Lloyd Parrott, first to enter race to guide the PC Party, says 'now is the time to lead'

Nominations won't open until next spring, and a new leader won't be crowned for another 466 days, but that's not stopping Terra Nova MHA Lloyd Parrott.

He wants to be the next leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador after the votes are counted next fall.

"I have decided now is the time to lead," Parrott said Tuesday from his office in Clarenville.

Parrott announced his leadership aspirations on social media Monday evening, making him the first to enter the race to lead a party that has not held power since 2015, and has lost three consecutive elections to the governing Liberals.

Nominations open on May 17, and a leadership convention is scheduled for Oct. 13-15, 2023.

"This isn't me making an announcement to feel this process out. I'm in. And I'm in 100 per cent. And I'm in it to win it," Parrott said.

Conception Bay East-Bell Island MHA David Brazil has served as interim PC leader for 15 months, replacing Ches Crosbie in March 2021 after the PCs won 13 of 40 seats in last winter's election. Crosbie also lost his own seat in Windsor Lake.

When reached on Tuesday afternoon, Brazil said he is considering a run at the leadership, and expects to make a decision in September.

Meanwhile, Parrott said he entered the race early because he needs time to connect with voters throughout the province, acknowledging that he's not a household name.

"Obviously name recognition is a big part of what's going to happen here. I need to grow who I am organically across the province and give people an opportunity to know me," he said during an interview. 

Parrott took aim at the Liberals in his launch video, saying the party "has become more about the individual self-advancement of members than the will of the people."

Parrott was first elected in 2019 after serving two years as a town councillor in Clarenville, defeating incumbent Liberal Colin Holloway.

During last year's chaotic pandemic election, the Liberals put forward high-profile candidate Steve Denty, but Parrott survived the challenge.

He entered politics after a varied career as a soldier in the Canadian army and in private industry.      Now the father of two and Clarenville resident has his sights set on his party's leadership and the premier's office.