ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell Thursday defended his decision to dismiss Youth and Sports Minister Jonathan LaCrette from his Cabinet, saying he had lost confidence in him.
Mitchell told a news conference that on Tuesday, he had advised Governor General Dame Cécile La Grenade to recall LaCrette’s appointments as a minister and a senator.
Mitchell said that he has since thanked LaCrette “for his service to the government and people of Grenada as a minister of government and as a senator and for being given the opportunity to serve in the Cabinet.
“The reason for doing so is that as prime minister, sitting in the Cabinet, I formed the view that I had personally lost trust and confidence in Mr. LaCrette in his capacity as a minister, and in those circumstances, I thought it was appropriate for me to inform him of that fact and to inform his fellow Cabinet colleagues.”
Mitchell said the exchange occurred during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which he chaired one day after chairing the 47th regular meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders held here July 28-30.
“I want to emphasize there is no personal issue between Mr. LaCrette and me. I am quite fond of him, and he and the government ministers have no personal issues. They have an excellent relationship,” Mitchell said, adding, “This is purely an issue of my prime ministerial discretion about Mr. LaCrette as a minister.” Watch video
He said he wanted to clarify that if he loses any minister’s trust and confidence, “the only appropriate thing to do would be to allow that minister to be relieved of the burden of ministerial duties.”
Mitchell said he appreciates that the dismissal ought to be discussed, whether in the media or elsewhere, but he maintained, “I will not get into the nitty-gritty of the details because they are not appropriate given the fact that it is a trust and confidence issue.”
He has since named Education Minister David Andrew to act as the Minister of Youth and Sports “until I make a further decision as to the substantive post to the Minister of Youth and Sports or any further Cabinet re-alignment.”
Mitchell said that LaCrette remains a member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), adding, “I look forward to continuing to work with him in that capacity as a member of the National Democratic Congress.
Lauretta was appointed a senator after he failed to win the St George’s Northwest constituency in the June 2022 general elections. He was initially appointed as the Health Minister, but in a cabinet reshuffle in January 2024, he was reassigned to serve as the Youth and Sports Minister.
Mitchell dismissed suggestions that he had made a “mistake’ in bringing LaCrette into the Cabinet, given that he had shifted him once and removed him from office two years after the NDC won the elections.
“Former minister LaCrette…. is a member of the National Democratic Congress, and I have the privilege of appointing any member who is willing to serve as a senator or as a government minister.
“You have to appreciate that governance and politics are dynamic. Too often, we seem to think that how you start is how you finish. That’s not just the reality of life, so I have made a mistake.
“You are entitled to make decisions, review them, and adjust them as you see fit based on the circumstances of what is happening. So I don’t view my decision-making in the context of a mistake,” Mitchell said, leaving the door open for a possible return of LaCrette.
Download video – Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on firing minister
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