitter: @steltsy94
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