PC Leader Ches Crosbie says he cannot support Perry Trimper returning to the role of speaker of the House of Assembly. Earlier this week, Trimper expressed interest in the role following his resignation from the Liberal cabinet.
Trimper initially stepped down from the role in a cabinet shuffle that saw him assume the role of Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment. However, he resigned from that post during the fallout from damaging comments he unintentionally left on the voicemail of a member of the Innu Nation about a week later.
(Perry Trimper sitting as the Speaker of the House of Assembly. VOCM file photo.)
Crosbie says the speaker is the spokesperson of the House of Assembly, and should be beyond reproach. He says the “racially charged” comments caused pain for Indigenous peoples. As such he believes Trimper is not fit for the role.
The PC leader points to what he calls the disastrous treatment of the people of Labrador, including the missed deadline for wetland capping at Muskrat Falls and continued issues with the Labrador ferry service.
The new speaker will be elected when the House of Assembly reopens on November 4.
PC MHA Lela Evans says the Trimper recording was notably harmful as it insinuated Indigenous peoples are ‘entitled’ for requesting assistance with translation services.
Evans says the comments undermined their attempts to maintain their language while participating in today’s society.
