Gender equity part of Liberal election platform

Gender equity both inside and outside the House of Assembly is something Liberal leader Dwight Ball says his party will work towards, even though only eight of their 40 candidates in the 2015 election are women.

"Do I want to see more?  I absolutely do," said Ball as he laid out a portion of the party's political platform in Corner Brook on Friday.

"Women remain under-represented in leadership positions, and barriers to equal participation mean the province is losing out on valuable insight and expertise."

Ball said measures like a promised reform of the House of Assembly Act could remove some of those barriers, by providing fixed dates when the legislature will sit, and scheduled time off to visit districts.

He also said there is room for more women in "unelected roles."

Non-partisan appointments

The Liberals have pledged to "take the politics out of government appointments" by establishing a non-partisan commission to screen candidates for positions within Crown corporations, public commissions and other public agencies.

Ball suggested that could provide a "gender lens" to recommend "the most qualified people."

Building on its promise for an open and transparent government, the Liberals also promised regular town halls in communities around the province.

As well, Ball announced his party would eliminate compensation for parliamentary secretaries, citing the heavy costs associated with the positions.

"The five parliamentary secretaries in our province have cost taxpayers over half a million dollars since the last election," he said.

Ball also committed to forgiving pension overpayments to seniors who were paid too much "through no fault of their own."