Dumville says 3-year rift led to resignation from Liberal caucus
Former Liberal MLA says he should have resigned from the party caucus 'long ago'
Former Liberal MLA Bush Dumville says his resignation from the party caucus last week was a long time coming, fuelled by a rocky relationship with Premier Wade MacLauchlan that started months before the 2015 election.
Dumville broke his silence Wednesday on his reasons for leaving the Liberal caucus and sitting as an independent, a week after handing in his resignation letter to MacLauchlan.
"I definitely made the right decision [in resigning]," he said.
"I should've made it long ago possibly."
Dumville was first elected as a Liberal MLA in 2007 and again in 2011 under the Robert Ghiz government.
He said it was after Ghiz resigned, and MacLauchlan was announced as the lone candidate to take over as Liberal leader and premier in January 2015, that Dumville started to question his place within the party.
In what was a rare occurrence in provincial politics, Dumville, the incumbent, was told he would be challenged for the nomination in his district — West Royalty-Springvale — by school principal Windsor Wight.
Told he wouldn't be in cabinet
Even after winning the seat for the Liberals in the two previous elections, he said he became convinced the party wanted him out, and Wight in.
"I don't mind if someone legitimately comes off the floor," Dumville said. "But when it's party backed, that's when I get a little annoyed."
Dumville said he met with MacLauchlan to discuss the issue. He said the premier told him that even if he won, he wouldn't be in cabinet.
"And that was before I had the nomination. So that was just a dirty trick telling me to buzz off. That's what that was," he said.
Dumville went on to win the nomination in his district by just 11 votes, and held onto his seat in the spring election of 2015.
But from day one, he says he never felt welcome as a member of MacLauchlan's caucus.
The way I've been treated ... is just sit back there in the corner, keep your mouth shut, vote when we want you to vote and toe the party line.— Bush Dumville
"The way I've been treated ... is just sit back there in the corner, keep your mouth shut, vote when we want you to vote and toe the party line. And we're not going to say please or thank you or anything," he said.
Dumville said he threatened to resign from caucus a year ago, after fellow MLA Pat Murphy was promoted to cabinet over him, but reconsidered at MacLauchlan's request.
Finally, last week, Dumville said he reached his wits' end with MacLauchlan and the Liberal caucus.
Dumville said at the founding meeting for his newly redrawn district where district executive members were elected, the person he supported for president didn't win — an outcome he believes was orchestrated by the premier and the party.
"What really got me that night is I saw them bringing in the troops. They put their own candidate forward. The premier put a collar around my neck that night," Dumville said.
"This is about a sense of fair play and how you treat people. You don't push people out. You run a fair fight."
Liberal Party says 'democratic process' fair
Scott Barry, the president of the Liberal party, said he is disappointed Dumville didn't see the competition in both elections as a good thing for the party, and said the rules were followed.
"The district executive and provincial executive, whenever you're dealing in the context of a contested nomination, their objective is to hold a fair and democratic process," Barry said.
"Just because someone is an incumbent ... there's no rule that says someone can't challenge them, it's always been an open process, as it should be."
Barry went on to say the situation at the founding meeting was much the same.
"It was a situation where we had, with these new boundaries you have polls that are moving from one district to another so there's new members that are then going to have an opportunity to attend and participate in these founding meetings."
No decision on future
Dumville said he will continue as an independent MLA until the next election.
He said he hasn't decided whether to attempt to run again for another party, or to end his decade-long political career.
"Everything's on the table," he said. "And if Bush has to get on his Harley, and drive off into the sunset, that's wonderful. And if the people of P.E.I. think Bush's integrity is worth keeping around, Bush will stay around and let the Harley sit for a while."
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