Crosbie wants to change date of next provincial election

Progressive Conservative leader and new MHA Ches Crosbiewants to see the date of next fall'sprovincial election changed to avoid potential confusion with the federal election set to happen around the same time.

"People get confused, party workers get worn out. There are lots of good reasons to change the date, and as the junior government I think it's Newfoundland and Labrador that's going to have to do that," Crosbietold CBC News after his swearing-in ceremony Friday.

The next provincial election isscheduled for Oct. 8, 2019, while the next federal election willbe on or before Oct. 21, of the same year.

However, the election rules of the province allow for a change in the set dateif the premier, in themonths before voting day, feels the provincialdate overlaps with a federal election.

In that casetherules stipulate the election could be moved to the last Monday of November, 2019.

'A journey of over two years'

Crosbiewon the Windsor Lake byelectionon Sept. 20 over Liberal Paul Antle and the NDP'snewcomer Kerri Claire Neil, making him the official leader of the opposition.

"It's been a journey of over two years. Slow but steady, it was more of a marathon than a sprint," Crosbietold members of the media shortly after the ceremony concluded.

"The general quest for the leadership, and then to get myself properly invested as leader of the opposition, that's really been more than a two-year project now."

Crosbieadmits that he's the new guy in the House of Assembly, adding he doesn't want to set expectations high but he does have an agenda.

"I think people are looking for a sense that somebody is in control, has an agenda for the future that makes sense, has policy options that can bring the province out of the doldrumsthat we're now in economically and in other ways," he said.

"And one thingI want to do, should I come into office next year, is I want to stop the drain of population out of this province and reverse that."

As for Muskrat Falls, Crosbieis looking to the future and said that's what voters ask of him.

"They're saying to me 'that's where we want you want to focus,' on the future and how to navigate our way through what seems to be a fair degree of mess that we've got ourselves in with Muskrat," he said.

"Voters are way less impressed with and interested in how we got here."

With files from Anthony Germain

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