Scraped clean and re-inscribed (IV)

An interesting aside from the CP wire coverage of the latest announcement that was intended to blow your minds:

Williams left no doubt that his drive to bypass Quebec and bring power through Nova Scotia using subsea cables was fuelled by the 1969 agreement to develop Chur-chill Falls power.

He said the woefully lopsided terms of that deal also drove him into politics.

Indeed. That was the leitmotif, the theme, frequently referred to in his barnburner of a speech, on December 5, 2000, when he threw his hat — the only hat, as it turned out — into the leadership ring for the shell of the former PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.

He expounded at length on the Upper Churchill agreement during this speech, long since bit-bucketted, but cleverly preserved for posterity, and your enjoyment, by an electronic gnome:

Thank you Glen for the kindness of your comments.

Thank you Norm and members of the caucus for your strong showing of support and a major reason for me being here today. (Happy Birthday Sheila Osborne)

Thank you to all who have taken time out of your busy schedules to be with us today.
This is a very important day for myself and my family, my wife, Maureen, my mother, Terri, my daughters, Katie, Jane, my son Daniel and our next generation family, Jillian, Trevor, Gabriel, our little angel, who is coming home from hospital for Christmas and Abbey who is here this morning.

I have been fortunate in my business and professional life. I have been blessed in my personal life I want to devote this stage of my life to public service because I truly love this province.

With the support of the caucus, my wife, my children, my grandchildren and our extended families and friends, I am proud today to announce my candidacy for the leadership of the PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our decision today is not one that we have taken lightly without weighing the heavy responsibility of leading this great party of ours and ultimately becoming Premier of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I have travelled extensively with various members of my family throughout the entire Province from St. Anthony to Harbour Breton, from Port Aux Basques to Trepassey, from Sheshashit to Bonavista, from Springdale to Burgeo and many many other great communities. It has confirmed for me the vast wealth of our resources, both human and natural, but in sharp contrast is the stark reality that our rural communities have been neglected terribly in recent years. People across the Province are crying out for a solution.

What has it come to?

Our unemployment is still the highest in the country
Our healthcare system is substandard
Our education system is in disarray
Our harbours are full of raw sewage
Our water is contaminated in over 200 communities

Our people are looking for New Hope, New Direction, New Leadership, Real Leadership.

Everywhere that I have been, I have received sincere words of encouragement from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from all walks of life. They have asked me to accept the challenge, to stand up and be counted and I intend to do just that.

In my childhood, I never thought that one day I would be standing here in this position. I have always been involved in the political process on the other side of the podium - placing signs, dropping off pamphlets, making calls, doing polls and fundraising. But my late father and my mother, who I am pleased to say is healthy and with us on stage today, were always die hard Tories since Confederation and instilled in me the importance of providing a political alternative to people. We were PC's back in the 50's and 60's when it took guts to be a Tory!

As a result I have never been one to walk away from a challenge, political or otherwise. I have been saddened by some of the developments, which I see in our Province. Our child poverty is the highest in the country; our once proud seniors are using food banks to save money for heat; our communities are dying; our youth are moving elsewhere. I am also deeply touched by the number of people who've expressed confidence in my leadership and pledged their support for our joint efforts to find ways to improve the situation of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. This decision today is not about me. It is about this party and the people of our great Province. It is about Hope and Opportunity it is about the Youth and the Future of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I hope to provide Real Leadership to this Province. What you see / is what you get. I have a proven track record as a team player, both in the sporting arena and business world.

I have been involved as a volunteer and leader in a number of amateur sport and charitable organizations, which have successfully achieved their goals through team efforts.

Through my law career, I have fought successfully for the underdog time and time again - for the abused, for the wrongfully convicted, for those who simply want justice. I know what it is to have the responsibility of peoples lives and future in my hands and I will not shirk that responsibility.

I believe in the team approach because I have seen it work. I am fortunate today to have the support and experience of a strong team of PC caucus members, our MP'S and my family. I want to extend an open invitation to the general public to come and join our team as workers or candidates who believe in building a better future for all of us.

I am proud to announce that my Leadership Campaign Manager is Loyola Sullivan, a seasoned veteran and former leader of the Party. My Campaign Chairperson is Agnes Richard, from Gander who needs no introduction and is loved, respected and admired in the PC Party. Come up Agnes and join us on the platform.

