Newfoundland premier's unpopularity peaks with 4-day filibuster
On June 9, a four-day filibuster came to an end in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, without a substantial sense of progress. The NDP joined the Progressive Conservative opposition members in their filibuster against two budget bills proposed by the Liberal government.
Their calls for delay come as polls reveal Premier Dwight Ball has the lowest approval rating among provincial leaders. His 18 per cent approval rating is all the more alarming considering he was ranked the second most favoured premier in the country a mere three months ago.
The Current asks former Liberal premier of Newfoundland, Roger Grimes, what Ball is doing wrong, and gets his take on the recent controversies of the province's Liberal government— including library closures, and a severance package of $1.4 million for former Nalcor CEO Ed Martin.
An associate professor of political science at Memorial University and CBC's Peter Cowan analyze the significance of the recent 74-hour filibuster, and offer insight into how Newfoundland and Labrador have arrived at such a tumultuous political climate, and what an be done to change it.
- Peter Cowan, CBC reporter out of St. John
- Amanda Bittner, associate professor of political science at Memorial University
- Roger Grimes, former Liberal premier of Newfoundland (2001- 2003)
This segment was produced by The Current's Liz Hoath and Lara O'Brien