Liberals need to clean house: MacDonald

St. John's businessman Dean MacDonald makes no bones that Newfoundland and Labrador's Liberal party needs a complete shakeup before it can win an election.

"At this stage the party needs to start over," MacDonald said in a feature interview to be broadcast Saturday on On Point With David Cochrane.

"There's probably still some divisions within the party leftover from the past decade. So we need new blood, fresh faces, people willing to work."

MacDonald, whose career has included long associations with former Tory premier Danny Williams, has long been touted as a potential leader to take the Liberals out of the political wilderness.

But even as the Liberals prepare to search for a new leader, MacDonald said he will not be pressured to join the current race.

"I think it's my timeline" that will determine his decision, said MacDonald, who added that if he ever does decide to pursue a political career, he will need to both wind down his business interests and work with the Liberals on building a team that can attract voter support and form a credible government.

"I need street cred with the party in terms of effort," he said.

"Let's call a spade a spade, and the party needs to get back to a place where it can win an election."

Liberal Leader Kevin Aylward has said he will step down when the party finds a new leader. The party executive has not yet decided whether it will appoint an interim leader or move immediately to a leadership convention.

The Liberals held Official Opposition status after the Oct. 11 election.