The following statement was given today by the Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador:

On Wednesday morning I received a complaint from an MHA in my caucus about alleged undue behaviour exhibited by a member of my caucus. I commend the complainant for coming forward.

Since then I have been working with the complainant to identify a process to move forward with their complaint.

It is extremely important the complainant is comfortable with this process and that it reflects their wishes.

As a part of this process and consistent with the legislation that governs the House of Assembly, I have engaged the Commissioner of Legislative Standards, who is an independent officer of the House of Assembly and has jurisdiction over the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity, and Administration Act as well as the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Assembly.

The Commissioner of Legislative Standards has the ability to engage external resources as required to complete the review.

He also has the authority to compel witnesses as required.

A final report will be presented to the individuals involved as well as myself.

As I have said multiple times, I encourage any MHA who may have experienced harassment to come forward to myself or to the commissioner who can initiate similar reviews on a case-by-case basis.

In addition, I encourage MHAs who feel they may need additional supports to reach out and utilize the Employee Assistance Program which can provide confidential counselling for any matters or issues they would like to discuss as we work our way through these processes.

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Media contact
Michelle Cannizzaro
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
michellecannizzaro@gov.nl.ca