On March 27, 2026, Wab Kinew, the NDP Premier of Manitoba, made a post on X:
Let the Epstein class fight the Epstein war. No Canadian should be put in harm’s way for this thing and no American kid either.
In his speech during his March 27, 2026, welcome address at the federal NDP convention, Wab Kinew stated:
Let the Epstein class fight the Epstein war. Not a single Canadian should ever be put in harm’s way to try and defend Donald Trump’s foolish Iranian war. I’ll go a step further and I’ll say no American either. No American child from the blue collar or the middle class should have to die in Iran. Let the Epstein class fight the Epstein war.
The “Epstein class” references elites tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s scandals, framing the “Epstein war” as a foolish endeavor benefiting the powerful while risking ordinary Canadian and American lives, as echoed in the speech video.
Brian Lilley, a political columnist for the Toronto Sun, commented on Wab Kinew’s statement:
This is a bizarre comment and I don’t see a way to read it that does see rampant antisemitism.
Jeffrey Epstein (1953–2019) was a Jewish-born financier from Brooklyn who gained wealth through investment banking at Bear Stearns and his own firms, managing billions for wealthy clients. He was a convicted sex offender, having pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. In 2019, he faced federal charges for running a sex-trafficking network involving numerous underage girls, aided by associates such as Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted. Epstein died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial, leading to continued scrutiny of his network and uncharged accomplices.