For Premier Dwight Ball, the good news is that the sultry days of summer have wreaked havoc on the “Resign” posters that adorn nearly every light pole along main thoroughfares in St. John’s. It was also a relief that the “reporter” who arrived at a news conference in July dressed in a pikachu costume was barred from getting a selfie with the embattled premier, sparing Ball from the ignominy of being upstaged by a cartoon character.

And his Liberal government keeps on earning bad press. After less than a year on the job, Ball and his senior cabinet ministers are seen to have been completely unprepared for governing.

The first sign of trouble came this spring, when Ball stated he did not approve the severance agreement for Ed Martin, former CEO of St. John’s-based Crown corporation Nalcor Energy, which owns the beleaguered Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project. Documents subsequently released by Martin suggest otherwise.

Then there was the government’s decision to deliver two budgets in 2016, the first a litany of new taxes, including a 2% increase in the provincial sales tax, imposing a sales tax on books, a rash of fees and a hike in income taxes. But it was the government’s decision to impose a levy on almost anyone earning a salary that triggered an immediate backlash. Labelled a “job killer” in a province already under economic distress, the levy is also regressive and places a greater burden on lower-income earners.

Budget 2016, Part 2, is scheduled to be released this autumn, when Ball said the major cuts in government jobs and services would begin to be felt. However, Minister of Education Dale Kirby provided an anticipatory jolt by announcing the closure of 54 public libraries – more than half of the province’s total – for a savings of less than $1 million.

These closures will do almost nothing to address the province’s fiscal situation, including a projected deficit of $1.8 billion in 2016-17. The announcement has, however, provoked significant public pushback.

For the public, who elected Ball’s Liberals last autumn, buyer’s remorse has set in. Polls taken since May have shown a switch in fortune rarely seen for a new government in Canada: from a massive majority, Ball’s approval rating now is 20%.

Ball reacted by adjusting the levy to exempt those earning less than $50,000. He also hinted that the spending cuts planned this autumn and in 2017 may be scaled back.

However, his government’s missteps appear to have shaken public confidence. A poll by Atlantic Canada-based pollster MQO Research released in late July reveals that 83% of those surveyed were unlikely to make a major purchase this year, and 77% were concerned about the cost of living.

The situation is dire enough that Ball could become the focus of a Liberal bloodletting this autumn at the party’s convention, when party supporters will vote on whether to hold a leadership review, potentially ousting Ball.

Ironically, what may ultimately save him is legislation introduced by former PC premier Danny Williams, which stipulates that an election must be held within a year of a new premier taking office while the legislature is in session. The current government could change the law, but, given the controversy that would likely arise, the Liberals may sheath their knives for a few years.

Far better to let Ball take the heat for a billion dollars in cuts and then allow him to retire – in time for the 2019 election.

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