By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Jun 12, CMC – Minister for Labour, Public Service Reform, Social Partnership, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, Miriam Blanchard, has resigned, Speaker of the Dominica Parliament, Joseph Isaac, announced on Friday.
In a statement announcing her resignation, Isaac said he had received a June 9, 2026, letter from Blanchard on Friday, advising of her resignation as the Member of Parliament for the Roseau North Constituency.
Last August, Blanchard, who had been a member of the cabinet since 2016, had sought medical treatment overseas for an undisclosed illness. She had also served as Minister for Public Workers and Ports as well as Planning and Economic Development in successive Dominica Labour Party (DLP) administrations headed by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Skerrit has made no public statement regarding the resignation of Blanchard, with the Speaker indicating that Section 119. (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica provides that the resignation of a Member of the House of Assembly takes effect upon the Speaker’s receipt of the letter.
Isaac thanked Blanchard “for her service to her constituents and to the people of Dominica and wishes her the very best.”
A by-election is scheduled to be held within 90 days.
Meanwhile, the executive committee of the minority Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) said it has accepted the resignation letter of Bernard Hurtault, who had served as interim political leader of the party for more than five years.
In a statement, the DFP, which formed the government here between 1980 and 1995, said that it wanted to thank Hurtault “for his service to the party,” which was “formed in 1968 “on democratic principles and the rule of law to advance good, accountable, and responsible governance in Dominica.
“The party has served the people of Dominica well and faithfully while in opposition, as well as in government, and has always fostered that of good governance, aimed at uplifting the standard of political discourse, as well as fostering a high level of participatory engagement in forging a clear path to develop the country democratically and economically for all citizens,” it added.
The party said that it wishes to assure its members and the pubic “that it remains resolute in its pursuit of a better Dominica…while at the same time building a stronger Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) going forward”.
CMC/cj/ir/2026
Statement by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Isaac, on the Resignation of the Member of Parliament for the Roseau North Constituency, Hon. Miriam Blanchard
Friday, June 12, 2026
I wish to inform the public that I received a letter today, June 12, 2026, from the Honourable Miriam Blanchard, dated June 9, 2026, advising of her resignation as the Member of Parliament for the Roseau North Constituency.
In her correspondence, Hon. Blanchard indicated that her decision to resign was made on medical grounds.
Section 119 (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica provides that the resignation of a Member of the House of Assembly takes effect upon the Speaker’s receipt of the letter.
119. (1) The President may resign his office, and a Representative or Senator may resign his seat, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker, and the resignation shall take effect, and the office or seat shall accordingly become vacant, when the writing is received by the Speaker
On behalf of the House of Assembly, I thank Hon. Blanchard for her service to her constituents and to the people of Dominica and wish her the very best