Liberal party president slams door on possible reset of leadership race

Those pushing for a reset of the paused Liberal leadership contest in Newfoundland and Labrador have had their hopes dashed, with party president John Allan slamming the door shut on such a scenario.

"Unequivocally no," Allan told CBC News on Wednesday."There will be no reset."

There have been calls for a reopening of the nomination process to open the door for a leadership bid by Health Minister John Haggie, whose popularity has surged since March because of his high-profile role the response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

A petition on Change.org demanding that the party allow Haggie to seek the leadership had nearly 500 signatures as of Wednesday, and one former Liberal candidate, Hasan Hai, took to Twitter on Tuesday, calling for a fresh start.

"Looking at you, @johnrockdoc," Hai wrote on Twitter, using Haggie's Twitter handle to tag the minister.

CBC has also spoken with some influential Liberals who say they have shifted their positionand would like to reopen nominations.

• No talk of reopening Liberal leadership nominations ahead of review

Haggie has only fuelled the movement by telling CBC recently he would consider a leadership bid if the process were reopened. Haggie did not respond to an interview request sent to his MHAemail account on Tuesday night.

Allan, meanwhile, was not aware of the petition, and said the party has received very little pressure on the issue.

"None whatsoever that I'm aware of," he said.

• Dwight Ball stepping down as Newfoundland and Labrador premier

What's more, he said the party may open itself up to a legal challenge if it decided to cancel the current process, which is a two-man race between former senior bureaucrat John Abbott and surgeon Andrew Furey, both of whom have never held elected office.

"We have two people that have put a lot of time and energy into it and we have to respect them," said Allan. "Anybody that puts their name forward has to be respected."

Ball announced decision 3 months ago

Premier Dwight Ball announced in February he would resign once the party selected a new leader, who would automatically become premier.

The party quickly moved to begin the succession process, and seven prospective candidates, including Haggie, requested nomination papers.

Abbott and Furey completed the original process, including putting up the $25,000 nomination fee, and were accepted as candidates. Anew leader was scheduled to be selected during the party's annual convention set forMay 9.

Sources say financial and organizational shortcomings put an end to Haggie'sinitial bid, buthis performance during the pandemic has bolstered his appeal for those willing to write cheques or help with a leadership campaign.

The entire process was paused late last month because of the health crisis, with an update on the process expected on Monday.

Both Abbott and Furey have been ordered to halt all political activity during the delay.

Meanwhile, Ball has said he will stay on as long is necessary, and sources say the party hopes to conclude the leadership process before the end of June, with delegates casting their votes online or by telephone in order to respect public health directives.

Allan would not offer an opinion on when a leadership vote might take place, saying that will depend on advice from health experts and other factors.

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