Canadian Crossing

Andrew Furey, Liberals get slim majority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

Andrew Furey and the Liberals now have a slim majority government winning 22 of the 40 seats up for grabs in the long-running 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election.

The Liberals had 19 seats when the assembly dissolved; 21 seats is the minimum for a majority and one of those seats will go to the assembly speaker.

The leaders of the other major parties lost their seats to the Liberals: Ches Crosbie (Progressive Conservatives) in Windsor Lake and Alison Coffin (New Democratic Party) in St. John's East — Quidi Vidi. The PCs fell from 15 seats to 13 seats. The NDP retains seats in Labrador West and St. John's Centre.

There are now 3 independent MHAs in the assembly.

Despite the individual losses, most ridings were status quo. All the cabinet members who ran won re-election.

Crosbie gave a pre-taped speech, the first time we've seen that in our history of covering provincial and federal elections in Canada. Given Crosbie's 2019 speech, a pre-taped speech might have been a smart move. Crosbie's 2019 speech was so angry that even Jason Kenney would have been like "tone it down." Crosbie did predict correctly that Dwight Ball would leave as premier and party leader within a year (but for different reasons) but the rest of the speech was filled with bizarre theories and an overall odd speech.

Newfoundland and Labrador election reaches deadline day for mail-in ballots

Newfoundland and Labrador election delayed for about half the province

2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

The turnout was an all-time low in the province at 48%. The 2019 election had a 60% turnout. We have covered a number of issues involved with the mail-in options. Coffin's loss was relatively close.

The Torngat Mountains riding, where language is an issue, had an appalling 22% turnout.

Canadian elections generally have larger turnouts than American elections. The hope is that the turnout will be bounce back in a more traditional election. Election ballots need to run in Indigenous languages. The CBC News coverage noted an Alberta election that had a 40% turnout.

The CBC News coverage talked about a 12% drop; the actual math is 12 percentage points so the drop was 20%.

In what feels like a long time ago, 33,523 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians cast a ballot in the advance poll, a 50% increase over the 2019 election with 21,289 early voters. 

The release of the Green Report, designed to help the province with solving financial woes, was delayed until after the election, so that will be a post-election focus.

Newfoundland and Labrador was required to have an election before August 19 since Furey was elevated to premier without an election.

What did we learn from pandemic elections in Canada?

2021 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

The number of female MHAs remains at 9. The Liberals now have an additional female MHA that counters the loss of Coffin with the NDP. The number of women in the assembly is just under 25%.

With the loss of Coffin, there are now 4 women running a provincial party with seats in a legislature: Andrea Horwath (Ontario) and Rachel Notley (Alberta) are opposition leaders; Sonia Furstenau (Green Party in British Columbia) and Manon Massé (Québec solidaire).

Annamie Paul is the federal leader of the Green Party.

photos credit: CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador election reaches deadline day for mail-in ballots

The soap opera that is the 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election has reached the mail-in deadline for the ballots. Voters have until 4 pm Newfoundland time (2:30 pm Eastern time) today for their ballots to be received.

As you might recall in our last installment, Bruce Chaulk, chief electoral officer of Elections NL, switched all voting to the mail after the discovery of the B117 variant in the province.

The COVID-19 issues had been mostly limited to the Avalon Peninsula (southeastern Newfoundland, think St. John's and surrounding area). The plan had been for those outside this area to vote on February 13, the original election date.

Elections NL will release the results at noon Newfoundland time (10:30 am Eastern time) on Saturday.

There have been a number of problems with the mail-only option. Newfoundland and Labrador only has voting materials in English. This significantly affects French speakers as well as Indigenous languages — Inuktitut, Innu-aimun, and Mi’kmaw — especially in Labrador. Mail-only voting also affects populations such as homeless voters and people with disabilities.

The deadline for getting your vote in for the election has changed again!
Ballots must now be received by 4pm on March 25. Originally had to be postmarked by March 12.
Elections NL says this extension is because of weather and transportation concerns #nlpoli

— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) March 9, 2021

CBC News has reported that the election is on track for a record-low turnout of 51%, assuming all mailed ballots are returned by today's deadline. About 70,000 people voted in special and advance polls. Elections NL has received about 110,000 requests for mail-in ballots.

Newfoundland and Labrador election delayed for about half the province

2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

What did we learn from pandemic elections in Canada?

Campaigning has been difficult beyond the original February 13 election. Media is very limited in the province. St. John's has the only 2 TV signals in all of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Liberals (Andrew Furey) and Progressive Conservatives (Ches Crosbie) ran candidates in all 40 ridings. The NDP (Alison Coffin) have candidates in 33 ridings. Independents had 3 seats before the assembly was dissolved. There are 8 independents running.

