There are so many problems raised by Premier Paul Davis’ zeal to sign an agreement with Statoil for the Bay du Nord that it is difficult to know where to begin.
Perhaps the best place to start is with the deal announced the day before Davis’ oil news. The provincial government gave $6.5 million in public money to an insurance company to establish a major corporate office in St. John’s.
Newfoundland and Labrador got the company to move here by engaging in a bidding war with other provinces that were anxious for the business. Newfoundland and Labrador essentially gave away the most.
That’s what happens when you bargain in a weak position.
17 June 2015
16 June 2015
The Moveable Fixed Election Date #nlpoli
Arguably, the greatest fairy tale the Conservatives spread after 2003 was that Danny Williams didn’t take a salary from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The truth was he collected every penny of his salary from the day he entered the House of Assembly until the day he left.
The second biggest fib they told was that there were fixed election dates.
The truth was he collected every penny of his salary from the day he entered the House of Assembly until the day he left.
The second biggest fib they told was that there were fixed election dates.
15 June 2015
Brad Wall's case for abolishing Premiers #cdnpoli #nlpoli
Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall thinks that making the senate an elected institution that better reflects Canadians is too hard.
Rather than reform the senate, Wall wants to get rid of it altogether.
Wall thinks that the provincial Premiers should do the job currently done by the senate.
Here’s why no one should take senate abolition seriously.
Here’s why those proposing it don’t have the best interest of Canadians at heart.
Rather than reform the senate, Wall wants to get rid of it altogether.
Wall thinks that the provincial Premiers should do the job currently done by the senate.
Here’s why no one should take senate abolition seriously.
Here’s why those proposing it don’t have the best interest of Canadians at heart.
12 June 2015
Small things and big differences #nlpoli
The Auditor General delivered his annual report on some of the provincial government’s programs and services on Wednesday.
We learned, among other things that provincial government consulting contracts have gone horrendously beyond the amount originally budgeted. The worst case was a contract – presumably related to the Corner Brook hospital - that wound up being 780% beyond the original budget.
One of the big culprits in the escalating costs were change orders. Those are, as the name suggests, changes to the original contract required because of changes made by the government. That was the case both in capital works contracts that involved changes to construction but in service contracts as well.
We learned, among other things that provincial government consulting contracts have gone horrendously beyond the amount originally budgeted. The worst case was a contract – presumably related to the Corner Brook hospital - that wound up being 780% beyond the original budget.
One of the big culprits in the escalating costs were change orders. Those are, as the name suggests, changes to the original contract required because of changes made by the government. That was the case both in capital works contracts that involved changes to construction but in service contracts as well.
11 June 2015
A tonic for NDP Amnesia #nlpoli
When he was a member of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador, NDP member of parliament Jack Harris double-billed the legislature for more than $2,000 in expenses and made $27,066 in "donations" from money originally intended to operate a constituency office and inform voters about his activities.
-srbp-
Related: Jacks and the Auditor General
10 June 2015
The cost of out-dated ideas #nlpoli
The Barry Group plant near Corner Brook pays a better price for crab than a competitor in New Brunswick.
New Brunswick fishermen can't steam across the Gulf of St. Lawrence and sell their product in Corner Brook because of restrictions on their license.
They are same sort of restrictions that apply to local fishermen and which lay at the heart of regressive measures like minimum processing requirements. The result is that fish processors in this province lose out on product for their plants and fish plant workers can't get enough work.
Don't believe it?
Check out a recent story in l'Acadie Nouvelle. [translation by google and SRBP]
New Brunswick fishermen can't steam across the Gulf of St. Lawrence and sell their product in Corner Brook because of restrictions on their license.
They are same sort of restrictions that apply to local fishermen and which lay at the heart of regressive measures like minimum processing requirements. The result is that fish processors in this province lose out on product for their plants and fish plant workers can't get enough work.
Don't believe it?
Check out a recent story in l'Acadie Nouvelle. [translation by google and SRBP]
"They are interested. They saw the quality of .my crab and they asked me how they could do to access other crab like that. I replied that the best way would be to open a factory in the Acadian Peninsula. Sure, between showing interest and actually doing it, there still has work to do, but at least they can learn," he said.
-srbp-
The Politics of Menses #nlpoli
Until now, we had no idea how our governments valued menstruation.
Some of you might be surprised to think this was a question but now we have an answer.
Both the federal and provincial governments decided last month to remove the harmonised sales tax from tampons, napkins, and other feminine sanitary products. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that added 13% on every purchase.
The government in Newfoundland and Labrador refused to put a value on the tax, but your humble e-scribbler is willing to take a shot at it.
Some of you might be surprised to think this was a question but now we have an answer.
