Dumville says 3-year rift led to resignation from Liberal caucus

Former Liberal MLA BushDumvillesays his resignation from the partycaucuslast week was a long time coming, fuelled by a rocky relationship with Premier WadeMacLauchlan that started months before the 2015 election.

Dumville brokehis silence Wednesday on his reasons for leaving the Liberal caucus and sitting as an independent, a week afterhanding in his resignation letter toMacLauchlan.

• Bush Dumville resigns from Liberal Party, will sit as an independent

"I definitely made the right decision [in resigning]," he said.

"I should've made it long ago possibly."

Dumvillewas first elected as a Liberal MLA in 2007 and again in 2011 under the RobertGhizgovernment.

He said it was afterGhizresigned, and MacLauchlanwas announced as the lone candidate to take over as Liberal leader and premier in January 2015, thatDumvillestarted to question his place within the party.

In what wasa rare occurrencein provincialpolitics,Dumville, the incumbent, was told he would be challenged for the nomination in his district WestRoyalty-Springvale by schoolprincipal Windsor Wight.

Told he wouldn't be in cabinet

Even after winning the seat for the Liberals in the two previous elections, he said he became convinced the party wanted him out, and Wight in.

"I don't mind if someone legitimately comes off the floor," Dumville said. "But when it's party backed, that's when I get a little annoyed."

Dumvillesaid he met withMacLauchlanto discuss the issue. He said the premier told him that even if he won, he wouldn't be in cabinet.

"And that was before I had the nomination. So that was just a dirty trick telling me to buzz off. That's what that was," he said.

Dumvillewent on to win the nomination in his district by just 11 votes, and held onto his seat in the spring election of 2015.

But from day one,he says he never felt welcome as a member ofMacLauchlan'scaucus.

The way I'vebeen treated ...is just sit back there in the corner, keep your mouth shut, vote when we want you to vote and toe the party line. Bush Dumville

"The way I'vebeen treated ...is just sit back there in the corner, keep your mouth shut, vote when we want you to vote and toe the party line. Andwe're not going to say please or thank you or anything," he said.

Dumvillesaid he threatened to resign from caucus a year ago, after fellow MLA Pat Murphy was promoted to cabinet over him, but reconsidered at MacLauchlan's request.

Finally, last week,Dumville saidhe reached his wits' end withMacLauchlanand the Liberal caucus.

Dumvillesaid at the founding meeting for his newly redrawn district where district executive members were elected,the person he supported for presidentdidn't win an outcome he believes was orchestrated by the premier and the party.

"What really got me that night is I saw them bringing in the troops. They put their own candidate forward. The premier put a collar around my neck that night," Dumville said.

"This is about a sense of fair play and how you treat people.You don't push people out. You run a fair fight."

Liberal Party says 'democratic process' fair

Scott Barry, the president of the Liberal party, said he is disappointed Dumvilledidn't see the competition in both elections as a good thing for the party, and said the rules were followed.

"The district executive and provincial executive, whenever you're dealing in the context of a contested nomination, their objective is to hold a fair and democratic process," Barry said.

"Just because someone is an incumbent ... there's no rule that says someone can't challenge them, it's always been an open process, as it should be."

Barry went on to say the situation at the founding meeting was much the same.

"It was a situation where we had, with these new boundaries you have polls that are moving from one district to another so there's new members that are then going to have an opportunity to attend and participate in these founding meetings."

No decision on future

Dumvillesaid he will continue as an independent MLA until the next election.

He said he hasn't decided whether to attempt to run again for another party, or to end his decade-longpolitical career.

"Everything's on the table," he said. "And if Bush has to get on his Harley, and drive off into the sunset, that's wonderful. And if the people of P.E.I. think Bush's integrity is worth keeping around, Bush will stay around and let the Harleysit for a while."

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