Is renting votes OK? (II)

As noted yesterday, Ross Wiseman took great exception on Tuesday to suggestions that Danny Williams-Government would ever "buy" a vote.

Unfortunately for Minister Wiseman's feigned outrage, there have been plenty of similar such accusations from his own chosen team, directed at other provincial and even federal parties, going back to the day when they were still Danny Williams-Opposition:

MR. [DANNY] WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, rather than acting responsibly the day this government brought down an election budget that promised a little bit of something for everyone, instead of taking advantage of increased revenues to manage the deficit and bring borrowing under control, the Premier decided to defer any kind of fiscal restraint until after the election, just like he deferred any reductions in his Cabinet size and just like he deferred implementing fixed terms for his government.

Mr. Speaker, can the Premier please explain why he chose to defer fiscal restraint until after the election? Could it be that he is more interested in trying to buy votes, to buy people with their own money, than he is in doing what is in the best long term interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians? (March 31, 2005)

* * *

MR. [TREVOR] TAYLOR: Madam Speaker, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to connect the dots in this one. There is a lesson to be learned in that. There is a lesson to be learned in that, that the people in Newfoundland and Labrador want quality health care. They are not concerned about the building. They want access, on a reasonable basis, in a reasonable period of time, in a reasonable distance, at a reasonable cost. They do not want their health care system privatized. I do understand that also.

Madam Speaker, there is a lesson in this, as I said. Stephenville, who is there now? It is not Liberal. Burgeo still is. Port Saunders is not. Old Perlican is not. Harbour Breton is. Fogo is. Bonne Bay is not. Happy Valley-Goose Bay is not, and Gander is not.

Madam Speaker, you do not buy people’s votes by putting up bricks and mortar in this Province any more. You earn the respect -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. TAYLOR: You earn the respect of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and you earn their vote on election day by providing them with the services that they want. (March 24, 2004)

* * *

PREMIER WILLIAMS: What we do during an election is never to get votes. That is a practice, Mr. Speaker, that has been followed by the Liberal Party, by members of the -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: - Liberal Party, in order to try and buy votes. That is obviously what is going on at the federal level right now. They are spending billions of dollars in order to buy favour from the people of Canada. That is not the way this government operates. That is not the way this party operates. (November 29, 2005)

* * *

MS WHALEN: I have to say, Mr. Chairman, with the bringing down of the federal budget this past week, I was very disappointed. I will also say that when Mr. Harper came here as the Leader of the Opposition, I was one of three ministers who supported the Prime Minister when he was looking to become the Prime Minister. I have to say that I am very disappointed that he would be a man who would break his word.

I came from a home of six young girls and a boy, my father raised, and we were all told that we were to be a woman of our word or a man of our word. I was disappointed to see that the Prime Minister could easily push us aside for votes, to buy votes in Upper Canada. I urge all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to stand up and send a strong message to our Prime Minister, that we will not be traded for a few votes. (March 23, 2007)

* * *

MR. HUNTER: It became real exciting when the members were running for leadership, and the wheeling and dealing and the promises and the rumours of candidates buying votes. I mean, that is politics. We hear all those stories. Something that comes to my mind in particular is on the night of the leadership convention, when the new Premier was picked, and the acting Premier of the day - they had a bit of trouble. This is what I heard now. I have no facts on this, but I just heard that they were saying: How are they going to get all the candidates on stage? So, the acting Premier, Premier Tulk, went to Mr. Efford, put his arm around him, and said: It’s time to go up to the stage, Mr. Premier. (May 22, 2008)