Rocking the boat
Liberals plan to leave collaboration to Green Party and governing Conservatives
The Liberal MLAs are set to shift from collaborative players to critical ones.
Sonny Gallant, leader of the Third Party, says the Liberal caucus is “withdrawing from direct participation in decision-making and input’’ with the governing Conservatives and Official Opposition Green Party.
Gallant, in an opinion piece penned to The Guardian, states elected members have two primary roles: representing constituents and holding government accountable.
Premier Dennis King has won praise for governing in a strong spirit of collaboration with the Greens and the Liberals since winning a minority government in April 2019.
The three parties had appeared to be working particularly well together over the past three months to find the best approaches to deal with the ongoing pandemic.
Gallant says the province found itself in a "situation we had never been in before'' in March, and the six Liberal MLAs saw the need to work with the other two parties to best address the COVID-19 crisis.
However, he says the Liberal caucus is now stepping out of that rather friendly, cozy relationship. Time now, he adds, to start suggesting ways government can do things differently.
"We just felt as a group and as a team that we change our approach,'' he told
The Guardian late Wednesday afternoon.
Gallant says the Liberal caucus plans to take on a more direct role in making sure that the province is ready for a potential second wave of COVID-19.
“Islanders deserve to know that we have a good stockpile of personal protective equipment,'' he states in the opinion piece.
"They also need to see a plan that will deal with the backlog of health care services that has built up – and that safe steps are being taken to care for a potential round of patients affected by the virus.’’
Green Leader Peter BevanBaker says he is disappointed, but not surprised, by the Liberals looking to rock the boat rather than paddle along in unison.
Bevan-Baker suggests the Liberal caucus appears to be returning to the old, more combative way of doing politics.
He believes, though, it is “entirely possible’’ to hold government to account while constructively and co-operatively working together to get legislation enacted.
“I really feel it is a shame that the Liberals feel that they can no longer contribute to the collaborative model that we have been pioneering here on Prince Edward Island,’’ says Bevan-Baker.
He says the collaborative approach to P.E.I. politics for more than a full year has been successful in advancing an agenda that benefits all Islanders.
He adds that in the past on P.E.I., the Liberals and Conservatives would simply take turns waiting for their turn to govern.
Bevan-Baker says he does not know the key to the Green party forming the next government under this current atmosphere of collaboration.
"That is a great question, and I wish I knew the answer to that,'' he said in a telephone interview with The Guardian Wednesday.
He says he and his fellow Green MLAs are always ready to stand up and offer critical input. He adds his party will have plenty of opportunity to distinguish itself from the Liberals and Conservatives in the months ahead.
Gallant, meanwhile, raises concern that the Greens will ease up on criticizing government “in favour of seeking deals and accommodations that meet their political agenda.’’
Government House Leader Sidney MacEwen was contacted by The Guardian for this story but did not return the call by deadline.