Latest news with #MHAs
CBC
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Who will be N.L.'s next Liberal leader? MHAs pick sides in the final leg of the leadership race
Some of the most influential political players in the premier's government are backing John Hogan. Meanwhile, six MHAs are voicing their public support for John Abbott. Reporter Terry Roberts has that story.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
MHAs align with their preferred candidate as N.L. Liberal leadership contest enters home stretch
Most Liberal MHAs have now declared their support for either John Abbott or John Hogan as the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal leadership contest enters the home stretch. And if such a metric can be considered an indicator of a campaign's momentum, Hogan has the advantage. Up to Wednesday, 10 MHAs have declared their support for Hogan. They are some of the most influential faces in the government of outgoing Premier Andrew Furey. They include Siobhan Coady, Steve Crocker, Bernard Davis, John Haggie, Krista Lynn Howell, Fred Hutton, Jamie Korab, Elvis Loveless, Pam Parsons and Paul Pike. Korab is the only backbencher among Hogan's supporters. Six MHAs — three cabinet ministers and three backbenchers — have sided with John Abbott. They are Lisa Dempster, Scott Reid, Sarah Stoodley, Lucy Stoyles, Perry Trimper and Sherry Gambin-Walsh. Furey on the sidelines, but his people are not Andrew Furey has not taken sides publicly, but some political staffers in his office are active on Hogan's campaign. Derek Bennett is Speaker of the House of Assembly, and has not endorsed either of the candidates. Gerry Byrne has ignored repeated CBC inquiries on the subject, while Andrew Parsons says he'll reveal who he supports on Thursday or Friday. During his 2020 bid for the leadership against Andrew Furey, Abbott did not have a single MHA supporting him, and he received 34 per cent of the votes. So he's encouraged that a half-dozen are in his corner this time, and believes he can win. "I do believe that is going to be the result on May 3," said Abbott. While MHAs can have some influence on how party members may vote in a leadership contest, Abbott said the response to his campaign has given him confidence. "An MHA is one person," said Abbott. "They may be able to bring other people on with them. Maybe, maybe not." John Hogan is viewed as the insiders' choice, but he's not letting up. "You keep going until the last day," said Hogan. "We're very fortunate to have volunteers in all 40 districts across this province. And they've worked very hard over the last few weeks to register voters. And they're going to continue to work hard on behalf of this campaign over the next five weeks." Equal influence out outcome for all districts There are 40 seats in the House of Assembly, and 22 of them are held by Liberals. But each district will have equal influence when the votes are counted at the Jag Soundhouse in St. John's on the afternoon of May 3, regardless of how many people signed up from each district by the March 31 deadline. There are 1,000 points up for grabs in each district. Registered voters will receive a personal identification number and be able to cast a ranked ballot electronically through a smartphone or computer, or by telephone. Each vote will be counted in the district in which the party member is affiliated. The two candidates will earn points based on the number of first- and second-place votes they receive. For example, if one of the candidates receives 75 per cent of the first preference ballots in a district, he will receive 750 points for that district, while the other candidate receives 250 points. Whoever receives a majority of the 40,000 points up for grabs, will be named party leader, and later be sworn in as the province's 15th premier. The next big test for the two candidates, meanwhile, will be two upcoming debates. CBC Newfoundland and Labrador will host a live, 40-minute, commercial-free leaders' debate on Wednesday, April 23 during Here & Now beginning at 6:15 p.m. NT. The debate will also be streamed on and YouTube.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
John Abbott, with 5 MHAs at his side, proves he's not alone in his bid for Liberal leadership
John Abbott may not have the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party machinery in his corner as he contends for the leadership, but the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi MHA proved this week that his competitor, John Hogan, is not the only one with high-profile support. Abbott entered the scrum area outside the House of Assembly on Wednesday with five Liberal MHAs — three of whom are members of Premier Andrew Furey's cabinet — at his side in order to address the assembled media who were covering proceedings in the legislature. In a highly politicized event, each MHA — Lisa Dempster, Scott Reid, Sarah Stoodley, Perry Trimper and Lucy Stoyles — stepped up to the microphone and gave their endorsement to Abbott. They praised him for his policy expertise, experience as a public servant and elected politician, thrifty approach to public spending and his team-first style of decision-making. But it turns out that Abbott was breaching House of Assembly protocol by staging an event linked to party politics inside what's known as the parliamentary precinct. "The House of Assembly was unaware of the scrum area being used for that purpose and would not have approved the use of the parliamentary precinct in advance," Bobbi Russell, a spokesperson for the House of Assembly, wrote in a statement to CBC News. She added that Speaker Derek Bennett "will be speaking to the member to advise of the protocols for use of the precinct." 