Latest news with #HalPerry
CBC
16-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I. Legislature to continue sitting Friday after dust-up between Opposition, premier
Despite hope that the spring sitting of the P.E.I. legislature would close Thursday, an exchange between Premier Rob Lantz and Official Opposition Leader Hal Perry during question period made it clear that MLAs would be back for another day on Friday. For the spring sitting to close, all MLAs in the legislative assembly would have needed to provide unanimous consent to push through the remaining pieces of legislation. Without that unanimous consent, those laws would not be able to pass third reading until Friday. Following questions from Perry, the interim Liberal leader, about the Progressive Conservative government's spending on its multimillion-dollar tourism deal with the National Hockey League, Lantz fired back with his own questions about the P.E.I. Liberal Party's spending. "I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the office of the Opposition — a three-member caucus — is allotted a budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars and they could not stay within the budget," Lantz said. "They overspent their own office budget by almost 50 per cent, Mr. Speaker. If this government spent like that office does, we'd have a deficit of $1.5 billion, so I won't be lectured about fiscal responsibility by a leader of the Opposition who can't stay within the budget of his tiny Opposition office." In his response, Perry said Lantz's statement was not true. "We will be back here tomorrow, and there will be an apology made by the premier," he said. Perry then called a point of order, which allows any member to stop what's happening in the house and alert the Speaker that they believe a rule has been broken. "I, as a member, find it deeply offensive that the premier would make statements about our budget accounting that are inaccurate, and if further clarification is needed, please contact the clerk of the legislative assembly," Perry said. "I'd like to ask the premier at this time to retract his statement and apologize." Speaker Sidney MacEwen said he would take the point of order under advisement. Inaccuracy in annual report Joey Jeffrey, the clerk of the legislative assembly, said in an email to CBC News that an annual report appears to show the Official Opposition overspent its budget by nearly $100,000. The report shows the Liberals had a budget of $250,000 and spent $346,131. Jeffrey said that was a mistake. To sum up, they were within their budget. — Joey Jeffrey, clerk of the legislative assembly The figures in the annual report do not reflect a funding increase that was given to the Opposition after the budget had already gone through, he said. "The number in the annual report doesn't reflect that because those numbers are taken directly from the accounting system as it can't be updated after [the] fact. The Standing Committee on Legislative Assembly Management has the authority to change the caucus amounts but not to override the accounting system," Jeffrey said. "To sum up, they were within their budget." What's next for the legislature? While Perry made it clear that he would not be willing to provide unanimous consent to push the remaining pieces of legislation through until Lantz apologizes, the P.E.I. Green Party was the firstto reject the call. For weeks, Green MLAs have been asking the PCs to table documents related to spending on Health P.E.I.'s executive leadership contracts. The PCs originally said they would table some of those documents, but have not done so. The provincial government does not need permission or unanimous consent to call the remaining pieces of legislation forward for a third reading on Friday. The legislative assembly adjourned Thursday at 7:17 p.m. and will return Friday morning at 10 a.m.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former MLA Robert Mitchell announces bid for P.E.I. Liberal leadership
Robert Mitchell, the former MLA for Charlottetown-Winsloe, has entered the race to lead the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island. The party has been without a permanent leader since Sharon Cameron failed to win a seat in the 2023 provincial election. "We are at a pivotal moment in our province's history. The challenges we face have tested our resilience, our values, and our vision for the future," Mitchell said in a social media post announcing his candidacy Tuesday night. "But I believe — with every fibre of my being — that Prince Edward Island is capable of greatness. We are capable of more than just getting by; we are capable of thriving. "To reach that potential, we need to rebuild the P.E.I. Liberal Party so it's ready to fight the next election. I'm ready to take on that task." Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry has served as interim leader since the 2023 provincial election. He has said he will not seek the permanent leadership when a convention is held. Mitchell was first elected to the Legislative Assembly for District 10 in 2007, and was re-elected in 2011 and 2015. During his time in office, he held several cabinet portfolios, including Communities, Land and Environment, and Health and Wellness. He became interim Liberal leader in May 2019, when former premier Wade MacLauchlan resigned after the party fell to Dennis King's Progressive Conservatives in the April 2019 provincial election. By September of that year, Mitchell was considering a bid for the permanent leadership of the party, so he announced he was relinquishing the interim post. One year later, he resigned as MLA for Charlottetown-Winsloe, vacating his seat in the legislature. The Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island will choose its next leader at a leadership convention scheduled for Oct. 4 at the Delta Prince Edward in Charlottetown. Advance polls will be held throughout September. Leadership candidates must declare their intention to run by July 4. Applications are now open. Two other major parties on the Island are also without permanent leaders. The Green Party is currently led by interim leader Karla Bernard, while the Progressive Conservatives are being led by Premier Rob Lantz, who stepped in after King's surprise resignation in February.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberals call for firings, accountability in wake of former P.E.I. teacher's sex crimes case
