All signs point to a NS Liberal party in disarray. Geoff MacLellan switched teams to join Premier Tim Houston for a new role—after stepping down as MLA. Meanwhile, Sydney-Membertou's Derek Mombourquette backs an in-party frat brother for Liberal leadership, but does not show any interest in stepping up to vie for the top spot himself. To further reveal the fractures, a top-ranking party insider spoke out publicly recently on social media, expressing his discontent with comments from leadership candidate Zach Churchill and MLA Kelly Regan regarding MacLellan's new role. For a Liberal party that needs to be in recovery mode, Mombourquette seemingly overlooks the impressive and progressive criteria for backing Angela Simmonds, MLA for Preston, for party leader—a lawyer, a business owner, and a former teen mom who wrote her final high school exams with her baby son on her lap.

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A Cape Breton Regional Municipality Video Podcast.

Never mind the title of Premier, the captain of the Liberal Party was Stephen McNeil, and he's gone.

And from the state of the party now, it looks like Houston's successful election win wasn't just the start of his term, but perhaps the start of an era.

He may have a run of 12 to 16 years ahead of him.

But what does that mean for McNeil's loyal soldiers like Derek Mumberkat?

Hi, I'm Joe Ward of Boxer Shorts Media, and in contrast to Jeff McClellan, I think Mumberkat, MLA for Sydney member too, has himself in a bit of political limbo right now.

With Stephen McNeil's departure, the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia has fallen into disarray.

They backed a weak premier candidate who carried the kind of baggage they should have known to avoid, but didn't.

And a series of issues emerged, all on the side of the ethical spectrum a political party doesn't want to find themselves on.

Neither Derek Bumbercat nor Jeff McClellan stepped up to offer his party leader, even though there was a case for both, particularly for McClellan.

However, McClellan knew when to jump ship and has since removed himself from political exile by shaking hands with Houston and giving a strong indication that despite being raised up politically under a liberal roof, he was serious about trying to work in a bipartisan manner.

We'll see where it goes from here, but he certainly stirred up controversy among the Liberal ranks.

In a series of tweets, conservative-turned-Liberal insider Stephen Tobin took exception with some tweets from Zach Churchill and Kelly Regan.

CBC described Tobin's role with the Liberal government as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Premier Ian Rankin's office and formerly Director of Strategic Communications under Premier Stephen McNeill.

Tobin didn't mince words and rather than give you a snippet, let's take a look at each of the tweets.

Before I do, keep that role of Director of Strategic Communications in mind.

Referring to the Churchill and Reagan tweets he took exception to, the following tweet thread began.

"'Anyone who is curious about the current state of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia, and wondering how they have dropped from a strong majority government into the bowels of political oblivion, needn't look any further than these 2 backhanded, double-edged, petulant statements.

Jeff McClellan was 1 of the most conciliatory politicians in recent memory.

He built and maintained positive relationships across party lines in the best interests of Nova Scotians.

In this case, he and Tim Houston have taken the high road.

Meanwhile, his former colleagues simply can't seem to help themselves.

They continue down the path of juvenile chirping, likened to the halls of junior high, which only solidifies why the party is in disarray and why it has lost and continues to lose people of substance.

If liberals in this province ever want to pave a potential path back to government, which at this rate seems highly improbable in the short term, then it starts with dismantling the cabal of childish nonsense and quite frankly, growing up.

Whether this uncharacteristic candor from an insider is based on running into issues within the party for himself or not, there's no doubt that this represents the type of frustration that breaks free from the control of a fractured party.

This same Zach Churchill is running for leadership now and it's 1 of his comments that a Cape Breton Liberal Party insider was referencing.

A top insider who was able to climb as close to the top as you can get without being elected.

But it's the same Zach Churchill that Derek Mumberkat just endorsed for Liberal Party leader and there are problems with that beyond what I presume would be disapproval from Tobin.

Firstly, if Mumbercat planned to stay within a defeated Liberal Party, held under the shadow of a now popular Houston-led government, if the polls are at all accurate, then he should have stepped up to run for leadership himself and gave Cape Breton another chance at a locally grown premier.

However, unlike McClellan, Mumbercat seems to be unable to read the room, and Given that he isn't stepping up, but he is remaining within the party, why would he endorse 1 of the McNeil boys?

Isn't this an ideal opportunity to give the party the change in direction that the election results have confirmed we need, instead of just supporting your frat house brother?

I know people enjoy discovering fines among heavy garbage, but to get a fresh start, shouldn't we give up on the idea of recycling worn out parts of the previous version of the party?

Without McNeil, they can't hold the line.

What would Mumbercat do if he was serious about building a viable new party?

Well, let's take a look at the bio of 1 of the alternative Liberal Party leadership candidates.

Angela is the MLA for Preston and the Deputy Speaker of the Nova Scotia legislature.

Prior to entering public life, she was a lawyer and small business owner.

Her and her husband, Dean, have 3 children and they are proud grandparents.

Angela is bringing a fresh perspective to politics in Nova Scotia.

Angela Simmons wrote her high school exams with her newborn son on her lap, and then went on to become a lawyer, a small business owner, an elected MLA, and Deputy Speaker of the Nova Scotia Legislature, breaking through a white ceiling to get there.

What's not to like about her unique profile for leadership in a world that needs progress and distance from the stale ideas and the cookie cutter creation of the next generation of government old boys?

He's not contributing to the reformation of the Liberal Party.

He's failing to read the room the way his colleague Jeff McClellan has.

But he may still be able to take enough photos in front of local provincial construction projects to hold on to Sydney member to while the Houston government seemingly continues to thrive even during their risky moves with their handling of the COVID-19 transition after the vaccination rollout.

