N.L. premier under increasing fire amid harassment claims
Harassment allegations gripped Newfoundland and Labrador’s governing Liberals again Tuesday after former finance minister Cathy Bennett said a culture of intimidation helped drive her from cabinet.
In local media interviews, Bennett said she often felt isolated and the target of “whisper campaigns” before she quit her post last July but stayed on as a member of the house of assembly.
She cited personal reasons at the time. On Tuesday, she blamed what she described as a culture of bullying in the Liberal cabinet and caucus. She also pointedly noted that leaders have a duty to set behavioural tone.
Opposition critics seized on Bennett’s revelations, saying they cast serious doubt on Premier Dwight Ball’s claims he only knew of bullying issues within Liberal ranks last week.
Accusations have forced two ministers in less than a week out of cabinet and caucus pending arm’s-length investigations into their behaviour by the commissioner for legislative standards.
“The premier was in the room for much of this,” said Progressive Conservative Paul Davis, who led a particularly tense grilling of Ball during the daily question period.
“Why have you allowed intimidation and harassment to continue within your government and not taken action before now?”
Ball acknowledged there was some “cut and thrust” in various meetings, especially after his administration’s first budget in 2016 imposed sweeping tax and fee hikes. Its measures, including a despised deficit reduction levy, became a lightning rod for public fury. Bennett took the brunt of that anger, and spoke publicly about the personal toll of vicious online attacks.
Ball suggested it was news to him that abuse also came from the innermost Liberal circle.
“I did not experience bullying at that cabinet table,” he said. “That was not my experience but, in any case, where people would have felt they were intimidated or bullied, my door was always open.”
NDP Leader Gerry Rogers said it defies credibility that Ball was in the dark.
“Two cabinet ministers out. Two cabinet ministers complaining of harassment and the premier still insists he knew nothing about any of this until a formal complaint was lodged last Wednesday. I ask the premier: Where is his leadership? Why didn’t he stop this?”
Ball denied he shrugged off complaints or tacitly condoned bad behaviour.
“I took prompt action. I did not sweep those things under the rug,” he said. “We encouraged others to come forward and others have.”
Rogers said outside the legislature that Ball has lost control of his government and should resign.
Ball declined: “Leaders don’t resign in challenging times,” he told reporters.
On Monday, former education minister Dale Kirby became the second cabinet member ousted after similar complaints saw Eddie Joyce leave caucus and his municipal affairs and environment portfolios last week.
Ball has said he acted immediately after receiving formal complaints early Wednesday - two days after the Official Opposition first raised cryptic questions about Liberal conduct.