Da Legal Stuff...

All commentaries published on Web Talk are the opinions of the contributor(s) only and do not necessarily represent the position of any other individuals, groups or organizations.

Now, with that out of the way...Let's Web Talk.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Lessons on Labrador Issues

With the federal election behind us many people are wondering if the narrow Conservative minority can move forward with any of its policies. Some wonder what the make up of the new Conservative cabinet will be and others wonder how long the new government can reasonably hang on to power. I’ve been thinking about many of those questions myself, but today my thoughts run much closer to home. Today my thoughts are right here in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador or more specifically Labrador itself.

For decades there has been a sort of rift between the “Big Land” and the island. Many people in the mainland portion of the Province feel misunderstood or even abused by the island based government and in addition to this there are many issues in Labrador that don’t necessarily exist in our neck of the woods so to speak.

I for one can certainly sympathize with the fine folks to our North, but I have to admit that never having actually lived there, in some ways I’m an outsider when it comes to understanding their local issues. I’ve always tried to understand and see the point of view taken by our brothers and sisters up there, so today I’d like to improve my knowledge a little more.

For decades Labradoreans have been asking islanders to understand their perspective so today I make you an offer. In the following paragraphs I will honestly and openly discuss my limited understanding of some of the major federal issues in Labrador as I understand them. I know a lot of the problems in your area are more likely Provincial in nature, but in light of the recent election and in an effort to bite off chewable chunks so to speak, I’ll limit myself to federal issues for the moment. After I give you my perspective, I will extend an offer to all present and past residents of the big land to help enlighten me on the realities of their situation.

Here goes:

As I understand it, aside from the more common issues we all have such as jobs, development and the fisheries, perhaps the top three federally related issues specific to Labrador are the completion of the Trans Labrador Highway, the survival of 5 Wing Goose and Native issues such as the reserve at Sheshatshiu and the general improvement of the conditions and lives of the areas indigenous populations. (not necessarily in that order)

This is where my puzzlement comes from this morning. I guess I am asking for clarification on these points to ensure that I haven’t been under a misunderstanding of what is really important to the residents of Labrador. The reason I’m puzzled is because if these truly are the key federal issues in the area, it seems to me that the most likely result of Monday’s election would have been to send Mr. Goudie to Ottawa, not Todd Russell, yet here we are with another Liberal representative.

Here is my perspective on the situation as it relates to the reserve and other Native issues. The Liberals stated that they would indeed open the reserve at Sheshatshiu by the date specified in Premier Williams letter to the leaders (I believe June), while Mr. Harper stated that he would not commit to a precise date however he did make the following statement:

“…every effort would be made to proceed in a timely fashion, it would be premature to commit to a timeline until consultations have taken place and a satisfactory agreement has been struck with the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation.”

My understanding of both commitments is:

A: The Liberals would develop the reserve on schedule. Nothing more or less.

B: The Conservatives would develop the reserve after consultations with the affected peoples. Yes, it would have been nice to have provided a firm date for the opening, but so it goes. The nature of consultations often precludes such hard constraints. The likely intent of those talks would be to ensure that the initiative is carried out correctly and most beneficially for all involved. Likely it is also to ensure that a plan developed by their predecessors truly is the best approach. I have heard many Native spokespersons, and Labradoreans in general for that matter, often state that nobody listens to them and they are never consulted. In this light I would think the Conservative approach would be a good one for the area.

From a policy perspective, the Conservatives have said on several occasions that when it comes to providing funding for Native initiatives they are in favor of doing just that but unlike the Liberal approach they would need to ensure accountability of how the money is being used and where it is being spent. Again, from an outsider’s perspective that sounds reasonable when you consider the countless millions that have been spent over the years and the fact that it hasn’t really solved a lot of the major issues for our Native peoples.

Am I off base on this?