Social Sharing For the sixth day of debate in a row, tensions continued to rise in the P.E.I. Legislature around the issue of safety in Island schools after a former substitute teacher pleaded guilty to sexually touching a primary student. The two opposition parties took different tacks Thursday when it came to questioning the Progressive Conservative government about the case of Matthew Alan Craswell. The Liberals focused on who knew what and when, while the Green Party wanted to know what's been done to safeguard schools now. Opposition Leader Hal Perry asked why nobody has been fired over the incidents, and went as far as to call the government's response a "coverup." "Parents are concerned, they're worried and they need answers. Somebody needs to step up and take accountability for this," the Liberal politician said after question period. "Someone needs to be [accountable] for these missteps in the process that was supposed to be taking place…. To me, it's obvious there's a coverup." Opposition accuses government of Craswell 'coverup'; education minister says 'witch hunt' going on 3 hours ago Duration 3:36 Tensions continued to flare in P.E.I.'s Legislative Assembly around impropriety committed by an Island substitute teacher in two different schools. Opposition MLAs liked Hal Perry (shown) asked why no one has been fired, while the government accused them of using the issue for political gain. CBC's Nicola MacLeod reports. Craswell, 40, pleaded guilty on April 29 to sexual interference in a case involving an elementary student at Stratford's Glen Stewart Primary School. He was first arrested last summer on an unrelated charge of possession and distribution of child pornography after an internet watchdog organization in the United States flagged his internet activity. New information came to light during the RCMP's investigation, details of which were shared in court last week as Craswell pleaded guilty to four charges. CBC News is aware of one other incident involving a student at an unidentified Charlottetown elementary school in June 2023, but Craswell faces no charges in relation to that. The P.E.I. Public Schools Branch has confirmed that Craswell continued to work as a substitute teacher in Island high schools as late as the spring of 2024, after the two known incidents were reported. 'Somebody's got to stand up' In the legislature, the government's message hasn't changed much over the course of six business days of intense scrutiny over its handling of the case, starting on the day Premier Rob Lantz stood to deliver an apology to Islanders over what had been reported in court about Craswell's behaviour. P.E.I. premier apologizes after former substitute pleads guilty to sexual touching at primary school 8 days ago Duration 7:04 Premier Rob Lantz told the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday that he was 'profoundly sorry' in response to a question about Matthew Alan Craswell, who worked as a substitute teacher as recently as last year, before being arrested on charges related to child sex abuse images and an incident where he sexually touched a girl in a classroom in front of other students. Watch the legislative exchange including the apology here. Provincial officials have said Craswell's actions were horrific, but that they had to let the process unfold in court to preserve his right to a fair trial. Education Minister Robin Croucher has ordered a third-party review of the PSB's policies and procedures. It will be conducted by former P.E.I. chief justice David Jenkins, beginning on June 2. On Wednesday, Croucher said the opposition parties will have to wait for that review to play out, calling Perry's line of questioning a "witch hunt." Government wants to say... they've been working on this, but there's no evidence of that whatsoever. — Karla Bernard, interim Green Party leader Meanwhile, interim Green Leader Karla Bernard also asked questions about the Craswell case Wednesday, but focused more on what government has been doing since it learned of the initial charges against him in August 2024. Bernard said she wants to see evidence that there has been work behind the scenes to close gaps that were exposed when the incidents were first brought to light — but said there's no sign of that so far. "Government wants to say they knew about this, they've been working on this, but there's no evidence of that whatsoever in the budget, in the policies, in the change of policies," she said. "Somebody's got to stand up and be the leader here and start that work right now. It can't wait until a third-party review tells us what's wrong." Bernard also raised questions about whether an update is in the works for the province's current child sexual abuse protocol, which was drafted in 2013. CBC News asked for an interview with Barb Ramsay, the minister who oversees child protection in the province, but she was not made available Thursday.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Opposition accuses government of Craswell 'cover-up'; education minister says 'witchhunt' going on
Tensions continued to flare in P.E.I.'s Legislative Assembly around the sexual touching committed by an Island substitute teacher in two different schools. Opposition MLAs liked Hal Perry (shown) asked why no one has been fired, while the government accused them of using the issue for political gain. CBC's Nicola MacLeod reports.
