Seniors and Housing Minister John Abbott is resigning his seat in the House of Assembly to settle a court challenge of the 2021 pandemic provincial election.

Abbott will continue to serve in cabinet until the end of the summer, but does not intend to seek re-election. Abbott recently ran to become premier in the Liberal leadership race, but lost to John Hogan.

Abbott had won the district of St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi by just 53 votes over former NDP leader Alison Coffin. But Coffin, along with former PC candidates Jim Lester and Sheila Fitzgerald, and prospective voter Whymarrh Whitby, challenged the results in certain districts. They were contesting how Elections N.L. handled the transition to special ballot voting when a COVID-19 outbreak forced the suspension of in-person voting.

After years of delays, Coffin’s challenge was supposed to go to trial June 16, but she is now withdrawing her application.

Abbott was not at fault for what happened, but Elections N.L. has admitted errors in administration of some special ballots.

Elections N.L. released the following statement”

“The 2021 General Election, which took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was an unprecedented election, not just in Newfoundland and Labrador but in Canada – other provinces as well as the Federal government also had to grapple with these challenges during COVID-19 elections. The rapid onset of heightened restrictions across the Province resulted in an election primarily conducted through mail-in ballots.

“Elections Newfoundland & Labrador acknowledges that there were errors in the administration of some special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi as a result of the unprecedented actions taken to conduct the election amidst the pandemic and its associated public health restrictions. While the parties remain hopeful that the need for a pandemic election does not arise again, conducting an election in a pandemic provided a significant opportunity to consider how elections can be conducted in an ever-changing world. Since the 2021 general election, Elections Newfoundland & Labrador has implemented a new Elections Management System to manage Special Ballot Voting, Voter Registration, and other administrative functions of election events. This new system has been successfully used in all by-elections conducted by Elections Newfoundland & Labrador since 2021.

“Elections Newfoundland & Labrador remains committed to conducting all provincial elections in a manner which is fair, impartial, and in compliance with the law. Elections Newfoundland & Labrador is therefore committed to working with all parties, candidates, and electors to the betterment of the elections process moving forward.

“While the parties remain in disagreement on the extent to which any errors affected the result of the election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi, in recognition of the importance of maintaining confidence and integrity in our electoral system as well as avoiding the public expense of a lengthy trial, the Honourable John G. Abbott, E.C.N.L., the Member of the House of Assembly for the District of St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi, Minister of Seniors, and the Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, will step down from his elected office. As stated by the Court of Appeal, Mr. Abbott is accused of no wrongdoing in his participation in the 2021 General Election.

“The official results of the 2021 election in St. John’s East- Quidi Vidi separated Ms. Coffin and Mr. Abbott by 53 votes. Given Mr. Abbott’s decision to step down from his seat, Ms. Coffin has agreed to withdraw the controverted elections application. Ms. Coffin’s objective through these proceedings has been to ensure integrity and confidence in the electoral system and acknowledges this result is best for the parties and the public alike.

“All parties agree that Mr. Whymarrh Whitby was inadvertently disenfranchised in the 2021 General Election and ought to have had the opportunity to vote in the St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi District. Mr. Whitby has remained a valuable non-partisan participant in the controverted elections action. All parties acknowledge Mr. Whitby’s dedication and participation in this process and would like to thank him for bringing important issues forward to improve the electoral process for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the future.

“All parties wish to thank Mr. Abbott for his sacrifice in resigning his seat in the public interest in preventing a lengthy trial and the public expense associated with it, even though the parties remain in disagreement over whether the administrative errors affected the 2021 election result in St. John’s East Quidi Vidi. All parties wish to thank Mr. Whitby and Ms. Coffin for their persistence and dedication in bringing these democratic concerns to the public and court’s attention.

“The parties have agreed to resolve these legal proceedings voluntarily and with a shared commitment to democratic values and fair and impartial elections in Newfoundland and Labrador.”