Next, with regard to the Trans Labrador Highway, the Conservative party has clearly stated that they would cost share its completion. The Liberal party simply said that since the highway was now a part of the National Highway System it would be eligible for funding like all other highways. In essence this means it would go into the pool and have to compete for available funding with other road networks. My take on that approach is simple, if you have to compete for funding with highways in highly populated centers with heavy commercial and tourist traffic the completion of the TLH could be a long time coming. (as if it hasn’t been already)

On 5 Wing, while the Liberal party committed primarily to promoting the base for foreign training and throwing money at the problem in the form of portable threat emitters, instrumented pods, training equipment, ACOA funds and an aerial surveillance craft, the Conservatives committed to a real solution. Correct me if I’m wrong but none of the Liberal initiatives seem to me like they are going to give the people of Labrador what they want, which is a functioning manned and operational base that will provide jobs and generally improve the economic situation in the area.

The Conservatives on the other hand have clearly identified a plan to also promote the base for foreign training and to station a 650 person battalion at there, making it a truly operational requirement. In addition to this their policy generally is to grow the military and since 5 Wing is a major base on the East coast, this growth could very well provide even more future opportunities for growth.

I ask you again, am I of base on this one? (No pun intended)

Well folks, there it is, my understanding of the top three federally related issues in Labrador today. With the understanding I have, you may be able to see why I have difficulty understanding why a Liberal is once again being sent to Ottawa by the people of the big land.

I’m sure that like anywhere else there are tons of other issues and as a person who honestly wants to learn more about his Province I ask you help me out. Let me know what the other major issues are, tell me where I’ve gone off base and if I haven’t, please let me know why another Liberal MP is packing his bags for Ottawa.

Thank-you and I look forward to hearing a great deal of insights from our brothers and sisters to the North.

Footnote: Practically every time I write a piece related to Labrador it elicits a response from a reader known simply as WJM. I can only assume this article will not be different. As always everyone is welcome to put their views forward however it’s only fair to our readers to make a couple of points clear.

Most of WJM’s comments are very pro-liberal, regardless of the issue or even the Liberal stance, nothing wrong with that in and of itself however during the recent election it was hinted by someone that this person might actually be working inside the Liberal machine, perhaps on a campaign. He was asked on a couple of occasions who he was working for and he refused to respond. In fact he hasn’t commented since. I tell you this not to pass judgment but simply to make our readers aware of the situation and to allow them to guide themselves accordingly, when reading this contributor’s comments.

11 comments:

NL-ExPatriate said...

Thank-You Patriot for this exposee on the Big Land.
I'm looking forward to some feed back to help better understand out Bretheren.

Brian said...

Without putting too much thought into what is best for Labrador, if one wants to attempt to get a handle on Labrador and its issues, you would have to also pack your bags and move up here for several years.
Then the complications really begin.
If you move to central Labrador you would not learn anything about the three other regions. If you move to the North same result and so on.
Mind you, this applies to all regions, countries of the world.
It is an interesting exercise you put forth though; let’s hope you get some input from the proletariat.

Brian said...

To address why a Liberal has been sent to Ottawa again, perchance there are about 1000 more stunned Liberal supporters than stunned Conservative supports LOL LOL.
Seriously though, I’m not sure what that has to do with the way ahead. One could ask why the 3 Liberals were sent to Ottawa from other ridings in NL. Why ridings on the Avalon sent Conservatives to Ottawa all these past Liberal years. Why did 3 ridings in GTA send NDP when it was well known that the rest of the ridings would be red or blue.

I would agree that the process of development, both economic and social, has to change. The present system of entitlements, cronyism, who you know at what department, and how did you vote has to change. It has led us to where we are now; there is just too much room for corruption, turning your head when you see things are wrong for fear of retribution if you speak out. This is pervasive throughout the three levels of government [well three on the North Coast]. We were promised change in this area by MR. Williams, from here nothing has changed, or is it just a coincidence that the best people for all the new postings just happen to be PC minded.

Will things change under M. Harper, only time will tell.

Patriot said...