My western Vice-Chair is Tom Marshall of Corner Brook, son of Senator Jack Marshall. He is a long time supporter and activist in various leadership campaigns. Come up Tom. My Labrador Vice- Chair is Todd Scaplen of Goose Bay, a young man who is President of the Student Activities Council at the College of the North Atlantic and a champion for northern issues. Come up Todd.

When Maureen and I left for Dalhousie in 1971 we had $500.00 to our name and everything we owned in the back of a beaten up station wagon which caught fire just outside of Halifax. I know what it is to start from scratch, that success is achieved through a supportive family, a good education, pure hard work and a little luck. I have faced hurdles and challenges but I enjoy taking charge and accepting responsibility.

I feel that I can and will make a contribution to our Province and I offer a REAL alternative and Real Leadership for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. As Progressive Conservatives, we know that Government has a role to play but we know the role of government is not to be all things to all people. It should, however, set reasonable priorities, encourage development, provide leadership and direction, create public and private partnerships and at the same time provide assistance for those who are less fortunate. We must build a strong foundation for our growth.

My commitment is to improve the quality of our health care system for those who need it and for those who provide it.

It is also critically important that we foster the investment and employment growth so badly needed, especially in our rural communities. The best social program is a job.

I firmly believe that the youth of our Province are key to turning the current situation around. A significant part of my effort will be focused on working with youth to ensure that they can have a prosperous future, at home. Today, I am issuing a challenge to our young people to get involved, to work with our team in a partnership that will develop a solution to a brighter future. We will find a way for affordable education and jobs within our Province.

That is the real alternative I am offering and it will take Real leadership to make it happen.

Real Leadership is not governing by polls but it is listening and responding to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Real Leadership is making sure that your priorities will be my priorities and I'll make you one promise we are going to have some fun while we are at it.

A Progressive Conservative Party under my leadership will be an open, accessible Party that will embrace the advice and support of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We will reach out across partisan lines and welcome everyone into our family. We will recruit the very best, whatever their political stripe. I see real leadership as a vehicle to bringing people together, young and old, from all parts of our Province from all walks of life. Our people are tired of being ignored, tired of being taken for granted, tired of unfulfilled promises.

Abraham Lincoln once said - Let the people know the truth and the country is safe. We will keep the people of this Province fully informed; there will be no secret documents, there will be no hidden agenda. If you and I know the facts then we will collectively decide the best course for our future. At the end of the day, the most formidable judge and jury I have ever faced will be the people of this Province.

We will reach out, We will listen, We will be responsive. Over the next few months, I will be travelling around the Province again listening to the concerns and suggestions of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. I'll be meeting with our caucus , with individuals, with communities and with anyone who wants their concerns and suggestions listened to for a change. Through this process we will develop a comprehensive policy platform for our party to take into the next provincial election. There will be no shoot from the hip or band-aid solutions to our problems. We need a well-researched, well-reasoned plan for our future, one that is grounded in real opportunities to meet real needs, not crafted for political advantage.

We will be going to you, the people, to help develop the solution for our future. We will require your commitment, your co-operation and your belief in our goals. In return, I will provide the leadership, vision and hard work necessary to make it happen.

We must build on the Newfoundland tradition of people working together to solve their problems - a sense of community, respect for the individual and a conviction that we can be the masters of our own destiny.

Leaders must govern with integrity, diligence, hard work and good common sense. I hope that my experience and background and work ethic provide a real alternative in leadership for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I will be decisive yet sensitive.
I will be creative not reactive.
I will be responsible and accountable.

I will build on the outstanding work of Frank Moores, Brian Peckford, Tom Rideout, Lynn Verge, Len Simms, Loyola Sullivan and Ed Byrne who have positioned our party to once again govern this great Province. I will continue the fight for maximum benefit to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from our natural resources. Can I do a deal? Yes, I can do a deal but I will not do one just for the sake of doing it. Alberta, Texas, Scotland and Norway have all boomed on the back of natural resources, there is no reason why our Province should be any different. We deserve our fair share.

The people are tired of broken promises. The Provincial Government is running out of steam, out of talent and out of ideas. The Federal Liberal government has relegated us to second class, have-not status, they have clawed back our future.

The Red Tide is going out. A Big Blue Wave is moving across this Province and I encourage all of you to ride its crest to a prosperous future for Newfoundland and Labrador under our Progressive Conservative Government.