Seize-and-release destiny

Ryan Cleary has a brilliant suggestion:

The Harper Conservatives seem to be all about helping provinces help themselves. Fair enough, Danny should go back to the negotiating table and demand Ottawa allow us the means to turn our economy around, to seize our own destiny — control of the fisheries

etc.

Here's an even better suggestion, Ryan. Be a real journalist.

During his 2003 election campaign, Danny promised this:

A Progressive Conservative government will pursue a Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries Agreement for a decision-making process in which the federal and provincial governments work in partnership for the sustainable management of the fisheries.

Glorious Leader himself said in the House of Assembly, back before he turned it into a rodeo clown college that sits about as often as the College of Cardinals:

Mr. Speaker, I take great pleasure in joining with the comments and the statement by the Premier, and his initiative. I actually consider it a compliment to our party and to our policies over the years, because we have stood for this position for a long time. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, in our Blue Book during the last election, under the leadership of the Opposition House Leader, we stated, "... A PC Government will aggressively pursue a Canada-Newfoundland Fisheries Agreement providing for a joint decision-making process to give the Province a meaningful say in decisions on fisheries management, which have a major impact on our economy and our social fabric."

[...]

In June of 2000 our Fisheries Critic, the Member for Bonavista South: Opposition Fisheries Critic, Roger Fitzgerald, says Atlantic Accord-like shared fisheries management is a timely solution to the problem underlying the latest fisheries allocation crisis. Fitzgerald’s proposal brings order and balance to fisheries management. The Newfoundland Government should insist on the establishment of a new management regime that is mandated and protected under federal and provincial law. This can be done through a fisheries management accord.

Mr. Speaker, our party is very, very clear on the record and have been for some considerable period of time, so, I certainly welcome the initiative. I also agree that it is time that something should be done, however, we have to consider the timing of this. This is something that could have been done for some considerable period of time... The one thing that we cannot let happen now is that we get diverted from the issue. This is a very, very important, a very fundamental issue...

In turn, in 2006, Harper's party promised:

A Conservative Government will adopt, with any interested coastal province or territory, a system of increased provincial management over fisheries through a system of joint management and joint fisheries councils modelled on the system proposed by unanimous resolution of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in May 2003 and as detailed in the government of Newfoundland and Labrador's white paper on the subject as released in 2003.

The even better suggestion?

How about doing some real journalism, and asking Danny why it is he no longer has any apparent interest in "joint management", or its synonym du jour, now that it has been offered?

What happened to "aggressively pursue", "meaningful say", being "very clear", "order and balance", "fundamental issue"?

It made a great political McGuffin, and a tool to bash Ottawa with for many years, which makes Danny's sudden silence on the issue all the more striking.

Is Danny now the dog who has finally caught the car?

Why won't someone — Ryan Cleary, The Navigator, The Fisheries Broadcast, the provincial opposition — ask Danny what happened to the fire that burned inside him for "joint management", the cause which he, apparently, stood for for such a long time?