'Delighted to support him' So an attempt to show he is a serious candidate in the race to replace Furey didn't go quite as planned, but if the approach was to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, Abbott got the attention he was looking for with complimentary comments like this: "I'm very impressed with his knowledge, especially all the work he did with housing. I'm certainly delighted to support him," said Stoyles, who represents Mount Pearl North. "We have talked through many tangly, challenging issues and we've always been able to find a resolution," added Dempster, representing Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair. Dempster said that she has worked with Abbott in her capacity as the minister for Labrador affairs, and "whether it was Nain in the north, whether it was Forteau in the south, I was always really impressed with his knowledge." "If you're successful, I know this province is going to be in great shape," said Trimper, MHA for Lake Melville. Reid, elected in St. George's-Humber, praised Abbott for his "knowledge, temperament and character." From zero to five In 2020, Abbott competed unsuccessfully for the party leadership against Furey, and did not have a single MHA in his corner. His current bid for the leadership also got off to a low-key start when he announced his candidacy on March 4 in the lobby of Confederation Building. Only a handful of supporters were in attendance, but Abbott did say at the time that some MHAs were supporting him. By contrast, Windsor Lake MHA John Hogan staged a well-attended and lively leadership announcement at a St. John's hotel on March 6 that was attended by a bevy of Liberal MHAs, who voiced unwavering support for his candidacy, senior political staffers from Furey's office and other influential Liberal organizers. Abbott admitted that he's not about "gloss and glare." "Assuming I am premier on May 3, you will see a different style of government in that sense, but we'll stay focused," he said, adding that issues such as the trade war with the United States, health, housing and education are among his top priorities. Mount Scio MHA Sarah Stoodley said making a decision on who she would throw her support behind was "one of the most emotionally difficult decisions" of her time in politics. But, she said, support for Abbott among her constituents is "overwhelming," and says she's been impressed with him. "He just gets cut through the noise and works toward a solution," she said, adding that she agrees with Abbott's approach to "fiscal restraint." "I do see myself and Minister Abbott sharing a lot of commonalities." Both Abbott and Hogan have been approved as leadership candidates by the committee that's running the contest. The deadline for nominations is March 24, and registered Liberals will select the next party leader — who will automatically become the next premier — during a convention in St. John's that begins on May 2.
CBC
06-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
John Hogan enters Liberal leadership with splashy launch, bolstered by party stalwarts
Windsor Lake MHA John Hogan entered the Liberal leadership race Thursday with a splashy launch, surrounded by influential party members, indicating he's the insiders' choice to replace Premier Andrew Furey. "As leader, I'm going to bring my experiences as a minister, MHA, as a lawyer and as a father to a critical point in Newfoundland and Labrador's history and to its future," Hogan said to a room full of supporters crammed into a hotel meeting area. He also made it clear that if elected, he will follow the same political path Furey's walking when it comes to health care, a new energy deal for the Churchill River, and fighting back against what he called unjust and unlawful tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump. "I decided to enter politics because I believed in Premier Furey's vision for our province," he said. MHAs rally behind Hogan Hogan made his announcement inside a hotel ballroom in his St. John's' district, cheered on by about half of the 22-member Liberal caucus, influential Liberal organizers such as John Allan, and a cast of current and former senior political staffers, many of whom have been key Furey advisors. Some MHAs, including Krista Lynn Howell, Jamie Korab and Elvis Loveless, have thrown their full support behind Hogan. Hogan is a city lawyer and father of two young children. He will celebrate his 47th birthday on Friday. He was introduced by Howell, who represents a rural district on the Northern Peninsula and tried to help Hogan connect with small-town Newfoundland and Labrador. "He always tries his best to find a solution and recognizes the unique challenges that I face in a rural community," she said. Other MHAs such as John Haggie and Perry Trimper say they'll wait until the close of nominations on March 24 before offering their support to a particular candidate, but they also made it clear that Hogan has what it takes. "I feel he's an excellent candidate for this leadership race," said Trimper, who said he'll consult with his Lake Melville district association about where his support will go. Hogan's lively and time-honoured political event, complete with "John Hogan 2025" placards and stickers, was in stark contrast to John Abbott's event on Tuesday. Abbott, the MHA for St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, called reporters to a media availability inside the front lobby of Confederation Building to declare his candidacy, with only a handful of supporters on hand. Abbott said he does have the support of some of his elected colleagues, but none were there. So it's shaping up to be a replay of the 2020 leadership race when Abbott, the outsider with limited party support, faced Andrew Furey, with the party machine at his side. A potential third candidate, Labrador MP Yvonne Jones, plans to reveal on Friday whether she will enter the race or not. Hogan, meanwhile, is closely connected to the outgoing premier, having managed Furey's 2020 leadership campaign, and was subsequently encouraged by Furey to run in the 2021 provincial election. In that election, Hogan received more than 50 per cent of the vote and defeated PC Leader and incumbent Ches Crosbie. Furey displayed his confidence in Hogan by naming him Justice and Public Safety Minister in the spring of 2021, and after longtime MHA Tom Osborne resigned from politics last summer, Hogan was shuffled to the health and community services portfolio. Hogan has also served as the province's attorney general. "I'm ready to take the wheel and I'll navigate our province through these ever changing economic and social changes to build upon the work and achievements of our government and demonstrate to the world just what Newfoundland and Labrador stands for," said Hogan.
