PC byelection candidate insists his 2016 work in Caribbean wasn't tied to Nygard

Progressive Conservative byelection candidate Kevin Klein says his work with a medical research organization in the Caribbean in 2016 has no connection with disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard, despite NDP allegations he isn't telling the truth.

On Monday, the NDP cited news articles and court documents to challenge the timeline Klein has established regarding his work relationship with Nygard, the former head of a multimillion-dollar clothing company who has since been accused of sexual assault.

Klein, a former Winnipeg city councillor and recent mayoral candidate, previously said he worked briefly for Nygard at two different points: for four weeks in 2012, and for just under four months in 2014.

While Klein said he never saw anything untoward when he made two visits to Nygard's estate in the Bahamas, the Winnipeg politician said he quit working for Nygard because he did not like the way he conducted business.

"I left because my integrity wouldn't allow me to work for somebody like that," Klein said in a CBC News interview on Friday.

But the NDP alleges Klein didn't step away from his business dealings with Nygard in 2014 as he acknowledged. Klein disputes that, saying he had no relationship with Nygard while working with the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation.

A 2016 news article in the small island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis lists Klein as a "private-sector partner" for a regenerative medical project in the same country. The article also lists the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation as a partner. 

Regenerative medicine, and particularly stem cell therapy, was an area of significant interest for Nygard. He made the bold claims that stem cell treatments were making him look and feel younger.

In 2015, Nygard was said to be working on a stem cell research and treatment centre in Saint Kitts and Nevis, according to an intergovernmental organization of Caribbean countries. A press conference held to discuss this work was organized by the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation, the organization said.

As well, documents from a 2019 court judgment — which do not involve Klein — ordered the disclosure of a "public relations campaign package" put together for the "new venture as per the commitment given by Mr. Kevin Klein and or St. Kitts Institute for Regenerative Medicine Ltd." 

The NDP alleged a connection between Klein and Nygard, house leader Nahanni Fontaine told question period on Monday. She accused him of "lying."

"Does the premier think it's OK for Kevin Klein to mislead Manitobans about when he worked with Peter Nygard?"

However, Klein argued the NDP is making a link that doesn't exist. 

"I do not believe Nygard Biotech or Nygard had any interest in the internationally-recognized medical research organization, The St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation. Certainly not with any work I was involved in," Klein wrote in an email.