To Brian,

You are right of course. One has to wonder why people in various districts throughout the province voted the way they did. Central is a great example where the weather office with 125,000 signatures for its return and a clear promise from the Conservatives should have secured a win but didn't.

Once again you are right about the diversity of issues across the big land. That in essence is what I am hoping to learn more about. People in Labrador often say that nobody listens to their concerns. I'm not a government official nor do I have any real power to do anything for them, but for what its worth, I am willing to listen and learn. I just hope someone will start talking.

NL-ExPatriate said...

The Gander Mayor publicly stated in newspapers that he favored the Liberal plan.
Short sightedness at best with little or no concern for NL citizens safety and wishes with signing the petition.

Anonymous said...

Steve here,

Too bad that despite many prior posts regarding issues of importance to Labrador, that so little in the way of response is received. I frankly am surprised that wjm has not chosen to respond.

As to Brian's comment, while it is best to walk a while in someone's shoes, that's frankly not possible when you move beyond your neighborhood.

That's why communication is so important.

I've refrained from commenting too much regarding the elections from last week, because the issues and concerns should be addressed solely from a Canadian viewpoint. However, to the question as to why certain districts continue to vote the way they have in the past, the answer at least here in the US is usually a combination of two or three conditions.

Rarely is it complete satisfaction with the incumbent. I can't say never but it is rare.

Most often is a lack of clear and effective alternative being presented to the voting public.

And all too often is a cynicism that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

Individuals can't usually directly address the third situation, but I firmly believe that the cynical public fails to admit that the fault is their own.

The second situation about not having a clear alternative is the muddy middle. Effective presentation of alternatives means that the communication and media outlets really need to be available. All too often they are not in any meaningful way, with decisions on what is newsworthy precluding some discussions, and slanted reporting either by intent or by political myopia, But the alternatives themselves really need the time and effort to lay out positions which reflect a consistent and understandable political philosophy. Whether you admire or hate Reagan he serves as a good example of this, taking almost 2 decades of moving pebbles before the change he advocated occurred (and in some respects are still occuring)

I don't think it's sufficient to say that the opposition is bad and my candidate is good. That plays into the cynicism of the voting electorate.

If you want change, realize that a political structure is very much like the sand propped up at the top of an hour glass by a couple of pebbles. Even though it is an effort to remove the pebbles once it happens the sands begin to fall. And yet there must still be time for the sand to fully pass through to the bottom. You need to remove the pebble of cynicism, and the pebble of blocked communications, and not the least the pebble of a clear alternative.

It is only that way that change can occur.

Patriot said...

Hi Crazy, good to hear from you again.

I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed as well in the lack of response for this commentary. I always here folks from the big land commenting that nobody listens and nobody understands.

I hate to use a federal election slogan here but here goes. "Why not speak up while everyone is listening"

WJM said...

The Gander Mayor publicly stated in newspapers that he favored the Liberal plan.
Short sightedness at best with little or no concern for NL citizens safety and wishes with signing the petition.


What's short-sighted about that? It goes to show that the Gander thing was about jobs in the local economy, not the accuracy of the weather forecast.

I grew up with Gander forecasting the weather for Labrador. I don't remember it being any more accurate than Halifax.

The accuracy of Gander vs. Halifax could easily be verified by a high school student as a science fair project.

Patriot said...

Well, well, well. Welcome back WJM, I wondered how long you could resist a comment.

The fact is that it doesn't matter if it was about the jobs for the mayor, for most of the people who signed that petition, including myself, it was about the safety and accuracy of forcasting more than anything else.

You say you don't notice any difference in the accuracy of the forcasting so what you are really saying is that an office in Halifax (or Quebec) that must evaluate weather conditions for the entire Atlantic region has the same ability (and enough concern) to focus on NL as would an office that is solely responsible for that task only. That my friend does not make sense.

Finally, as I said, welcome back but I am still wondering about the question you didn't answer a couple of weeks ago. I will pose it again very clearly this time:

Do you now, or did you during the election campaign, work for the Liberal party or any of its candidates or representatives?

