Bain says he signed tentative Speaker resignation letter, hopes for further negotiation
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Claudia Chender, the NDP leader, said there is nothing standard about any discussions the premier would have had with Bain, encouraging him to step aside.
“The Speaker of the House is not employed by the premier of the province or by the Progressive Conservative caucus or by the executive council,” Chender said. “It has nothing to do with succession planning, it has nothing to do with a cabinet shuffle. The Speaker is an independent office that is responsible to the members of the legislative assembly. Anything that happened privately between the premier and the Speaker that resulted in the Speaker … being asked to sign a letter is highly improper.”
Chender said it was clear from Bain’s voice as he answered media questions “how difficult it is to maintain his seat and his composure and his authority in the face of this direct attack from the premier of the province," she said.
"I don’t know where it will go but in a majority government situation it is very likely that the premier will get his way.”
Chender said it’s not a House rule but it is convention that the Speaker remain independent.
“The premier in a majority government has the ability to turf the Speaker but it hasn’t been done since the 1800s and the reason is that it’s a dangerous and difficult situation that you put the entire assembly in.”
Chender said it’s part of a pattern of behaviour in which “the premier wants his friends to be running the show in every part of government and public service that he can possibly reach.”
“We’ve seen that over and over again," she said. "We’ve seen that with Crown corporation leaders, we’ve seen that with deputy ministers … and now we are seeing it with the Speaker of the House.”
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