Dwight Ball
Dwight Ball | |
|---|---|
 Premier Dwight Ball in November 2016 | |
| 13th Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador | |
| Assumed office 14 December 2015 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Frank Fagan |
| Preceded by | Paul Davis |
| Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs | |
| Assumed office 14 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Keith Russell |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 17 November 2013 – 14 December 2015 | |
| Premier | Kathy Dunderdale Tom Marshall Paul Davis |
| Preceded by | Eddie Joyce (Interim) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Davis |
| In office 3 January 2012 – 18 July 2013 INTERIM | |
| Premier | Kathy Dunderdale |
| Preceded by | Yvonne Jones |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Joyce (Interim) |
| Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| Assumed office 17 November 2013 Interim: 3 January 2012 – 5 July 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Eddie Joyce (Interim) |
| Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Humber-Gros Morne Humber Valley (2007, 2011-2015) | |
| Assumed office 30 November 2015 | |
| Preceded by | district established |
| In office 11 October 2011 – 30 November 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Darryl Kelly |
| Succeeded by | district abolished |
| In office 13 February 2007 – 9 October 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Kathy Goudie |
| Succeeded by | Darryl Kelly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1957 (age 66–67) Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Political party | Liberal |
Dwight Ball (born c. 1957) is a Canadian politician, the 13th and current Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since 14 December 2015 and an MHA. He represents the electoral district of Humber Valley in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly and has served as leader of the Liberal Party since November 2013.
On 3 January 2012, Ball began his duties as Leader of the Official Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party. On 5 July 2013, Ball stepped down as interim leader of the Liberal Party to run for the position permanently in the 2013 leadership election, which he won. He was sworn in on 14 December 2015.
On 30 November 2015, Ball won a 31-seat majority government in the 2015 election.
Early life and career
Ball was raised in Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, and graduated from Elwood Regional High School.[1] He attended Memorial University when he was 17 years old.[1] His younger brother is Deer Lake's mayor Dean Ball.[2]
Ball was the recipient of the Bowl of Hygeia for his work as a community pharmacist that began with his franchising of the Deer Lake Pharmacy.[1] Ball later bought a community pharmacy in Springdale.[1] Ball is also the owner of several senior care homes and is involved in real estate development and venture capital investments.[1] The towns of Deer Lake and Springdale have independently both named Ball as Employer of the Year for his contributions to supportive employment programs in the area.[1]
Politics
Ball was the Liberal candidate in the district of Humber Valley in the 2003 provincial election but was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Kathy Goudie by less than 200 votes. When Goudie resigned from the legislature, Ball ran in a by-election to succeed her on 13 February 2007. At first, it was announced that Progressive Conservative candidate Darryl Kelly had won the by-election by a margin of twelve votes; however, Ball was later declared elected by a margin of 18 votes. A judicial recount was conducted weeks later and resulted in a reduction of Ball's lead to seven votes.[3][4] In a rematch in the general election on 9 October 2007, Kelly defeated Ball by 254 votes. Four years later Ball once again ran as the Liberal candidate in the 2011 election and this time narrowly defeated Kelly by 68 votes.[5]
Leadership
At a press conference on 15 December 2011, the Liberal Party announced that Ball would serve as interim leader of the party and as the Leader of the Official Opposition, effective 3 January 2012.[6] He succeeds Kevin Aylward, who failed to win a seat in the general election, as leader of the Liberal Party and Yvonne Jones as the Official Opposition Leader. Ball announced on the same day that he planned to run for the permanent leadership of the party at the next leadership convention, and that he would step down as interim leader 90 days before the convention to even the playing field for other candidates.[7] In May 2012, the party announced the leadership convention would take place from 15–17 November 2013.[8] On 5 July 2013, Ball stepped down as interim leader of the Liberal Party to run for the position permanently in the leadership election that November, which he won with 59% of the vote on the 3rd ballot.[9][10] Ball served as leader for the party in the 2015 general election.[1]
Premiership (2015-)
Ball was sworn in as Premier in December 2015 after leading the Liberal Party to win 31 of 40 seats in the House of Assembly in the election in November.
Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
Ball took over the post of Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs from PC Keith Russell after the election in 2015. This decision was somewhat controversial as none of the Aboriginal MHAs from Labrador were appointed to Ball's cabinet and Ball was neither from Labrador or an Aboriginal[11] however the move was supported by NunatuKavut president and former Labrador MP Todd Russell.[12]
In 2016, Ball announced a study on the costs of a fixed link between the island and Labrador.[13]
Inquiries
In December 2015, it was announced that public inquiries into the deaths of Don Dunphy (a man from Mitchells Brook who was shot dead by a police officer after posting content on Twitter that was deemed a "security threat".) and Burton Winters (a teenager from Makkovik who got lost by himself outside of his community and died of hypothermia while a search helicopter did not arrive until 52 hours later.) would take place.[14]
2016-17 budget
The provincial government unveiled its budget in April 2016 and it implements austerity measures. Ball and Minister of Finance Cathy Bennett do not expect the province to see another surplus until 2022.
