Over the weekend, NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) wrote a letter to Premier Tony Wakeham outlining his disappointment with how his government has handled the decorum issue in the House of Assembly and urged the Premier and Opposition Leader John Hogan to come together to show leadership in addressing this ongoing issue.
On Friday, Dinn sent correspondence to both leaders calling for a meeting to address the aggressive incident that occurred last week, as well as the decorum throughout this sitting of the House. While Hogan agreed to meet, Wakeham responded in a letter suggesting the matter falls under the responsibility of House Leaders, not party leaders. In his reply, Dinn emphasized that leadership on issues of conduct must come from the leaders themselves.
“I reached out to you and Mr. Hogan in hopes that we as leaders could come together and have a chance to take some positive action together. I hope that you haven’t shut the door on this opportunity,” Dinn wrote.
“Regardless, MHA O’Leary and I along with members on both sides of the House who have not engaged in this bad behaviour will continue to do our jobs and demand a level of decorum befitting the House of Assembly. We also remain hopeful that the leaders of the three parties can meet to discuss a path forward.”
A copy of the full letter is attached.