Dwight Ball slams Ottenheimer appointment
Liberal leader promises appointments commission if elected
Dwight Ball says if his Liberals win the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election in November, he will review and possibly rescind any appointments Premier Paul Davis makes before election day.
Ball was reacting to the appointment of former PC cabinet minister John Ottenheimer to the top job at Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC).
The Liberal leader said Davis should stop making such appointments with the provincial election so close on the horizon.
"I was really expecting John Ottenheimer's name on one of the ballots in the 2015 election," he said.
"This appointment late into the mandate of this Davis administration, I see this really as a brazen appointment when he gets into the late months of this mandate."
Ball vows to defer to independent commission for crown appointments
Ball wants to see an independent commission set up for selection of high level appointments for Crown agencies. He said he would set up such an entity if he is elected in November.
He promised every appointment Premier Davis makes will be reviewed thoroughly if the Liberals form the next government.
"It's time for these political appointments to stop," he said.
"If these are not the right people in those positions, we will make the necessary changes because my focus is making sure that we have the right people in those positions."