Broken promises low point of 1st year in premier's office: Dwight Ball
Ball optimistic about year ahead, sees new jobs in infrastructure, oil exploration
A year into his political mandate, Newfoundland and Labrador's Premier Dwight Ball says he is finding his feet.
"It's been a very busy year for us, lots of challenges that we've had to deal with," Ball told Here and Now's Debbie Cooper in an interview to mark the first anniversary of his Nov. 30, 2015, election win.
"It took us quite some time to get to the point of understanding the types of decisions we had to make, getting the people to understand, but we're doing it for the right reasons, and that's to protect our future."
There were lots of surprises in the beginning, Ball said, the biggest being the province's dire financial situation.
"It really put me in a very difficult position, realizing that I knew publicly that I had made commitments that were difficult to keep, given the environment."
When the Ball Liberals were elected, the province was facing an estimated $2.7-billion deficit for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, double what the Liberals expected when they promised to hold the line on the HST and no layoffs.
"As we look back on it, people would say, 'Well, you should have known,' but no one challenged it at the time during the election," Ball said.
Shifting course meant a tough budget that included increases in taxes and fees and the elimination of about 600 positions in the public service — broken promises that Ball said were a "low point" during his first year in office — but necessary to avoid a crushing debt burden for the next generation.
"We had reached our borrowing capacity. We could not borrow long-term," he said. "So for me personally, I said I could hold on to those commitments and keep those types of commitments in place, but that would be a dangerous place to put our province in in the future."
Challenges ahead
On the eve of contract talks with civil service unions, Ball is guarded about what cuts are yet to come. He says government will have "meaningful negotiations" with its unions but is also looking at ways of reducing costs.
He believes his administration has done a better job of communicating in the past six months, and is "optimistic" about the future, saying jobs will come through infrastructure spending thanks to an infusion of federal cash and some renewed interest in oil exploration.
Ball also referenced a seniors' benefit program, which will be sending out cheques in January and again in April.
Continuing challenges include the ballooning cost of Muskrat Falls and reaching his goal of a surplus by 2022.
You can watch the full interview with Dwight Ball on Here and Now Wednesday at 6 p.m./5:30 in most of Labrador.
With files from Debbie Cooper