Anti-austerity protests have taken place across the province in areas like St. John's and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.[15]
Natural Resources
Ed Martin scandal
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2016) |
In early 2016, Nalcor Energy CEO Ed Martin left the company. Ball and Martin each claim that Martin left under conflicting circumstances.[16][17]
Lower Churchill Project
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2016) |
The coast of the Lower Churchill Project has doubled since it started development nearly a decade before Ball took office. The province's financial situation was different when the project started development, the price of oil was high (Newfoundland and Labrador is an oil-producing province), however the price of oil and the value of the Canadian dollar has gone down since. Ball has blamed the governments of Danny Williams and Kathy Dunderdale for the amount of problems that the project has caused.[18]
Popularity
During the 2015 election campaign Ball's liberals usually saw public approval ratings well over 50%. His party earned 57.2% of the votes in the election. In February 2016, a poll showed that 60% of respondents approved of Ball's work as premier.[19]
The 2016-17 budget had a huge impact on Ball's public approval. A poll from MQO Research in April 2016 showed a near tie in support for all 3 parties,[20] a huge difference from a few months later when Ball's liberals had far more support than the other 2 parties. Combined with the scandal involving Ed Martin, Ball's public support has dropped at a fast rate since the election. A poll in May 2016 showed that Ball was the least popular head of government in the country with a 17% approval rating. The second lowest score was Ontario's Kathleen Wynne with 24%.[21]
An online petition calling for Ball's resignation went viral in June 2016[22] however Ball has stated that he will not resign and he also stated that the province would not go bankrupt.[23]
Support within the Liberal Party
Paul Lane, the MHA for Mount Pearl-Southlands was suspended from the liberal caucus in 2016 due to his opposition to the budget and an online petition called for Brian Warr to leave the caucus and sit as an independent MHA however Warr did not change parties.[24] Drew Brown, a liberal candidate in the 2011 election, wrote an article for Vice News calling for Ball's resignation[25] and he later criticized the government's oversight of the Lower Churchill Project and its impacts on Lake Melville.[26] Ball has also been criticized by former premier Roger Grimes.[27]
Electoral record
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Dwight Ball | 4,610 | 75.98% | – | |
| Progressive Conservative | Graydon Pelley | 983 | 16.20% | – | |
| New Democratic | Mike Goosney | 474 | 7.81% | – | |
| Ballot 1 | Ballot 2 | Ballot 3 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | Points | % | Votes | % | Points | % | Votes | % | Points | % |
| Dwight Ball | 10,944 | 45.94% | 2,130.05 | 44.38% | 11,306 | 48.45% | 2,257.15 | 47.02% | 12,598 | 60.64% | 2,832.29 | 59.01% |
| Paul Antle | 6,340 | 26.61% | 1,321.15 | 27.52% | 6,600 | 28.28% | 1,397.86 | 29.12% | 8,178 | 39.36% | 1,967.71 | 40.99% |
| Cathy Bennett | 5,252 | 22.05% | 1,089.05 | 22.69% | 5,431 | 23.27% | 1,144.99 | 23.85% | ||||
| Danny Dumaresque | 670 | 2.81% | 131.69 | 2.74% | ||||||||
| Jim Bennett | 617 | 2.59% | 128.05 | 2.67% | ||||||||
| Total | 23,823 | 100.00 | 4,800.00 | 100.00 | 23,337 | 100.00 | 4,800.00 | 100.00 | 20,776 | 100.00 | 4,800.00 | 100.00 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Dwight Ball | 2,609 | 48.14% | +1.05 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Darryl Kelly | 2,541 | 46.88% | - 4.54 | |
| New Democratic | Sheldon Hynes | 270 | 4.98% | – | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Darryl Kelly | 3,023 | 51.42% | +2.88 | |
| Liberal | Dwight Ball | 2,769 | 47.09% | -1.61 | |
| New Democratic | Kris Hynes | 87 | 1.47% | – | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Dwight Ball | 2,153 | 48.70% | +1.42 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Darryl Kelly | 2,146 | 48.54% | – | |
| New Democratic | Shelley Senior | 122 | 2.76% | – | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Kathy Goudie | 2,796 | 52.73% | – | |
| Liberal | Dwight Ball | 2,507 | 47.28% | – | |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Gushue, Lisa (23 November 2015). "Take us to your leaders: What you may not know about Davis, Ball and McCurdy". CBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ Dwight Ball takes the quiet approach to leadership
- ^ "Judicial recount set for Humber Valley ballots". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Liberal declared winner in Humber Valley recount". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ Hutchings, Paul (12 October 2011). "Race with incumbent was too close to call: Ball". The Western Star. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Dwight Ball named Liberal Party leader". The Telegram. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Dwight Ball wants to lead Liberals into 2015 vote". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Liberal Party Announces Date of Leadership Convention". Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Dwight Ball officially in Liberal leadership race". CBC. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "Dwight Ball wins Liberal leadership". CBC News. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cabinet-swearing-in-live-stream-1.3363654
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/programs/labradormorning/todd-russell-sits-down-with-dwight-ball-1.3403501
- ^ "Government to Explore Tunnel Viability Between Island and Labrador". VOCM. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Dwight Ball: N.L.'s unlikely premier and the problems he faces
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/russell-protest-budget-demonstration-labrador-1.3548238
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ed-martin-severance-1.3597700
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ed-martin-severance-scandal-premier-incompetent-1.3614040
- ^ “Blame The PCs”: Government Reacts To Dire Muskrat Falls Report
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/premier-dwight-ball-second-approval-rating-1.3451397
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/liberals-slide-in-latest-opinion-poll-1.3553317
- ^ http://angusreid.org/premier-approval-may2016/
- ^ http://vocm.com/news/petition-calling-for-premier-to-resign-building-steam/
- ^ http://vocm.com/news/i-have-zero-intention-of-resigning-dwight-ball/
- ^ http://www.thenorwester.ca/news/local/2016/5/26/petition-asks-mha-to-join-paul-lane.html
- ^ https://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/balls-to-the-wall-newfoundland-premier-could-be-exiled-over-payout-scandal
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxmdLC8XGeY
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/grimes-criticizes-liberals-budget-1.3549461
- ^ Newfoundland & Labrador Votes 2003. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 May 2003.
External links
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