Both the federal and provincial governments decided last month to remove the harmonised sales tax from tampons, napkins, and other feminine sanitary products. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that added 13% on every purchase.
The government in Newfoundland and Labrador refused to put a value on the tax, but your humble e-scribbler is willing to take a shot at it.
09 June 2015
A lot can change in three months #nlpoli
The Liberals and the Conservatives dropped in the most recent Corporate Research Associates poll and all that vote went to the New Democrats.
Let’s look at the party choice numbers without the skew of looking only at decideds. Here’s a chart showing the CRA results since the last general election, including Monday’s numbers.
Red = Liberal
Orange = NDP
Blue = Conservative
Thin blue/black = Undecided, do not know, won't answer.
Let’s look at the party choice numbers without the skew of looking only at decideds. Here’s a chart showing the CRA results since the last general election, including Monday’s numbers.
Red = Liberal
Orange = NDP
Blue = Conservative
Thin blue/black = Undecided, do not know, won't answer.
08 June 2015
Small ball, election dates, and other minutae #nlpoli
Later today, Premier Paul Davis will introduce a bill in the House of Assembly that, among other things, sets the next provincial general election for the last week of November. The most likely day for voting is November 24, with the official campaign starting 21 days before that.
There’s no surprise in this. The Conservatives have been talking about November as an option since January when they introduced the plan to cut public representation in the legislature. Reporters asked Liberal leader Dwight Ball at the time if he thought the election should be delayed to November to avoid a clash with the federal election set for October 19. Ball said he didn’t have a problem with the delay.
For the past couple of weeks, Ball has been insisting that the Conservatives need to have the election done by the end of September. That’s the anniversary of Paul Davis’ election as Conservative leader. It’s also the third different position, incidentally, that Ball has taken within the past six months on the timing of the next election. At the end of last year, Ball told the CBC he thought people should go to the polls in February in order to let a new government deal with the provincial government’s financial problems. A couple of weeks later, Ball had no problem with a November. Now, he wants it all done by the end of September.
07 June 2015
Q2 2015 Poll Speculation #nlpoli
Corporate Research Associates boss Don Mills has done a good job of teasing the results of his latest poll, due Monday.
"Significant" change in voter intentions, Mills tweeted on Friday and repeatedly over the weekend.
It's all fed a great deal of speculation. Someone fed the self-styled Hydroqueen internal Liberal polling numbers and she has blogged them and tweeted about them repeatedly. Your humble e-scribbler jumped into another conversation based on the foggy early-morning memory and since that memory was so horribly wrong, here's a review of the recent poll numbers based on more than memory.
So are those Hydroqueen numbers the sort of results CRA will release?
About how the predictions of further Liberal decline or of a Conservative rise?
Will CRA show any of that?
Probably not.
"Significant" change in voter intentions, Mills tweeted on Friday and repeatedly over the weekend.
It's all fed a great deal of speculation. Someone fed the self-styled Hydroqueen internal Liberal polling numbers and she has blogged them and tweeted about them repeatedly. Your humble e-scribbler jumped into another conversation based on the foggy early-morning memory and since that memory was so horribly wrong, here's a review of the recent poll numbers based on more than memory.
So are those Hydroqueen numbers the sort of results CRA will release?
About how the predictions of further Liberal decline or of a Conservative rise?
Will CRA show any of that?
Probably not.
05 June 2015
Politicians and other damn fools #nlpoli
On Wednesday, politicians in Newfoundland and Labrador condemned the federal minister of fisheries for making a decision about the fishery in a province based on politics instead of economics or science.
The politicians were so upset with Gail Shea that they passed a resolution demanding that she allocate a quota of fish to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians based on political rather than economic or scientific reasons.
There was no sense in their resolution that what was sauce Prince Edward Island goose was also sauce for the Newfoundland gander, if that’s what you are thinking. Nor was there any sense of hypocrisy or irony or whatever self-awareness it would be that makes one criticise someone else for doing what you then do.
The fact that some of the politicians explained their support for the resolution using false memory only sweetened the humour in the whole affair.
The politicians were so upset with Gail Shea that they passed a resolution demanding that she allocate a quota of fish to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians based on political rather than economic or scientific reasons.
There was no sense in their resolution that what was sauce Prince Edward Island goose was also sauce for the Newfoundland gander, if that’s what you are thinking. Nor was there any sense of hypocrisy or irony or whatever self-awareness it would be that makes one criticise someone else for doing what you then do.
The fact that some of the politicians explained their support for the resolution using false memory only sweetened the humour in the whole affair.
04 June 2015
The Persistence of False Information: free electricity version #nlpoli
An exchange on Twitter reminded your humble e-scribbler on Wednesday evening of the power of false information to persist despite either being disproven or, in this case, being an obvious nonsense.