NL Alliance has candidates in 6 ridings. The right-wing party had 0 MLAs. The party leader Graydon Pelley had to withdraw from the election due to a medical condition.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey (Liberals) might have easily won the election if the COVID-19 numbers had been better in that final week. Maybe not. PC Leader Ches Crosbie and NDP Leader Allison Coffin have expressed a number of concerns about the timing and process of the whole affair. The potential lack of turnout is a non-partisan concern.

2021 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

We've gone beyond a month between the original election date and the mail-in ballot deadline. We only have to wait until Saturday to know the winner.

CBC TV and CBC Radio One will start the coverage at 11:30 am NT. You can watch the results online.

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @PeterCBC

Newfoundland and Labrador election delayed for about half the province

Update 2/13: In-person voting has been suspended for Saturday's election with mail-in voting continuing. The B117 variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus has been spotted in the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador had February 13 on the calendar for an election that needed to be called before August 19. The writ was dropped; the campaign was going reasonably smooth. Then the COVID-19 cases started climbing this week.

Monday had 11 new cases, significant but not huge. Tuesday brought 30 cases; Wednesday had 53 cases; Thursday reached 100 cases. Each of these numbers are unique for their days.

There were issues of people being in quarantine who were then unable to vote. A high school in Mount Pearl that saw a rise in cases. There were mass staffing shortages at Elections NL.

The affected districts are all in the Avalon Peninsula (southeastern Newfoundland, including St. John's). Those districts are: Cape St. Francis; Carbonear – Trinity – Bay de Verde; Conception Bay East – Bell Island; Conception Bay South; Ferryland; Harbour Grace – Port de Grave; Harbour Main; Mount Pearl North; Mount Pearl – Southlands; Mount Scio; Placentia – St. Mary's; St. John's Centre; St. John's East – Quidi Vidi; St. John's West; Topsail - Paradise; Virginia Waters – Pleasantville; Waterford Valley; and Windsor Lake.

The election will go as planned on Saturday for the other 22 districts. The results won't be known until everyone else votes.

Special ballot deadlines are now extended so more people can vote by mail. If approved, voters have to mail the ballots and have them arrive by February 25.

2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

What did we learn from pandemic elections in Canada?

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

2021 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan pulled off pandemic elections in 2020 but none of those provinces had a significant outbreak during the election process. The numbers may seem small compared to Ontario, Quebec, and multiple U.S. states. Figure that the 195 cases in the previous 5 days is half of 390, the province total number of cases in all of 2020. Outside of St. John's, the province is rather rural and remote.

Having an election postponed is a significant and highly rare decision. Politicians in Canada, such as Premier Andrew Furey, always point out that decisions are up to the elections board, in this case Elections NL.

Bruce Chaulk, chief electoral officer of Elections NL, said in-person voting would be rescheduled in 2 weeks if public health conditions improve. We don't know when there will be a specific date; presumably that election date will be on a Saturday. The voting was set up for a Saturday to not interfere with schools since some voting happens at schools. You might recall that Saskatchewan closed schools on their election date for the same reason.

St. John's got hit with a huge snowstorm, even by Newfoundland standards, about a year ago. That would have disrupted an election.

We will be ready to report the results of the election. When a date is announced, we will update this story.

photo credit: CBC News

2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Here’s the scene as Andrew Furey leaves Government House. #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/F2rzGTZH3T

— Terry Roberts (@TRobertst) January 15, 2021

We knew Newfoundland and Labrador had to go to the polls before August 19. Premier Andrew Furey won the leadership of the Liberal Party but has not been elected.

Furey has set February 13 for the required provincial election. The Saturday election is a first in the province.

The Liberals have 19 seats in the 40-seat assembly with 20 after the 2019 election. The Progressive Conservatives and leader Ches Crosbie are at 15 seats. The New Democratic Party and leader Alison Coffin stand at 3 seats.

Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Furey took over on August 19 from Dwight Ball as premier and leader of the Liberal Party. This will be Furey's first election as a party leader. Crosbie and Coffin were party leaders in the 2019 election.

Little has changed, other than COVID-19, in the province. The price of oil is a great concern. Muskrat Falls. 

2021 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

Calling the election earlier gives the Liberal Party an incentive to ask for a strong majority government to get through a potential second COVID-19 wave. The province has been relatively safe, even within Atlantic Canada.

Sooner also puts the other major parties at a disadvantage to come up with a full slate of candidates. Furey wants to continue the trend of having minority governments to turn majority government during this pandemic in Canada.

Twitter capture: @TRobertst
photo credit: CBC News

Canadian travel bubbles could boost tourism within Canada

The Maritime provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador are looking into a travel bubble. Nunavut and Northwest Territories are planning a travel bubble for themselves.

