John Haggie says Liberals are already lining up to replace outgoing MHA John Abbott

Terry Roberts · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 1:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 12

The governing Liberals are trying to enactment a affirmative rotation connected the astonishment resignation of furniture curate John Abbott, saying imaginable successors are already showing an involvement successful St. John's East-Quidi Vidi.

"John is simply a large workfellow and helium volition beryllium missed," said John Haggie, curate of justness and nationalist safety, and lawyer general.

"But I instrumentality comfortableness from the information that we person a precise dynamic nominations process and determination are radical already keen to question to tally connected our enactment platform."

Haggie besides defended Abbott, saying the errors that person travel to airy from the 2021 election vote that saw Abbott decision incumbent Alison Coffin of the NDP had thing to bash with Abbott.

"The responsibility was with Elections N.L. They person admitted that," said Haggie. "I deliberation that has really cleared the mode to reconstruct assurance successful our system."

Dinn says the NDP was robbed

NDP Leader Jim Dinn, however, believes a colony this week successful the ineligible conflict implicit the legitimacy of the effect successful St. John's East-Quidi Vidi is impervious Coffin should person won the race.

And Dinn added that the Liberals should person acted earlier to remedy the situation.

"For the past 4 years, St. John's East-Quidi Vidi missed retired connected NDP practice and the good NDP candidate," Dinn told reporters during a virtual interrogation connected Thursday.

Dinn did not supply proof the result mightiness person been different, but Elections N.L. has admitted determination were irregularities and errors successful a ballot that saw first-time Liberal campaigner John Abbott defeat Coffin, who was NDP person astatine the time, by conscionable 53 votes.

Coffin, supported by her party, launched a ineligible situation that dragged connected for years, and was scheduled to spell to proceedings connected Monday.

"Obviously determination were capable irregularities that Allison would person been the representative, arsenic elemental arsenic that," Dinn said.

Dinn and Haggie were reacting to a politically explosive time successful Newfoundland and Labrador connected Wednesday, when Abbott announced helium volition permission authorities astatine the extremity of the summer, and Coffin described the out-of-court colony arsenic a triumph for democracy.

It was the latest fallout from a chaotic 2021 provincial wide predetermination that went disconnected the rails aft officials were forced to cancel in-person voting due to the fact that of heightened nationalist wellness restrictions amid a spike successful COVID-19 infections.

Abbott said helium agreed to measurement down successful bid to debar a lengthy and costly trial. He besides said a proceedings would person been "futile" since a provincial wide predetermination indispensable beryllium held earlier the mediate of October. 

Abbott suggested an influx of grounds successful caller months lowered his assurance that helium would beryllium palmy successful court.

"The probabilities of america winning, losing, were starting to switch," helium said.

"If the Liberals figured they had a beardown case, they would have followed done connected it," Dinn said.

Coffin agreed to retreat her tribunal exertion successful speech for Abbott's determination to discontinue politics.

"If we bash not get elections right, if we bash not get democracy, past we don't get authorities close and we bash not person a due province," Coffin told reporters connected Wednesday.

Abbott oregon his squad person not been accused of immoderate wrongdoing, but there's grounds that immoderate voters had requested a mail-in ballot, but did not person it. Abbott besides said determination were incidents of radical voting successful the incorrect district, and utilizing improper recognition to use for a ballot.

Elections N.L. released a connection saying determination were "errors successful the medication of immoderate peculiar ballots," and changes person been made to guarantee aboriginal votes are "fair, impartial and successful compliance with the law."

Both sides disagree connected the grade to which the errors whitethorn person affected the predetermination result, but Dinn believes determination was capable grounds to warrant the spot being vacated a agelong clip ago, and a byelection being held.

While helium described Abbott's determination to resign arsenic "honourable," Dinn accused the Liberals of dragging retired the process successful bid to debar an "embarrassing" trial.

"The Liberals expected to person had a wide predetermination agelong earlier now, which they hoped would person rendered this tribunal lawsuit moot," said Dinn.

Opposition House person and Conception Bay South PC MHA Barry Petten also blamed the Liberals for the turmoil. He said the 2021 predetermination should ne'er person been held during a pandemic, that his calls for an autarkic probe into the predetermination results were dismissed by the Liberals, and that consequent attempts astatine electoral betterment person failed.

Petten said Premier John Hogan could person done much to reconstruct assurance successful the electoral strategy during his tenure arsenic justness curate and lawyer general, and said Hogan "owes an explanation. He was caput of this electoral betterment committee that went nowhere."

Petten besides questioned wherefore Abbott agreed to discontinue politics.

"I wouldn't conscionable locomotion distant if I was innocent," said Petten.

Haggie, meanwhile, fired backmost connected the contented of electoral reform. He said Hogan supported the constitution of an all-party committee connected predetermination reform, but it collapsed aft representatives from absorption parties dropped out.

"We were paralyzed," said Haggie. "We wanted to person input and consultations and cross-party discussions, but the parties didn't crook up."

Haggie added that helium would beryllium "delighted" to reconvene the all-party committee.

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