Leacock : Eustace led the walkout, not me

Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown St Clair Leacock is refuting claims that he was responsible for leading the walk out of Parliament during the March 26 sitting of the House.{{more}}

According to Leacock, he did not do so, as was reported in the media last week. Rather, the walk out was led by Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace, he said.

Leacock’s comment supported an earlier statement by Eustace that it was he who led the walk out.

Eustace, responding to a question put forward on the issue of crime at a media briefing on April 3, said that while debating the Interviewing for Suspects of Serious Crimes Bill 2012 in Parliament, Leacock kept referring to aspects of the New Democratic Party’s Social Redemption Charter.

The Social Redemption Charter had been on the order paper during the last sitting of the House, but could not be debated, as time had run out.

The Leader of the Opposition explained that the NDP first put the motion forward in Parliament in 2003 and that it was now 2012.

“We brought it back a second time in the recognition of the state of crime in this country, and when we were blocked from debating it, Mr Leacock in his presentation used some of the aspects of our motion in justification for support we were giving to another Bill on crime,” said Eustace.

He contended that the opposition was not allowed to use anything from the Social Redemption Charter, adding that they were not in conflict with the Bill, that was being debated.

“We were going to support the Bill and he (Leacock) said so on more than one occasion, and the Speaker of the House was trying to stop him, and that was the time I took the position that we were leaving,” Eustace explained. (DD)