A Manitoba legislature member faced criticism Thursday for saying the farmer who killed Colten Boushie in a high-profile case in Saskatchewan was a victim.

Opposition Progressive Conservative member Josh Guenter made the comment while debating a resolution in the legislature about the rights of people to defend their homes with force if necessary.

Eric Redhead, a member of the NDP government, accused Guenter of engaging in rhetoric that could lead to more deaths like that of Boushie, a Cree man shot a decade ago near Biggar, Sask.

Gerald Stanley was acquitted of second-degree murder after testifying that he thought Boushie and others were on his property to steal vehicles. Stanley said his gun went off accidentally when he confronted Boushie.

“The farmer was the victim, and he was acquitted … by a jury,” Guenter said.

Premier Wab Kinew called Guenter’s words hateful and divisive.

“As somebody who spent time with the family of Colten Boushie, I would encourage the member … to reach out to that family and apologize for the comments he made,” Kinew said later in question period.

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Stanley’s trial was filled with racial tension and the verdict was met with outrage from Boushie’s relatives and their supporters.

Court heard that Boushie, 22, was one of five people in an SUV that drove into Stanley’s farmyard in August 2016. Those who were with Boushie testified they were looking for help with a flat tire but had tried to break into a truck on another farm beforehand.

Stanley testified that he thought the group was trying to steal an all-terrain vehicle on his property and heard it start up.

He said he fired warning shots to scare away the group and was concerned his wife might have been run over by the SUV. He said he reached for the keys in the SUV’s ignition, and the gun accidentally went off.

Boushie, who was in the driver’s seat, died instantly from a single bullet to the back of the head.

Kinew said Guenter’s comment is the latest in a string of divisive remarks by Tory politicians and called on leader Obby Khan to address the issue.

Kinew pointed to the 2023 election campaign, when the then-Tory government ran campaign ads promoting its decision not to search a landfill for the remains of Indigenous women who were victims of a serial killer.

Guenter said he wouldn’t apologize for his remark about the Stanley trial and that it didn’t involve race.

“I think Manitobans would look at that issue and say, ‘Hey, if someone’s on my yard, potentially going to inflict harm on myself or my family,’ they’re going to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Guenter told reporters.

Guenter was asked whether he considers Boushie a victim as well.

“I think it’s incredibly unfortunate that he was on that property. I think what happened is obviously a tragedy. No matter what way you look at it, any time there’s a loss of life, it’s a tragedy, and our hearts go out to all those impacted. Absolutely.”

“Colten Boushie should not have been on that property,” Guenter said when asked a second time.

The resolution, put forward by Guenter and debated for an hour Thursday without passing, called on the legislative assembly to ask the federal government to toughen the Criminal Code.

It wants Ottawa to “clearly establish that a person is justified in using reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves, their family, others or their home when an individual unlawfully enters or attempts to enter their dwelling and is reasonably perceived to pose a threat to life or safety.”

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