CBC
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Facing heated questions, P.E.I. government pauses tiny-home project in Miltonvale Park
The P.E.I. government is pausing its plan to create a tiny-home development in the municipality of Miltonvale Park, just outside Charlottetown. That plan includes upwards of 200 tiny home units — typically defined as less than 500 square feet but containing traditional kitchens and bathrooms — to go on 65 acres of land the province owns on Sleepy Hollow Road, past the Provincial Correctional Centre. The province applied to the Rural Municipality of Miltonvale Park recently for a permit for the first 62 units. Announced in February, the tiny-home development is a collaboration between the province and the Construction Association of P.E.I., with Holland College students and apprentices gaining experience building the homes while helping Islanders listed on the social housing registry. In the legislature Wednesday, Liberal Opposition Leader Hal Perry said the government failed to consult local residents in District 15 about the project. "Islanders support building more housing, but they also expect open communication and responsible decision-making," Perry said. "What process did your government follow in deciding to develop 65 acres in Sleepy Hollow and how were residents engaged before the decision was made?" Premier Rob Lantz responded: "We've heard some concerns from the community. We're willing to work with the communities, so that it's a development that everybody can all be proud of." "But that's not happening in District 15," Perry said. "This is a 65-acre development that could add hundreds of homes, so why are we hearing from dozens of residents who say your government failed to consult or listen?" Housing, Land and Communities Minister Steven Myers shot back, saying that it's "categorically false" to say the government was not listening to feedback. "We've paused development; we're going back to incorporate the feedback that we've received," he said. "This is exactly how a government should be run. Take note, because when you guys sat over here, you didn't do any of that stuff," Myers added. 'A land-use issue' Perry said this is not just a transparency issue. "It's a land-use issue. This government has earned a failing grade on that for the past six years. This land was active farmland; now it's being converted into residential sprawl," he said, referring to the fact that agricultural acreage is becoming more expensive as farms give way to housing developments. "To the minister of agriculture: You're a farmer, why are you sitting back while farmland is taken out of production to make way for another sprawling development. Doesn't this concern you?" Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson replied by saying he supports protecting farmland across the Island but population growth brings the need for more housing. "It's a balance here that we have to be very due-diligent about and I'll support protecting as much farmland on this Island as possible," Thompson replied. How can you claim to defend farmland, then turn around and pave over it? — Interim Liberal Leader Hal Perry Perry didn't agree, calling that a bad answer. "How can you claim to defend farmland, then turn around and pave over it?" he asked. "How do you justify reducing P.E.I.'s agricultural land base at a time when the loss of farmland is one of the biggest concerns facing Island farmers?" Thompson said he's looking forward to a new pilot project to protect farmland. "We are working with the minister of land, communities and housing to protect this farmland," Thompson said. "We've discussed this with the Federation of Agriculture, they're excited about this, we're doing a pilot project in Belfast this year." Cost and safety questions raised On another point, Perry said the province has not stated how much the Miltonvale Park development is going to cost. "What is the total projected cost of the Sleepy Hollow development, including infrastructure, maintenance and services, and how has that been communicated with the public?" Lantz did not answer the question, but mentioned that the property inquestion has been zoned residential for years. "This was a property that we identified at the height of the housing crisis here as a development where we would situate affordable-type homes, that missing-middle type of home, where we could provide a product for people to get into the housing market," he said. "This was a vision to help address part of the housing market that's lacking in this province and this was something that we made a commitment to invest in for that purpose." Perry again said the issue is about sprawl, adding that Sleepy Hollow Road already has safety concerns. "The issue isn't about building more houses; it's about sprawling as opposed to density, which is protecting our land," he said. "Sleepy Hollow Road already has safety concerns and we know that. To the premier: Will you commit to upgrading the road, including paving and shoulders, before this development goes ahead, and have residents been given any assurances this is going to be happening?" This was a property that we identified at the height of the housing crisis... as a development where we would situate affordable-type homes, that missing-middle type of home. Myers pushed back, saying the area is under the City of Charlottetown's jurisdiction. "Not only is this a piece of land in Charlottetown, the roads belong to Charlottetown, the upgrades belong to the City of Charlottetown," he said. "We just gave them more money in their new arrangement with the City of Charlottetown. They're more than capable of making these decisions," Myers added. "For us, we follow the process that was laid out in front of us. There's never one time we didn't follow the process. It's them who holds the public meetings, not us. It's them who receive the feedback and… we've incorporated the feedback into it."
