Da Legal Stuff...
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The Mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Leo Abbass, has made his case for 5 Wing Goose Bay at the Atlantic Mayor’s Congress during their annual meeting held in Fredericton.
Mr. Abbass won unanimous support from the Congress for his decision to pressure the federal government on living up to its commitment for the air base in the community. Mr. Abbass would like the federal government to do what they said they would two elections ago and make the base an operational military requirement going forward.
During the 2006 federal election (that’s right, 2006, not 2008) Stephen Harper promised in writing that his government would station a rapid response battalion as well as other resources at the strategically located base. Since that time both the Prime Minister and his successive Ministers of Defense, the most recent being Peter MacKay, have ducked any questions on their true intentions for the future of 5 Wing and continue to repeat when asked, that the future of the base will be addressed “at a later time”.
During the 2006 campaign while trolling for votes in Newfoundland and Labrador Mr. Harper spelled out in his election literature and in a letter to the Premier of the province, among several other promises that have not been delivered on or broken outright, that the future of 5 Wing would be guaranteed and that the battalion would be posted there if he were elected.
Considering that the Conservatives led the government for more than two years after making that promise and since then another election has been fought, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Mayor Abbass is more than a little frustrated with a situation that so deeply impacts the future of the base and his community, a situation around which all discussion is being avoided like the plague by members of the Conservative government.
It’s doubtful that the limited power inherent in the combined weight of the Atlantic Mayors will do much to shift the federal agenda but at least they are backing Mr. Abbass who is willing to stand up and be heard. That’s really all anyone can ask of him or the Congress.
It remains to be seen if even a single Conservative MP elected in Atlantic Canada will have the backbone to listen to the constituent’s wishes and to do the same inside their caucus.
If history is any example, finding an MP with a backbone inside the Conservative party will about as easy as finding a visible minority at a Ku Klux Klan meeting.
The Newfoundland and Labrador First Party(NL-First) recently announced the selection of a new party leader following a respectable federal election debut that saw the upstart party capture 1.7% of the popular vote.
The new party leader, Wayne Bennett, who ran as a candidate for Humber-St. Barbe Baie-Verte replaces outgoing leader, Tom Hickey, who led the party since its inception in 2005 and is stepping down due to health concerns.
During the federal campaign Bennett garnered 3.7% voter support in the Liberal stronghold held by incumbent Gerry Byrne, who captured nearly 68% of the vote. Bennett's showing was considered a respectable debut in a riding where even the more widely recognized Conservative and NDP brands were limited to minimal support.
Mr. Bennett, who retired from the Canadian Forces after 32 years is currently 51 and is seen by party insiders as a leader who brings with him a lot of fresh new ideas and who can help the party move forward by building on the momentum of their most recent efforts.
Former leader, Tom Hickey, who was a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for 30 years and is recognized as the last surviving member of the “Three Wisemen”, the only three MHAs sitting in opposition to Premier Joey Smallwood during one of his more popular terms as Premier, has said he will continue to work with the party going forward and sees a bright future for the NL-First team.
Mr. Hickey hopes to take on an active role in developing the party’s riding associations and in growing the party’s financial and volunteer machinery in preparation for the next federal campaign.
Top ten comments made by Stephen Harper to his staff in the week since the federal election.
10 "Get me the details behind the Dion 5 point plan I crapped all over during the election. That thing sounds pretty good."
9 "Hey, a new report says Ontario has the best transit system in Canada and Newfoundland has the worst. Make sure we get more federal funding into the Ontario transit system as soon as possible folks."
8 "Now that we’ve been elected again, can we spend another eighteen months calling ourselves “Canada’s new government” like we did last time?"
7 "I don’t care what I said about deficits. The election is over isn’t it?"
6 "So, any good ideas on how we can buy some votes in Quebec this time around?"
5 "I just got a letter of congratulations from Danny Williams. Can someone please file it under F&*K YOU for me?"
4 "Find out who the next Liberal leader will be and start putting together the attack ads now so we can start the character assassination at least a year before the next election."
3 "Someone start working on the weakest links inside the other parties. I want a dozen potential floor crossers in my office by Monday morning."
2 "Someone get Ryan Sparrow on the line and tell that little spin jockey to get back to work. The coast is clear."
1 "Oh man, I can’t believe they fell for it a second time."
