Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie didn’t hold back when talking about the timing of Premier Ball’s resignation.
Crosbie says Ball lost the confidence of the public, his cabinet, his caucus and his party following two tough weeks of scandal. He says he has never been more determined to lead the PC Party to an electoral victory than he is now.
Crosbie believes changing Premier Ball is merely “changing the lipstick on the pig” – he says it’s still the same pig.
The wheels were already turning in preparation for an election, so Crosbie says the resignation just means there is greater urgency to getting things in place like fundraising, the building out of district associations, and finding good, high quality candidates.
He is firm that they will be ready whenever an election may come.
The budget is just around the corner, and Crosbie says if it’s creating shambles in the system of government, they can call for a non-confidence vote. However, Crosbie says that will be on a matter of principle, not on a matter of achieving a tactical or strategic advantage over government by forcing an election.
He says it’s a question of serving the public, and not serving the advantage of a particular party.
The House of Assembly re-opens on March 2.
Crosbie Firm on Maintaining PC Leadership
Meanwhile, Ches Crosbie is confident he will still be the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party following his leadership review in June.
Crosbie called for his own review back in the fall. There is nothing in the party’s constitution to trigger a leadership review following an election, but it’s something Crosbie says they are working on implementing. He says he has no reason to believe that there is any substantial dissatisfaction with his leadership.
Crosbie says obviously it would’ve been better if they won the last election, but he has no reason to believe there is any movement to find a new leader.
He says he isn’t aware of anyone making noise who is interested in becoming a new leader. Crosbie is confident people are content to keep him in place, and together they will win the next election.
The PC leader says they still need to put the new constitution in place, and they are planning to hold their convention and leadership review in early June.