Mumberkat's choice to stand aside, to not pursue the leadership and to endorse the status quo will keep him in political limbo, but may make RV camper season a bit more fun than usual.

For more videos from Boxer Shorts Media, subscribe now via your choice of YouTube or Facebook.


Speaker 0: Never mind the title of Premier, the captain of the Liberal Party was Stephen McNeil, and he's gone. And from the state of the party now, it looks like Houston's successful election win wasn't just the start of his term, but perhaps the start of an era. He may have a run of 12 to 16 years ahead of him. But what does that mean for McNeil's loyal soldiers like Derek Mumberkat? Hi, I'm Joe Ward of Boxer Shorts Media, and in contrast to Jeff McClellan, I think Mumberkat, MLA for Sydney member too, has himself in a bit of political limbo right now.

With Stephen McNeil's departure, the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia has fallen into disarray. They backed a weak premier candidate who carried the kind of baggage they should have known to avoid, but didn't. And a series of issues emerged, all on the side of the ethical spectrum a political party doesn't want to find themselves on. Neither Derek Bumbercat nor Jeff McClellan stepped up to offer his party leader, even though there was a case for both, particularly for McClellan. However, McClellan knew when to jump ship and has since removed himself from political exile by shaking hands with Houston and giving a strong indication that despite being raised up politically under a liberal roof, he was serious about trying to work in a bipartisan manner.

We'll see where it goes from here, but he certainly stirred up controversy among the Liberal ranks. In a series of tweets, conservative-turned-Liberal insider Stephen Tobin took exception with some tweets from Zach Churchill and Kelly Regan. CBC described Tobin's role with the Liberal government as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Premier Ian Rankin's office and formerly Director of Strategic Communications under Premier Stephen McNeill. Tobin didn't mince words and rather than give you a snippet, let's take a look at each of the tweets. Before I do, keep that role of Director of Strategic Communications in mind.

Referring to the Churchill and Reagan tweets he took exception to, the following tweet thread began. "'Anyone who is curious about the current state of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia, and wondering how they have dropped from a strong majority government into the bowels of political oblivion, needn't look any further than these 2 backhanded, double-edged, petulant statements. Jeff McClellan was 1 of the most conciliatory politicians in recent memory. He built and maintained positive relationships across party lines in the best interests of Nova Scotians. In this case, he and Tim Houston have taken the high road.

Meanwhile, his former colleagues simply can't seem to help themselves. They continue down the path of juvenile chirping, likened to the halls of junior high, which only solidifies why the party is in disarray and why it has lost and continues to lose people of substance. If liberals in this province ever want to pave a potential path back to government, which at this rate seems highly improbable in the short term, then it starts with dismantling the cabal of childish nonsense and quite frankly, growing up. Whether this uncharacteristic candor from an insider is based on running into issues within the party for himself or not, there's no doubt that this represents the type of frustration that breaks free from the control of a fractured party. But here's the thing.

This same Zach Churchill is running for leadership now and it's 1 of his comments that a Cape Breton Liberal Party insider was referencing. A top insider who was able to climb as close to the top as you can get without being elected. But it's the same Zach Churchill that Derek Mumberkat just endorsed for Liberal Party leader and there are problems with that beyond what I presume would be disapproval from Tobin. Firstly, if Mumbercat planned to stay within a defeated Liberal Party, held under the shadow of a now popular Houston-led government, if the polls are at all accurate, then he should have stepped up to run for leadership himself and gave Cape Breton another chance at a locally grown premier. That would be leadership for home.

However, unlike McClellan, Mumbercat seems to be unable to read the room, and Given that he isn't stepping up, but he is remaining within the party, why would he endorse 1 of the McNeil boys? Isn't this an ideal opportunity to give the party the change in direction that the election results have confirmed we need, instead of just supporting your frat house brother? I know people enjoy discovering fines among heavy garbage, but to get a fresh start, shouldn't we give up on the idea of recycling worn out parts of the previous version of the party? Without McNeil, they can't hold the line. What would Mumbercat do if he was serious about building a viable new party?

Well, let's take a look at the bio of 1 of the alternative Liberal Party leadership candidates. Angela is the MLA for Preston and the Deputy Speaker of the Nova Scotia legislature. Prior to entering public life, she was a lawyer and small business owner. Her and her husband, Dean, have 3 children and they are proud grandparents. Angela is bringing a fresh perspective to politics in Nova Scotia.

Angela Simmons wrote her high school exams with her newborn son on her lap, and then went on to become a lawyer, a small business owner, an elected MLA, and Deputy Speaker of the Nova Scotia Legislature, breaking through a white ceiling to get there. What's not to like about her unique profile for leadership in a world that needs progress and distance from the stale ideas and the cookie cutter creation of the next generation of government old boys? Mumbercat isn't stepping up. He's backing the wrong horse. He's not contributing to the reformation of the Liberal Party.

He's failing to read the room the way his colleague Jeff McClellan has. But he may still be able to take enough photos in front of local provincial construction projects to hold on to Sydney member to while the Houston government seemingly continues to thrive even during their risky moves with their handling of the COVID-19 transition after the vaccination rollout. Mumberkat's choice to stand aside, to not pursue the leadership and to endorse the status quo will keep him in political limbo, but may make RV camper season a bit more fun than usual. At least that part I can understand. For more videos from Boxer Shorts Media, subscribe now via your choice of YouTube or Facebook.

You you

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Mombo Limbo: Questionable decisions for a Liberal recovery—A Cape Breton Podcast with Joe Ward - E44