Not surprisingly, the discussion was about Nalcor, Emera, the Maritime Link and a block of electricity that Nalcor gets under the Muskrat Falls deal. There is a lot of false information about these subjects that just won’t die. Let’s just deal with the free block of electricity.
Not surprisingly, the discussion was about Nalcor, Emera, the Maritime Link and a block of electricity that Nalcor gets under the Muskrat Falls deal. There is a lot of false information about these subjects that just won’t die. Let’s just deal with the free block of electricity.
03 June 2015
Duff in the Hole #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Dwight Ball’s announcement last week about Liberal Party funding was a good example of how relatively simple mistakes can turn a good-news announcement into a major public relations problem.
Another aspect to the story is a good example of how false information can make the story worse.
Another aspect to the story is a good example of how false information can make the story worse.
02 June 2015
Politics, CETA, and the fishery #nlpoli
The European trade deal came up in the House of Assembly on Monday.
Everyone kept to the same lines they've been kicking around for months.
Believe it if you want, but if you want to find out what is really going on, check out the interview your humble e-scribbler did with Jamie Baker of the Fisheries Broadcast last week.
Related:
Everyone kept to the same lines they've been kicking around for months.
Believe it if you want, but if you want to find out what is really going on, check out the interview your humble e-scribbler did with Jamie Baker of the Fisheries Broadcast last week.
-srbp-
Related:
- Province increase CETA demands after crucial agreement (December 2014)
- Abbott and Costello meet the trade deal (January 2015)
- Conservatives abandon ridiculous position on European deal (May 2015)
01 June 2015
For want of a nail... #nlpoli
Dwight Ball demonstrated last week how very simple things can turn into problems very quickly. He handed his political opponents a stick they can use to beat him with. The fact they really don;t have much more than innuendo and speculation doesn’t matter. He’s given them a weapon.
Ball confirmed on Friday that the Liberal Party could have released relevant information on the party’s debt repayment on Wednesday.
Ball named the three banks involved in the debt forgiveness deal and indicated the total amount involved. On Wednesday he had balked, noting there was a non-disclosure agreement in place.
What Ball also confirmed in the process is that he and his team simply weren’t ready on Wednesday for the announcement. That’s not the first time Ball and his team have made this kind of a simple cock-up. The simplest way to fix it would be to re-organize the senior end of his office. Ball needs to bring in some new people, especially ones with significant political experience. to augment his existing team.
Ball confirmed on Friday that the Liberal Party could have released relevant information on the party’s debt repayment on Wednesday.
Ball named the three banks involved in the debt forgiveness deal and indicated the total amount involved. On Wednesday he had balked, noting there was a non-disclosure agreement in place.
What Ball also confirmed in the process is that he and his team simply weren’t ready on Wednesday for the announcement. That’s not the first time Ball and his team have made this kind of a simple cock-up. The simplest way to fix it would be to re-organize the senior end of his office. Ball needs to bring in some new people, especially ones with significant political experience. to augment his existing team.
29 May 2015
Parting Gifts #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Peter MacKay may have quit federal politics but that didn't stop him from porking up the federally-appointed courts before he left.
On Friday, MacKay appointed former provincial Conservative Party president Cillian Sheahan from Corner Brook to the Trial and Family Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
That was one of about a dozen appointments MacKay made on his last day in office.
On Friday, MacKay appointed former provincial Conservative Party president Cillian Sheahan from Corner Brook to the Trial and Family Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
That was one of about a dozen appointments MacKay made on his last day in office.
-srbp-
More delays in taking out the trash #nlpoli
On Monday, municipal affairs minister Keith Hutchings announced that the provincial government was setting back the clock on the provincial waste management strategy.
Well, they sort of announced it.
You see, the news release posted by the government uncommunication elves buried the news under a lot of self-congratulation.
And what they didn’t bury they just left out altogether.
Well, they sort of announced it.
You see, the news release posted by the government uncommunication elves buried the news under a lot of self-congratulation.
And what they didn’t bury they just left out altogether.
28 May 2015
Yesterday #nlpoli
The news should have been good.
Party leader Dwight Ball announced on Wednesday that the Liberals had rid themselves of the debt the party has carried around since the 2003 election. As Ball explained it, the party negotiated with the three banks involved and persuaded them to write off the interest and penalties. The party had then paid off the $500,000 that remained.
The Liberals’ opponents have used the debt as a rod to beat Grit backs. Can’t manage the province’s accounts if you can't handle your own, the Conservatives joked.
As it turns out, that joke was on us: the Conservatives couldn’t handle the public accounts themselves. They promised to pay down the debt and make everything right. Instead, and starting from Danny Williams, they racked up debt after debt. They spent every nickel the provincial coffers could suck in and borrowed more besides.
