Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

This article is about the modern Liberal Party. For Liberal parties before 1949, see Liberal parties in pre-confederation Newfoundland.

Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
Active provincial party
Leader	Kevin Aylward
President	Judy Morrow
Founded	1948
Headquarters	21 Mews Place St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 4N2
Ideology	Liberalism
Political position	Centre to Centre-left
Official colours	Red
Seats in House of Assembly	6 / 48
Website
Official website
Politics of Newfoundland and Labrador Political parties Elections

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the provincial wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is the Official Opposition and currently holds six seats in the provincial legislature.

Origins

The party originated in 1948 as the Newfoundland Confederate Association. At this time, Newfoundland was being governed by a Commission of Government appointed by the Government of the United Kingdom. The NCA was an organization campaigning for Newfoundland to join Canadian confederation. Joey Smallwood was the NCA's chief organizer and spokesman, and led the winning side of the 1948 Newfoundland referendum on Confederation.

The Joey Smallwood era (1949-1972)

Joseph Smallwood signs the document bringing Newfoundland into Confederation.

Following the referendum victory, the NCA reorganized itself as the new province's Liberal Party under Smallwood's leadership. It won the province's first post-Confederation election for the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly held in May 1949.

The Liberals under Smallwood promoted the diversification of the province's economy through various megaprojects. The provincial government invested in the construction of factories, the pulp and paper industry, the oil industry, hydro-electricity projects, the construction of highways and schools, the relocation of rural villages into larger centres, and other projects. These projects were often very expensive, and yielded few results.

Smallwood grew increasingly autocratic during his 22 years in power. Disaffection with Smallwood, his party and even his government mounted within the province. He announced his retirement in 1969, only to run in the contest to succeed himself. Smallwood defeated John Crosbie for the leadership.

Crosbie and many young Liberals defected to the opposition Progressive Conservatives. The Conservatives had previously found support largely in the business community, and in and around St. John's.

The Liberals narrowly lost the 1971 election, but Smallwood refused to resign as Premier until January 1972 as the support of the Labrador Party's lone MHA resulted in a 21-21 tie in the House of Assembly for Smallwood's government. Frank Moores' Conservatives attempted to form government but its shaky hold on power resulted in the 1972 general election in which Smallwood's Liberals were conclusively, if narrowly, defeated.^[1]

Smallwood was forced out of the party, and formed his own Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party, which ran in the 1975 general election against the Liberals and the Tories. The Liberals were badly split and demoralised, and remained on the opposition benches until 1989.

The party under Clyde Wells (1987-1996)

In 1989, the party returned to power under the leadership of Clyde Wells.

Under Wells, the Liberal government eschewed the megaprojects and spending of the Smallwood, Moores and Peckford eras in favour of an economic development program laid out in the Strategic Economic Plan. During a severe economic recession, the Wells administration introduced spending controls and reduced the size of the public service while at the same time maintaining social program spending and working to diversify and develop the economy.

In September 1990, Wells signed a development agreement for the Hibernia project, thereby laying the foundation for the province's oil and gas industry and future economic prosperity.

Wells rose to national prominence in early 1990 for his opposition to the Meech Lake constitutional Accord.

When Wells retired in 1996, he was replaced by former federal Liberal cabinet minister Brian Tobin. Tobin returned to federal politics in 2000, after only four years as Premier.

2001 leadership convention

When Premier Tobin left the provincial Liberal Party to return to federal politics, it created an opening for the party to elect a new leader who would served as Premier. From 2000 to 2001, Beaton Tulk served as interim leader and Premier. In 2001 the party held a leadership convention to choose from three candidates:

• Roger Grimes, MHA, Cabinet Minister for Premier Clyde Wells starting in 1991 as Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, followed by service as the Minister of Tourism, Minister of Education, Minister of Mines and Energy and lastly Minister of Health.

• John Efford, MHA, later elected Member of Parliament, later served as federal Minister of Natural Resources.

• Paul Dicks, MHA, provincial Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 1989 to 1991 and from 1998 to 1999, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board from 1995 to 2000, and Minister of Mines and Energy from 2000 to 2001.

Grimes won the leadership and became Liberal Party leader and Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, by defeating Efford by 14 votes in a fierce and divisive contest.^[2] Efford and contestant Dicks subsequently left provincial politics saying they could not work with Grimes.

The party under Roger Grimes (2001-2005)

Roger Grimes, Premier from 2001 until 2003, leader until 2005

Grimes was sworn in as the province's premier Feb. 13, 2001.^[3] During his government the name of the province was officially changed to Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2003, the federal government declared a moratorium on the last remaining cod fishery in Atlantic Canada in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. While Newfoundland and Labrador was again the most directly affected province by this decision, communities on Quebec's North Shore and in other parts of Atlantic Canada also faced difficulties.

Grimes called for a review of the Act of Union by which the province had become a part of Canada and on July 2, 2003, the findings of the Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada (which Grimes had created in 2002) were released. Critics called this inquiry the "Blame Canada Commission".

Grimes often clashed with the federal Liberal government of Jean Chrétien and became increasingly critical of his predecessor, Brian Tobin. When Grimes accused the federal government of bias in the Gulf of St. Lawrence cod moratorium, many even in Newfoundland and Labrador saw him as stirring up unnecessary trouble for political gain. After the Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada, Grimes' popularity began to decline as his increasingly confrontational approach made it more difficult to win concessions from the federal government.

