Either John Hogan or John Abbott will become Newfoundland and Labrador’s 15th premier, as decided by Liberal Party members — who are slated to announce the winner at a party convention in St. John’s at 2:45 p.m. NT Saturday.
The race for the Liberal leadership began after former premier Andrew Furey announced his resignation in February after five years in the job.
Furey, a surgeon by trade, said he had done what he’d wanted to accomplish for the time being, and wished to spend more time with his family and return to the operating room. In a farewell speech to party members Friday night, he thanked his children at length for their patience while he worked away from home.
“If there are times in the last five years that I wasn’t there for you, please know that I carried you in my heart everywhere I went and always will,” Furey said.
But after leading the province through a pandemic and resulting economic turmoil, his decision came as a shock to even his closest members of cabinet.
It also launched a search for candidates within caucus.
In late March, the Liberal Leadership Election Special Committee announced its nomination period had closed. By then, only two candidates — MHAs John Hogan and John Abbott, who both held several portfolios within cabinet over the last few years — had officially come forward.
Committee chair Judy Morrow is slated to announce who has gathered the majority of the Liberal Party’s 14,000 possible votes on Saturday afternoon.
Abbott was the first candidate to announce his intentions to run, marking his second attempt at becoming premier.
He previously ran against Furey in 2020, and has been the deputy minister of several provincial departments as well as CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and the executive director of the local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. He has since been minister of social development, housing, mental health and transportation.
Hogan announced his intention to run soon after, at an event with his fellow Liberal MHAs in attendance.
The 47-year-old lawyer beat out former Progressive Conservative leader Ches Crosbie in his district of Windsor Lake in 2021. Since then, he’s been the House leader as well as the minister of both justice and health.
Saturday’s vote will be revealed at a party convention at Jag Soundhouse.
The winner will automatically take over as both Liberal leader and Newfoundland and Labrador premier, but will soon have to test their mettle in an upcoming general election, which must take place before October.
CBC News will be livestreaming the event beginning at 2:30 p.m. at cbc.ca/nl.
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