It will be the premier’s turn to answer questions on embattled minister Christopher Mitchelmore today for the hiring of former Liberal staffer Carla Foote to a $132,000 position at The Rooms.

Dwight Ball says he did not not direct anyone to hire Foote.

He offered this statement:

“I’ve been catching up on the news out of the House of Assembly and I want to clarify that I did not direct anyone to hire Ms. Foote for a job at The Rooms.”

A report by the Citizen’s Representative says Mitchelmore violated procedure as Foote should have been hired through an Order-In-Council. Mitchelmore issued a statement yesterday saying he would apologize, but he declined to elaborate or speak with media.

The current minister for The Rooms, Bernard Davis, declined substantial comment in the House yesterday. He says it’s a human resources issue, therefore he will not be commenting.

An Abuse of His Position: Crosbie

NDP Leader Alison Coffin and Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie want him to resign from Cabinet.

Crosbie says Mitchelmore cannot remain in Cabinet because he abused his position as minister.

Coffin says any good minister ought to know the rules. She says the position of executive director of marketing at The Rooms should be reviewed.

An internal committee of the House will look into the issue to try to find out who leaked the report to media before MHAs had seen it.

Eddie Joyce, who was in a similar position two years ago when a report on his conduct was leaked, says the Elections and Privileges Committee has to be given some teeth.

He suggests that sanctions against the person responsible for the leak have to be spelled out.

Earlier Story: Citizen’s Rep Recommends Reprimand for Conduct Violation in Hiring of Carla Foote

The former Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation says he will apologize after the Citizen’s Representative found that he violated the House of Assembly’s Code of Conduct in authorizing the hiring of Carla Foote at the Rooms.

Bradley Moss conducted a review into the hiring of Foote by the Rooms in October of 2018.

Moss found that Foote’s employment contract was not in accordance with the Public Service Commission Act, and that a publicly available Order-In-Council was required.

Moss says Minister Christopher Mitchelmore bears responsibility for his actions and found that Mitchelmore’s authorization of Foote’s hiring was not in compliance with hiring practices. It resulted in the Board of Directors at the Rooms to amend its organizational structure.

Moss recommends that Mitchelmore be reprimanded.

Mitchelmore, who sat in the House today but did not answer any questions, issued this statement this afternoon:

“This matter will be dealt with in the House of Assembly and I will apologize. I have no further comment at this time.”

Meanwhile, Mitchelmore’s apology is not enough for the other two parties.

Both NDP Leader Alison Coffin and Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie are calling on the minister to resign. They say he can no longer be an effective member of cabinet.

Crosbie says Mitchelmore has undermined the whole process.

Crosbie says Mitchelmore “abused his position” and may have mislead the House when previously questioned on the matter. He is calling for Mitchelmore’s immediate dismissal.

Coffin has gone a step further and suggested that the hiring of Carla Foote be cancelled and a review undertaken.

She says she’d hate to see a person penalized who “may have been a pawn along the way,” but she questions the need to convert a director to an executive director position with “a whole lot of extra money attached to it.”

She says it doesn’t seem to be a good fit for an organization that wasn’t looking for the position in the first place.