The party in Opposition

2003 general election

By 2003, the Liberals had spent fourteen years in power under four different leaders. Public disaffection had mounted resulting in their electoral defeat by Danny Williams and the Tories. Grimes stayed on as Liberal leader until his retirement on May 30, 2005, when he was replaced, initially on an interim basis, by Gerry Reid.

Reid did not initially stand for the position of leader on a permanent basis, and in February 2006, lawyer Jim Bennett was acclaimed as party leader. However, Bennett resigned just over three months later after many differences of opinion with the Liberal Party caucus. Reid then resumed the leadership, now on a permanent basis, and lead the party into the next election.

2007 general election

In the October 2007 provincial election, the Liberal Party's support fell to its lowest level since Confederation. The party won just three of the 48 seats in the House of Assembly. Reid resigned as leader after losing his seat, and Yvonne Jones was named interim leader.

The party under Yvonne Jones (2007-2011)

Yvonne Jones in 2011

With only three members re-elected following the 2007 general election the party decided that Jones would stand as the party's leader on an interim basis, and therefore as the Official Opposition Leader in the House of Assembly. Jones became the first woman to serve as the leader of the Liberals and only the second woman to serve as Official Opposition Leader.

Seven by-elections have been held since Jones took over the leadership of the Liberal Party, each one to replace a Tory MHA. Six of the by-elections were won by a Progressive Conservative candidate and the Liberals won one. The by-election they won was held on October 27, 2009 in the district of The Straits - White Bay North. The by-election was held to replace Minister of Transportation and Works, Trevor Taylor, who resigned on October 2, 2009.^[4] Liberal candidate Marshall Dean squaked out a win taking 1,975 votes compared to 1,799 for PC candidate Rick Pelley. The by-election was mostly focused on Premier Williams' plan to make cuts to rural health care in this area.^[5] He announced days before the by-election he would not make cuts to the district's rural health care after protests from residents.^[6]

May 2011 leadership election

See also: Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, May 2011

A leadership convention was scheduled for the spring of 2008, but due to lack of interest in the leadership the convention was delayed.^[7] The convention was rescheduled for November 2010 with nominations closing on July 30, 2011. On July 9, 2010, Yvonne Jones officially submitted nomination papers, and with the close of nominations at the end of the month she was the only candidate to file nomination papers and was acclaimed leader.^[8] Jones announced weeks later she had breast cancer and the leadership election was postponed till May 2011. On May 25, 2011, she was sworn in as the permanent leader of the party.^[9][10][11]

August 2011 leadership election

See also: Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, August 2011

On August 9, 2011, Jones resigned as leader to due to her health. That night the executive of the party decided the process of choosing the next leader, nominations for the leadership opened on August 10, 2011, and Kevin Aylward was chosen by the executive on August 14, 2011. On October 26, 2011, Aylward announced his resignation as leader after failing to win his district of St. George's-Stephenville East in the 2011 general election.^[12]

History of leaders

• Joseph Roberts Smallwood (1949–1972)
• Edward Roberts (1972–1977)
• Bill Rowe (1977–1979)
• Don Jamieson (1979–1980)
• Len Stirling (1980–1982)^[13]
• Steve Neary (1982–1984) interim
• Leo Barry (1984–1987)
• Clyde Wells (1987–1996)
• Brian Tobin (1996–2000)
• Beaton Tulk (2000–2001) interim
• Roger Grimes (2001–2005)
• Gerry Reid (2005–2006) interim
• Jim Bennett (2006)
• Gerry Reid (2006–2007)
• Yvonne Jones (2011) interim 2007-2011
• Kevin Aylward (2011)

Smallwood, Wells, Tobin, Tulk, Grimes have been both leader and Premier.

See also

• List of Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership elections
• List of Newfoundland and Labrador premiers
• Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• List of political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)

Notes

1. ^ Former Newfoundland premier Frank Moores dies, CBC News, June 11, 2005
2. ^ "Grimes becomes premier of Newfoundland". CBC News. February 3, 2001. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/02/03/nfld_vote010203.html. 
3. ^ "Nfld.'s Grimes resigns". CBC News. 2005-05-30. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/05/30/Grimesgoes0530.html. Retrieved 2008-11-13. 
4. ^ Taylor calls it a day
5. ^ Health care cuts worry residents
6. ^ Liberals take Straits and White Bay North. Retrieved September, 2009.
7. ^ "Liberals put off leadership vote to 2010". CBC News. February 11, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/02/11/liberals-convention.html. 
8. ^ Jones formally enters Liberal race
9. ^ Jones acclaimed Liberal Leader
10. ^ Jones acclaimed N.L. Liberal leader
11. ^ Jones illness postpones Grit convention
12. ^ "Kevin Aylward resigning as Liberal leader". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 October 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2011/10/26/nl-liberal-leader-aylward-steps-down.html. Retrieved 12 November 2011. 
13. ^ Sterling lost his seat in the 1982 provincial election and Neary became interim opposition leader. Sterling resigned as leader several months after the election.

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