Comms advice

PREMIER WILLIAMS: If we could only keep the Quebec lovers quiet, Mr. Speaker, it would be nice.

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, we are in the process, and we are in the process, of course, of estimating exactly what those liabilities are. As I indicated in a previous question from Mademoiselle, the Leader of the Opposition...

"It's really unfortunate when one of our own comes out and betrays us like that."

WILLIAMS: Mark your "X" for "Eddiot"! Good luck to ya.

On free votes

(Private to Sandy Collins.)

Herewith, a cleverly colour-coded table showing how each MHA voted in each final budget vote of the PC era, 2004 to 2015 inclusive. (Click to embiggen.)

Incredibly, in seven of those twelve years, the budget was adopted on a voice vote only, three members having failed to force a recorded division. Those voice votes are indicated in pale yellow.

To repeat: in seven of the twelve Danny Williams, Kathy Dunderdale, Tom Marshall and Paul Davis years, the multi-billion-dollar provincial budget was adopted without a recorded vote.

In the other five years, unsurprisingly, the recorded vote broke down entirely along party lines. PC MHAs present for the vote, voted yea. Opposition MHAs voted nay. Blanks indicate either that the member was absent, or was the Speaker or acting as Speaker for that vote. An asterisk draws your attention to the fact that that member was present for the vote, but in a different caucus, having changed affiliation.