West Royalty-Springvale MLA Bush Dumville says he is deliberately staying silent on his recent resignation from the P.E.I. Liberal party, but stressed his integrity remains intact.
He also made it clear there is no love lost between himself and Premier Wade MacLauchlan.
Dumville has not responded to repeated requests for comment from the media since he personally delivered a letter on Wednesday to the premier stating his intention to resign from the Liberal caucus and sit as an independent MLA.
He did speak briefly with The Guardian on Friday. He plans to give a full account of the reasons for his resignation “when the time is right,” which he says will be sometime next week.
“I just need time to rest and reflect on the whole situation,” he said.
“To me, silence is golden. (The public) will hear the whole story if the media ask the right questions.”
“To me, silence is golden. (The public) will hear the whole story if the media ask the right questions.”
-Bush Dumville
Related: MLA Bush Dumville resigns from Liberal caucus to sit as independent
Earlier this week, MacLauchlan told reporters he believed the reason for Dumville’s departure stemmed from a founding meeting last week to form a new executive for District 15, which Dumville currently represents. A few of the executive positions were contested, and the individual Dumville wanted for president did not win.
MacLauchlan went on to say Dumville has been at odds with the Liberal caucus since 2015, after he was challenged for his nomination during the 2015 provincial election campaign.
“It has been clear for some time that Mr. Dumville has struggled to share the values of our Liberal caucus and Liberal party,” MacLauchlan said in a statement earlier this week.
When asked for reaction to this statement, Dumville agreed he does not at all share MacLauchlan’s values.
Poll: Who do you think is responsible for Dumville resigning from the Liberal caucus?
As for speculation about the reasons for his resignation that have emerged as a result of his silence, Dumville says he’s not worried.
He also hinted at a major rift between himself and MacLauchlan.
“I’ve been a member of this community for 38 years and I’ve worked very hard to build my integrity, and my integrity has been better than the way he’s been operating for the last two years and that will eventually come out,” he said.
“My integrity and my silence will stand the test of time. There’s nothing he can say or do that can disparage me.”