The party debt was a big cloud hanging over the Liberals’ heads. Getting rid of it was supposed to be great news.
And it would have been had Dwight not buggered up the announcement.
Party leader Dwight Ball announced on Wednesday that the Liberals had rid themselves of the debt the party has carried around since the 2003 election. As Ball explained it, the party negotiated with the three banks involved and persuaded them to write off the interest and penalties. The party had then paid off the $500,000 that remained.
The Liberals’ opponents have used the debt as a rod to beat Grit backs. Can’t manage the province’s accounts if you can't handle your own, the Conservatives joked.
As it turns out, that joke was on us: the Conservatives couldn’t handle the public accounts themselves. They promised to pay down the debt and make everything right. Instead, and starting from Danny Williams, they racked up debt after debt. They spent every nickel the provincial coffers could suck in and borrowed more besides.
The party debt was a big cloud hanging over the Liberals’ heads. Getting rid of it was supposed to be great news.
And it would have been had Dwight not buggered up the announcement.
27 May 2015
Conservatives abandon ridiculous position on European trade… again #nlpoli
In January,
trade minister Darin King wrote a letter to his federal counterpart about the
European trade deal.
King said the provincial government would:
That last one will leave Canada open to a challenge by Europeans if - and
only if - the provincial government ever invokes minimum processing requirements
in dealing with a European company. There’s not much danger of that since the
provincial government has been granting more and more exemptions from the
out-dated policy.
Besides, the federal government is already working on a mechanism to pass the cost of any damages from a trade dispute on to the province that caused them. They started work on that little gem after the current Conservative administration in this province violated the North American free trade deal and seized hydro-electric assets belonging to three companies under an entirely false pretense.
When Darin King said the government would “let the chips fall where they may” he knew full well that the provincial government would take it in the neck if it ever used the minimum processing requirements provisions of current legislation.
What you have here is a climb down. The provincial government position was always a transparent pile of nonsense. As CBC’s access to information research confirmed last week, the provincial government has been granting more and more exemptions from the minimum processing regulations. In practical terms, that means they have already abandoned MPRs and won’t use them to trigger any CETA problems.
What local media still haven’t reported is that the heart of this dispute has been a political fraud by the provincial government. It tried to radically alter the deal in 2014. The federal government rebuffed the provincial government’s effort to rejig the deal. Faced with no prospect of success in its scam, the provincial government abandoned its ludicrous position.
Both the Liberal and NDP criticised the government for submitting to federal perfidy. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but the truth never stopped a politician in this province from opening his mouth before. Tuesday was no exception.
Incidentally, the letter from King to his federal counterpart as well as the news release that King issued on Tuesday are both pretty vague about what the provincial government is actually doing. King explained the details to reporters.
This is the second time the provincial Conservatives have abandoned a stupid position on the European trade talks. The first was Danny Williams’ refusal to take part in the talks in the first place Williams claimed he needed to protect the seal hunt.
King said the provincial government would:
- withdraw from any trade talks OTHER than the one about the European trade deal, and,
- should “the federal government fail to honour the terms of the June 2013 agreement to establish a fisheries fund, you will appreciate that the Province will reconsider its support for CETA.”
- resume participation in all the ongoing trade talks, and,
- accept the European trade deal, but not the bit on minimum processing requirements.
Besides, the federal government is already working on a mechanism to pass the cost of any damages from a trade dispute on to the province that caused them. They started work on that little gem after the current Conservative administration in this province violated the North American free trade deal and seized hydro-electric assets belonging to three companies under an entirely false pretense.
When Darin King said the government would “let the chips fall where they may” he knew full well that the provincial government would take it in the neck if it ever used the minimum processing requirements provisions of current legislation.
What you have here is a climb down. The provincial government position was always a transparent pile of nonsense. As CBC’s access to information research confirmed last week, the provincial government has been granting more and more exemptions from the minimum processing regulations. In practical terms, that means they have already abandoned MPRs and won’t use them to trigger any CETA problems.
What local media still haven’t reported is that the heart of this dispute has been a political fraud by the provincial government. It tried to radically alter the deal in 2014. The federal government rebuffed the provincial government’s effort to rejig the deal. Faced with no prospect of success in its scam, the provincial government abandoned its ludicrous position.
Both the Liberal and NDP criticised the government for submitting to federal perfidy. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but the truth never stopped a politician in this province from opening his mouth before. Tuesday was no exception.
Incidentally, the letter from King to his federal counterpart as well as the news release that King issued on Tuesday are both pretty vague about what the provincial government is actually doing. King explained the details to reporters.
This is the second time the provincial Conservatives have abandoned a stupid position on the European trade talks. The first was Danny Williams’ refusal to take part in the talks in the first place Williams claimed he needed to protect the seal hunt.
-srbp-
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