Selinger photo with hip-hop artists enters campaign

A grainy 2010 photograph of Manitoba NDP Leader Greg Selinger, who is seeking re-election on Oct. 4, has emerged as a talking point in the campaign after it wasrevealed that some of the other people in the picture have criminal records.

The image, publishedon a blog, was taken with a cellphone camera at an awards ceremony in November. It shows Selinger with some members of a hip hop ensemble called Winnipeg's Most.

CBC News has confirmed that some of the people in that photo have criminal records and links to street gangs.

An official from the NDP campaign said Selinger was simply being polite when he was asked to pose.

"Thousands of Manitobans regularly ask for their photograph with the Premier and he does his best to oblige all of them," Michael Balagus, the NDP's campaign director, said in a statement Friday.

"This photo was taken at an Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards event where the performers won three of the awards."

Balagus went on to say the photograph should not be taken for anything more than that.

"We believe there is little danger that Manitobans will mistake Greg Selinger for a hip-hop gangster," he stated.

Hugh McFadyen, leader of the Progressive Conservatives, spoke more generally.

"For me, the issue here is what we are hearing from Manitobans, and what we are hearing from Manitobans is we have a problem with violent crime in the province," McFadyen said.

"The picture is neither here nor there in that regard. That's an issue for people to debate. The issue is we need to change governments if we are to deal with crime."

McFadyen's campaign has also had to contend with unexpected attention, when the party used a song with questionable lyrics as the opening music to an event.