Members of the House of Assembly have narrowly approved a reprimand for the Cabinet Minister found responsible for violating the Code of Conduct in a controversial hiring at the Rooms.
Minister Christopher Mitchelmore will be suspended without pay for two weeks when the House of Assembly reconvenes in the new year. As well, he must deliver a written apology to the Board of Directors at the Rooms, and meet with the Commissioner for Legislative Standards, Bruce Chaulk.
Four days of debate culminated in a series of amendments to an initial motion presented to the House. A financial penalty was considered at one point, but the motion was amended to remove the monetary figure.
Shortly before 9:30, the final vote was held with a slim margin of 21 to 18, to approve the prescribed reprimand.
Minister Mitchelmore rose to offer an apology to the House of Assembly, as well as the people of this province.
The House has adjourned until the new year, when it will reconvene on February 24. As per his suspension, Mitchelmore will not be permitted to return until mid-March.
Earlier Story
There have been several new developments today, regarding the plight of a cabinet minister who messed up in ordering the hiring of a former Liberal staffer to a $132,000 a year job.
Christopher Mitchelmore spoke today for the first time, although he didn’t exactly violate any time restrictions.
The House had been debating whether to accept an apology from the Minister, but late this afternoon Opposition House Leader David Brazil moved an amendment which would include written apologies to the House, as well as the current and former boards of directors of the Rooms.
Brazil wants the Minister to be suspended from the House for two weeks during its next sitting, and to lose a year’s ministerial salary.
Mitchelmore insists that it was he—not the Premier—who directed the Rooms to hire Foote.
Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie doesn’t buy their contention that the Premier’s Office had nothing to do with the hiring.