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Tory minister resigns amid controversy
Last updated Oct 31 2005 09:36 AM AST
CBC News
Family and Community Services Minister Tony Huntjens
has resigned following allegations that he violated
privacy laws by revealing personal health information
about a young man under the department's care to a
newspaper reporter.
The daily provincial newspaper alleged in a report on
Saturday that Huntjens volunteered the identity of one
of two New Brunswickers sent to a mental health
program in Maine for treatment.
Tony Huntjens
Tony Huntjens
On Monday morning, the provincial government newswire
issued a statement that Premier Bernard Lord had
accepted Huntjens' resignation. His duties will be
assumed by Tourism Minister Joan MacAlpine.
"I deeply regret this situation," Huntjens said in the
news release. "However, I feel my resignation is the
best course of action at this time."
Lord said in the release that Huntjens had worked hard
as a minister. "Tony has been a very capable minister
and has served the government and the people of this
province with honour and compassion. However, he has
informed me that he feels this is the best course of
action and I accept that."
The news release does not provide any official
explanation for Huntjens' resignation.
Huntjens will continue to represent voters in Western
Charlotte, who elected him in 1999 and 2003. He was
sworn into cabinet in 2003.
This is the second Tory minister to resign from
cabinet in the last year. Former environment minister
Brenda Fowlie was forced to step down several months
ago after an investigation confirmed that she revealed
personal information about Liberal MLA Stuart Jamieson
during debate in the provincial legislature.
http://nb.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nb_huntjensquits20051031
17 comments:
Lord is replacing Mr. Huntjens with Joan MacAlpine. He really knows how to scare the people of New Brunswick. Joan MacAlpine was a total failure as a Minister of Family and Community Services in Lord's first term. Bernard Lord refuses to learn any lesson from his screw-ups.
Charles...
As somone said you should give Bernard Lord a big hug. May be he will resign too. It will be quite a relief for N.B.
I will say at least he just got it over with and didn't drag it out over a few months I must give credit where credit is due we all know he could have turned it into another fiasco but didn't.
Mr. Huntjens thanks for doing the right thing and doing it respectfully.
3:25 PM good point.
He had no choice, but let's be honest I doubt he intentionally meant to do it. When the Liberals get back into power they better make sure they never do the same thing given the comments they dished out today or those comments will come back to haunt them.
By the way did anyone hear the CBC 5:30 news, Kelly Lamrock was called the official opposition leader. Someone should tell Shawn Graham.
Come on now, Spinks. Your conservative bias is taking over. What Mr. Huntjens did was wrong and he paid the price for it. Now playing games what CBC said is plain your bias. Go easy on CBC. We all mistakes. There is no mutiny in Liberal caucus that Tory will like us to believe. However, Bernie Lord is in trouble in big times.
Obviously it was a mistake on the announcer's part 6:45. I just found it funny, although it's no secret I don't care for the CBC the way it is currently structured.
As for bias to the PC's, sorry my friend, I don't, although I often get accused of it. On other sites I get accused of having a Liberal party bias. Go figure. I'm an independent and have no problem praising or criticizing either party as I've done on this very site many times.
Spinks, when was it that you praised Liberals?
Actually you have a real recent example under the Harper blog about Gomery. Otherwise you'll have to go back aways to some archived blogs or other sites which slam Liberals incessantly. It doesn't happen often here because frankly there's enough Liberals Cheerleaders here. I'd rather offer something different and one thing that most agree on at this site is that I offer something different.
Spinks, you do not praise Liberals, you slam them. I do not care which party but Lord government is a disaster in NB. May be another Tory leader will do better. More recent game he played of Elizabeth Weir removed from the scene and call snap election. He does not care for Saint John. He is too busy looking after his own political hide. He is more blantant in his self-serving ways.
Mr. Huntjens is the second minister to go in a short time. Bad news for Lord. It looks his government is in disarray.
?!? 6:55, I'm not sure how my saying that Paul Martin is doing the right thing in Gomery is slamming the Liberals but if you see it that way, so be it. If I'm not praising the Liberals more often, that's probably because there's not much worth praising them about. Not much to say on the provincial front because the Liberals are in opposition although I think they have some solid MLA's, many more than the Tories and I've said so many times. The Feds have screwed over Canadians far too many times and there just isn't much good to say, although like I said I think Martin is handling Gomery well. I still wouldn't vote for him but he's handling it well so far.
It is generous of you to give Martin credit. I do not know enough details of Gomery inquiry to comment on it. However, I know enough about Lord screw ups and people who are hurt that I can say that Lord is the most ineffective leader we ever had in recent history. He is just bluffing his way through. His ministers are out of control. After Brenda Fowlie you would think more caution will be use. Not so. This saga of incompetence continues. Huntjens is completely done. I doubt he will get re-elected. Who knows he may resign from MLA position too.
I encourage you to check out the Gomery situation. It's your money that was stolen (and yes stolen is accurate). Provincial politics is important but so is local and so is federal. It's all your cash. Governments mismanage money all of the time and they should always be held accountable for it and I don't want to diminsh that but we're talking "stolen" money. That's beyond wrong. Some Fat Cat Liberals should be going to prison for this one.
They really like Huntgens in his riding so I'm doubtful he'll lose his seat unless the Liberals are able to attract a big local name. Why do they like him? I don't know, but they do. Even CBC this morning had streeters from the riding and there wasn't one negative comment against Huntgens. They said that he made a mistake and he paid for it. I can't argue with that. I truly believe it was a slip of the tounge for Huntgens. Fowlie is another matter. That was just stupid.
I do not know where you get your information. When hospital beds were being closed in St. Stephen and there were problems with E.R., I do not remember now that it was closed, then Huntjens sided with Lord. People are not about to forget. He is not that popular in his riding. His brain and mouth disconnect is another one of his big problems.
He is done. Kaput.
I think Lord was looking for an opportunity to kick him out of cabinet as there is a pressure from younger backbenchers. This was a golden opportunity and Lord did not waste anytime to ask for his resignation. What is said to the media is for public consumption - that he was a great minister. Lord knew he was a weak link.
Well they voted him in twice so he at least had popularity. I don't live there and can only go off what I read or from what I hear from people who live there. Generally they seem to like him as an MLA. Why? I don't know. You'd have to poll the constituents.
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