Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball insists he wasn’t pushed to resign

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball is defending his decision to resign amid questions about his resignation’s timing.

In a video released to media Monday afternoon, Ball said he was planning to leave politics to spend more time with his family.

His resignation, coming less than a year after his Liberals were re-elected, surprised many in the province.

Observers, including longtime Memorial University political science professor Stephen Tomblin, suggest members of the provincial Liberal caucus were unhappy with Ball’s leadership.

“For the most part, he was just a smiling suit. He was more about the brand,” Tomblin said.

“He was about gaining credit and avoiding blame, and part of that avoiding blame, I think, created all kinds of problems in his caucus.”

A mandatory leadership review loomed in June, but in a one-on-one interview with Global News, Ball insists he’s not being pushed out.

Source: Read Full Article