As part of the NL NDP’s commitment to becoming the most transparent government in the province’s history, Leader Jim Dinn pledged today to end the revolving door between NL cabinets and corporate boards who have interests before the province.
“Enough is enough. This kind of backroom politics has been going on for decades, with both the Liberals and PCs,” said Dinn. “Elected office isn’t about cashing in – it’s about serving the best interests of the people we were elected to represent. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve a better deal and an NL NDP government will overhaul the system to bring them the transparency and accountability they should rightfully expect from their elected representatives.”
Last week, it was revealed that former Liberal Premier Andrew Furey – who resigned as Premier in May – has taken a side gig, joining the board of a mining company with interests before the Liberal government. The gig follows a rich history of former Liberal cabinet members finding themselves gigs with organizations with business before the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, like former Premier Dwight Ball being appointed to Century Global Commodities Corporation and former Minister Andrew Parsons joining a lobbying firm almost immediately after resigning from office – while still receiving his secret $37,000 transition allowance.
“This is pay to play – it’s buying access, plain and simple,” said Dinn.
An NL NDP government would overhaul the provincial Conflict Of Interest Act and the Lobbyist Registration Act, extending the current 12-month “cooling-off” period for former Executive Council members to four years, equivalent to one election cycle. The overhaul would also include increasing the period for former MHAs from 12 months to two years – aligning with many other provinces – and expanding conflict of interest rules to include board appointments to align with the current federal Conflict of Interest Act.
Dinn stressed that good projects and developments should stand on their own merits and if a project is good for the province – if it creates good jobs for people and spurs local economic development – it should be approved.
“Let me be clear: decisions here in the province should be made in the best interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador – that’s it,” said Dinn. “For decades we’ve gone back and forth – Liberal and PC – and nothing has changed. This election comes down to one question: do we want to keep the same old politics or do we want change?”
The promise follows a suite of solutions by the NL NDP to bring more accountability and transparency to Newfoundland and Labrador politics, including banning corporate and union donations and publicly posting all MHA conflict of interests statements.