Premier Launches Publicly-Funded Re-Election Plan for Labrador

"Northern Strategic Plan", "Re-Election Plan", what's the difference?

Some preliminary observations:

Cracker-jack Research
Page 13, alone, is footnoted. Many of the footnotes cite Wikipedia, which these days is a big red flag for an F in academic work. And for some odd reason, the document is still relying on intercensal population estimates, not the actual population figures, which were released over a month ago. How long has this document been "in the can", anyway?

Fiscal Imbalance
From page 15:

The province is forecasted to produce $2.5 billion worth of mineral shipment in 2006, 98% of which comes from Labrador. This is divided equally between iron ore operations in Labrador West and nickel, copper and cobalt production from Voisey’s Bay. Labrador mining operations are forecasted to employ 2298 persons in 2006, and mining in general will contribute 3.2% to the province’s GDP, most of which comes from Labrador.

Wow.

Imagine if Newfoundland and Labrador produced 98% of Canada's anything, other than demagogues?

The Value of Committment
"Completing the Trans-Labrador Highway is a priority for our government," says Glorious Leader.

How much of a committment?

One-sixth of a commitment:

The Province committed to a Labrador Transportation Plan that will concentrate on specific outcomes while addressing the unique issues relating to transportation in Labrador. Some of these issues include the continued effective delivery of marine services on the Labrador coast; the completion of Phase III of the Trans Labrador Highway and hard surfacing of Phase I of the Highway.

Objectives

Complete hard surfacing of Phase I of the Trans Labrador Highway

Yes, DannyWilliamsAdministrationNewfoundlandLabrador is committed, committed, they tell you, to finishing, up to paved — sorry, "hard surfacing" — one phase of three.

And even that is dependent on fifty-cent federal dollars:

No Progress on Highway Deal
April 22, 2007

The provincial and federal governments do not appear any closer to inking a deal on the Trans Labrador Highway. Provincial Transportation Minister, John Hickey, is calling on federal cabinet minister, Loyola Hearn, to get moving on the project. The province has set aside its share of the funding to widen and upgrade the highway but there has been no announcement yet from the federal government.

There you have it: Danny Williams and his Ministers are willing to complete one-third of the Trans-Labrador Highway if someone else pays one-half the costs.

Committment. Danny's full of it.

Right Hand? Meet Left Hand.
One of the stated tourism objectives is to "Negotiate the land transfer agreement for development of the Mealy Mountain National Park".

Is that the same National Park that Danny Williams has been holding up almost since he took office?

Or is that a different one?

Labrador Is An Integral Part of Canada
One of the resource objectives is "Support Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to conduct an ACOA funded assessment of technical options for natural gas developments off Labrador"

Why is this an ACOA responsibility?

Better yet, why is this a NL Hydro responsibility?

Why not leave this up to the proponents?

Oh yeah — there are none.

Funny, though, how it becomes a federal government responsibility by virtue, it would seem, of being the Labrador offshore.

What about the other four W's and the H?
The Labrador Institute will be physically united with the College of the Whatever It's Called This Year campus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Now that they know where the Institute will be working, it might soon be time to unveil who, what, when, why, and how it will be working.

Lower(ing) Churchill (expectations)
Or, what do you need a stinkin' transmission line for, when we're subsidizing your power anyway?

Hey Ottawa, hurry up and say no!
It's a darn good thing that Danny, Tom, and John's dealings with the Labrador Metis have always been above board, beyond reproach, and totally un-Machiavellian.

Otherwise it would be way to easy to read way too much into this:

The members of the Labrador Metis Nation share similar aspirations to the Labrador Innu and Inuit. There is, however, ongoing deliberation over the status of the Labrador Metis Nation land claim and the eligibility of its members for federal Aboriginal programs and services. This has hampered the development of a good, productive and practical relationship. [between whom? — ed.] The Province continues to urge the federal government to make a speedy decision on the Labrador Metis Nation claim.

Not all Aboriginal people in Canada can demonstrate Aboriginal rights and title, nor are all Aboriginal peoples eligible for various federal Aboriginal programs and services. It is the federal government that determines who is and is not eligible for those programs and services.

It would be unfair to other Labradorians to grant the members of the Labrador Metis Nation rights and benefits that they have not established in law. This does not mean that we should not celebrate the distinctive contribution the Labrador Metis make to the culture of Labrador and work with them to improve the economic and social circumstances of its members. Thus, the Province has offered to work with the Labrador Metis Nation and its members in gaining access to federal Aboriginal programs and services where they meet the eligibility requirements, and has listened to and attempted to address the Labrador Metis Nation’s concerns expressed in the consultation sessions. The Province will continue to consult appropriately with the Labrador Metis Nation on developments, as required by law, and will work with them to ensure that their members, with other Labradorians, benefit from employment opportunities from developments that occur in Labrador.

Whoever introduced the word "lobby" to Newfoundland, please raise your hand
On page 51, we learn that "People want the Province to lobby the Quebec government to have Routes 389 (Baie Comeau to Fermont) and 138 (Natashquan to Elgin) upgraded to be comparable with the Trans-Labrador Highway."

Lobby?

Government work with one another.

They don't "lobby" one another, at least not when they have mature relations and competent departments of intergovernmental —

Oh yeah.

And "Elgin"?

Where in Samhain is "Elgin" on the Quebec North Shore?