WJM said...

For decades there has been a sort of rift between the “Big Land” and the island.

Decades?

Try centuries.

As I understand it, aside from the more common issues we all have such as jobs, development and the fisheries, perhaps the top three federally related issues specific to Labrador are the completion of the Trans Labrador Highway,

The completion of the TLH is primarily a provincial responsibility.

I can understand why Newfoundlanders are so eager to make this a federal responsibility. It gets their own province off the hook, means they don't have to spend as much of their Labrador revenue in Labrador, and so on.

But the fact remains: 90% of the money that has EVER been spent on the TLH has come from the federal government.

The question is not when the federal government is going to kick in its share.

The question is when is the province going to kick in its.

Labrador is part of a province. Right?

A: The Liberals would develop the reserve on schedule. Nothing more or less.

B: The Conservatives would develop the reserve after consultations with the affected peoples.


Those consultations have been ongoing for a long time with the current Innu leadership and the federal government.

Sheshatshiu voted solidly for Todd Russell, so unless you have some special insight, you may wish to defer to their judgment of whose plan was better.

Next, with regard to the Trans Labrador Highway, the Conservative party has clearly stated that they would cost share its completion. The Liberal party simply said that since the highway was now a part of the National Highway System it would be eligible for funding like all other highways.

No, not like all other highways. Like other NHS highways.

In essence this means it would go into the pool and have to compete for available funding with other road networks.

And gosh, then the provincial government of Newfoudland and Newfoundland might actually have to make a choice! Do we put the money into the TLH or into Tom Rideout's district? Shock! Horror! Newfoundland might actually be called upon to support Labrador for once.

Can't have that, now, can we?

My take on that approach is simple, if you have to compete for funding with highways in highly populated centers with heavy commercial and tourist traffic the completion of the TLH could be a long time coming. (as if it hasn’t been already)

The only highways that the TLH would have to compete with, are other NHS highways in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Did you notice that Harper never put a cost-sharing figure to his "cost-sharing" promise?

CSIF funding is 50-50.

Harper didn't commit to even that. Danny, in a fit of delusion, thought that Harper did.

On 5 Wing, while the Liberal party committed primarily to promoting the base for foreign training and throwing money at the problem in the form of portable threat emitters, instrumented pods, training equipment, ACOA funds and an aerial surveillance craft,

All of which the Goose Bay Citizen's Coalition have lobbied hard for.

You calling that "throwing money at the problem"?

the Conservatives committed to a real solution.

The same "solution" they have also promised to a half-dozen bases across the country, using soldiers that the CAF don't actually have.

Some solution.

Correct me if I’m wrong but none of the Liberal initiatives seem to me like they are going to give the people of Labrador what they want, which is a functioning manned and operational base that will provide jobs and generally improve the economic situation in the area.

The purpose of the CAF is not to provide jobs.

Harper and O'Connor are about to learn that.

The Conservatives on the other hand have clearly identified a plan to also promote the base for foreign training

It's good when the Conservatives do that, but bad when Liberals do that?

Well folks, there it is, my understanding of the top three federally related issues in Labrador today. With the understanding I have, you may be able to see why I have difficulty understanding why a Liberal is once again being sent to Ottawa by the people of the big land.

Why would the people of the Big Land have voted for someone who has a long history of being hostile to Aboriginal rights? Who will raise income taxes for people in the lowest tax bracket? Who didn't even know where Labrador was until there was a by-election on, in a deadlocked Parliament?

I’m sure that like anywhere else there are tons of other issues and as a person who honestly wants to learn more about his Province I ask you help me out.

Start reading Jamie Snook's column in The Labradorian; it's online.

please let me know why another Liberal MP is packing his bags for Ottawa.

The same reason that Loyola Hearn is packing his bags for Ottawa. For some unfathomable reason, the electors in his riding made that choice.

Anonymous said...

Labrador is in perpetual whine mode. Should be call whineland rather than big land