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It could also be that the other ones did actually sign all the paperwork and the landlords gave them a bit of time to come up with the security deposit or something, but they then disappeared, and they're fibbing and trying to "undo" what they did, or just fibbing about going after the other ones to make you feel a bit better about it.

So basically it amounts to do you think they completed the transaction with the new tenant sufficiently to absolve you of your obligations.

Since they've been good to you so far you could start just by raising the concern and ask for any kind of evidence to substantiate their position.

Otherwise if you think they've wrongly held you to the lease (i.e. they did manage to rent it out then the other guy backed out and they went back to you because you are reliable rather than because you are still obligated), then you'll probably have to resort to the landlord/tenant stuff for Manitoba.

In Alberta for example, you'd still have to pay the rent and then submit an application to the mediation process to get that rent back, they'd have to prove that the other person did/didn't sign a full agreement etc. I don't know what the process would be in Manitoba though.