Minority report

In his Saturday column, Comrade Rowe also recites the catechism of the Church of the Holy Minority Government:

There is but one saving grace that may control somewhat the little Napoleons at the top. Voters have taken a fancy to electing minority governments and, according to the polls, intend to do the same next election. Thank God for the wisdom of the motley crowd.

Not for the first time, either. In the opening hours of the 2005-06 election campaign, he weighed in:

The point is that when this election is over, the new minority government, Liberal or Conservative, could well be in power by a half a dozen seats or fewer. The scenario is such that someone with Danny Williams’ clout could be a deciding factor… the first thing he must do is cancel that laundry list of a letter he has already sent to the party leaders demanding their position on 16 issues. Such a nebulous, shotgun approach is useless. Whatever the leaders may say their position is on those issues, it will all be just so much fluff, and impossible to enforce.

Instead, Danny must go after a written commitment by a stated December deadline from the Liberal and Conservative leaders on one big Atlantic-Accord-size project for this province. A specific federal investment and guarantee for the Lower Churchill would be a good one.

Rowe, of course, is merely a parish priest in this Church of the Holy Minority. Archbishop Williams told the Telegram, on June 30, 2004, that his so-called Atlantic Accord crusade would be much easier under the new political circumstances in Ottawa:

“The purse strings will loosen up during this period,” the premier suggested. “Now we don’t know how long this minority is going to last — whether it’s going to be four months or four years — but over whatever time it lasts, I think (federal money) will be freed up.

“I think as a province here we do have an opportunity. So I see it as a good thing for us from a purely selfish perspective...”

After the change of federal government last year, the Archbishop was still proselytizing, saying, in response to opposition questions about federal child-care funding:

First of all, Mr. Speaker, this is a minority government and this government cannot do this by themselves, so it will be in co-operation with one or two or three other parties, whatever is done or whatever is decided at the end of the day. I think that should be pointed out. This is not a majority government.

A little later in the year, his faith was somewhat tested, telling an out-of-province business audience in November:

“If Stephen Harper does not honour his commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador in the last election, I will do my very best to make sure that the Canadian people from coast to coast to coast know that he is not a man of his word,” Williams told the B.C. Chamber of Commerce.

“If he reneges with a minority government, we all better head for the bunkers if he gets a majority, let me tell you.”

The implication, then, is clear.

If you are a municipality, an organization, a region, an interest group, or anyone or anything that is looking to squeeze a bit of cash out of the provincial government, you can safely ignore Dennis Normore’s “Vote PC or else!” campaign theme.

Oh yes.

If you want to squeeze money out of Confederation Building, if you want clout, if you want to be well-served, if you selfishly want the provincial purse strings to open up, if you want provincial money to be freed up, then you must go out and do whatever it takes to ensure a minority provincial government is elected on October 9th.

Danny, and Bill Rowe, in their wisdom, wouldn’t want it any other way.