Liberals from throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are in the process of descending on the Quality Inn and Suites in Gander for a general meeting and convention.
About 500 delegates (roughly 400 with voting privileges) are expected in town. The event wraps up Sunday.
Heading into the convention, Premier Dwight Ball said he expects the party will come out energized, refusing to even entertain the possibility of a no-confidence vote against him.
While on-site registration doesn’t officially get underway until about 2 p.m. today, there is a closed-door session on the Liberals’ election readiness already in progress.
The day continues with separate meetings for party committees focused on senior’s, women’s, youth and Indigenous concerns.
The meat of the proceedings will take place on Saturday. The party treasurer’s report is set to be presented at 10:30 a.m., just prior to a meeting of the provincial caucus and delegates (media are barred from this session), and a luncheon hosted by party president John Allan.
Voting is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, with a “premier’s banquet” scheduled for Saturday night.
Heading into the convention, Premier Dwight Ball said he expects the party will come out energized, refusing to even entertain the possibility of a no-confidence vote against him.
Back in 2016, the gathering of Liberals was asked if they wanted a leadership race. Of 330 votes cast at the time, 300 were in support of Ball’s continued leadership.
A change would only have been triggered with a vote of more than 50 per cent in favour of a leadership contest.
Heading into the current convention, public polls show Ball generally maintaining support (MQO Research), but also with new leader of the Progressive Conservatives Ches Crosbie gaining traction with the public.
A recent Abacus Data poll found 47 per cent of people involved saying they would not want Ball to step down, with 33 per cent in favour and another 21 per cent not sure (numbers don’t always add due to rounding).
The premier is in the process of taking the party through a difficult period, with two Liberal government ministers ousted from cabinet and the Liberal caucus while investigations are completed and findings made, following complaints of harassment and bullying and harassment filed by fellow Liberal members of the House of Assembly.
