Here’s the scene as Andrew Furey leaves Government House. #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/F2rzGTZH3T
— Terry Roberts (@TRobertst) January 15, 2021
We knew Newfoundland and Labrador had to go to the polls before August 19. Premier Andrew Furey won the leadership of the Liberal Party but has not been elected.
Furey has set February 13 for the required provincial election. The Saturday election is a first in the province.
The Liberals have 19 seats in the 40-seat assembly with 20 after the 2019 election. The Progressive Conservatives and leader Ches Crosbie are at 15 seats. The New Democratic Party and leader Alison Coffin stand at 3 seats.
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Furey took over on August 19 from Dwight Ball as premier and leader of the Liberal Party. This will be Furey's first election as a party leader. Crosbie and Coffin were party leaders in the 2019 election.
Little has changed, other than COVID-19, in the province. The price of oil is a great concern. Muskrat Falls.
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Calling the election earlier gives the Liberal Party an incentive to ask for a strong majority government to get through a potential second COVID-19 wave. The province has been relatively safe, even within Atlantic Canada.
Sooner also puts the other major parties at a disadvantage to come up with a full slate of candidates. Furey wants to continue the trend of having minority governments to turn majority government during this pandemic in Canada.
Twitter capture: @TRobertst
photo credit: CBC News
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