The idea behind a travel bubble is that Canadians in those areas could cross provincial and territorial borders without the need to quarantine from the pandemic.

I haven't been to a Canadian territory but I have visited the Atlantic provinces in the summertime. I have been in Newfoundland and Labrador in late July, Nova Scotia in August, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in September. So much seafood, driving without obnoxious billboards, a lot of walking, and tons of water.

A lot of Canadians out west haven't been to this area of Canada. Costs are normally prohibitive even before a pandemic: cheaper to fly to Las Vegas to London then to travel to Halifax or St. John's.

A travel bubble, combined with relatively cheaper gas, allows Canadians from that region to enjoy the splendid beauty of the region without as many tourists as normal. The Bay of Fundy, Peggy's Cove, Cape Spear, the red sand PEI beaches, Cape Breton, Hopewell Rocks, and so many more travel destinations./p>

The Atlantic provinces have been doing really well with COVID-19 with Nova Scotia being the slight outlier. This doesn't obscure the fact that people have suffered and died from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Even though the numbers have been good, provincial premiers want to be sure this is done safely.

I loved the Hockey Day in Canada coverage from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories back in February. Having seen the Iqaluit film made me more excited about seeing the Nunavut capital.   

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Like Americans, Canadians are allowed to travel freely within their own country. Provinces have stepped up during the pandemic to limit travel in their provinces. British Columbia provincial parks are closed to non-residents. There has been some animosity against cars with Alberta licence plates in B.C.

Those in the 6 other provinces could discover the travel jewels in their own province. Those in Alberta can drive the Icefield Parkway with fewer tourist cars around. British Columbians can explore the interior and Vancouver Island.

I've been to Regina and had an amazing Saskatoon berry pie. I would love to visit Saskatoon. Winnipeg is truly more fun than you might expect. Ontario and Quebec offer numerous options for those who live there.

Where to visit Canada in 2020

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

We have heard that while land crossings are out for American travelers, some have been able to fly into Canada without issue. They would need to do a 14-day quarantine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slightly loosened the U.S.-Canada border last week allowing some family members to cross into Canada, provided they have no sign they might have COVID-19 and no reason to believe they might have caught it. The 14-day quarantine still applies.

Everything we saw last week said the border closing extension will run until the end of July. That could leave August if you want to be hopeful. Don't make plans until the border opens. Even then, you want to be careful. Masks and social distancing are smart, regardless of whether rules are in place.

We had hoped 2020 would bring more Canadian travel adventures from your humble narrator. There is a lot of pain in not being able to see Canada first hand these days.

photo credit: @VisitNovaScotia

Canadian film review: You Are Here: A Come From Away Story

If you haven't seen Come From Away, the musical, you can learn the story from the people who inspired the musical in the documentary You Are Here: A Come From Away Story.

The musical tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador in the days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. soil. The documentary takes us to Gander.

We meet the real Beverley Bass, the mayor of Gander. The food spreads we heard about: we get to see the food.

The documentary takes us through the experience day by day. We see the joys and sorrows of the non-Canadians whose lives were turned upside down.

You really get a good sense of what the townsfolk in Gander went through without warning to give back to the sudden additions to the community.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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We also get to see the Gander people come to New York City for the musical on Broadway. There we saw the lasting friendships between the people in Newfoundland and those who came from away.

While the musical format appeals to a wide audience, the documentary gives you the ups and downs of the real story. Watch the musical if you can, then watch the documentary.

Come From Away a chance to learn about Canadian kindness on 9/11

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

Come From Away hits Broadway, shows how Canada helped out after 9/11

The deterioration of the U.S.-Canada relationship ties back to September 11, 2001

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

The documentary has been available in Canada for some time. There were special screenings in major cities in the United States on September 11. Hoping the documentary gets significant U.S. distribution so Americans can finally learn this amazing story of kindness at a very dark time.

video credit: YouTube/MDFproductionsINC
photo credit: You Are Here: A Come From Away Story film

Come From Away a chance to learn about Canadian kindness on 9/11

Come From Away tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador and how the town responded to an influx of sudden visitors after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Planes were flying to and from Europe and Asia from Canada and the United States. With U.S. airspace restricted, the planes had to land somewhere. That somewhere was Canada.

Operation Yellow Ribbon process had 256 planes in Canada in 17 different airports. Gander took in 38 airplanes while Halifax had 40 planes. Other transatlantic flights ended up in St. John's, Moncton, CFB Goose Bay (Labrador), and Stephenville, NL.

Vancouver and Winnipeg handled the majority of flights coming from the other direction. Edmonton and Calgary airports helped out as well.

Transport Canada didn't want flights coming into Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal. Despite this announcement, some planes did land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and Montréal–Mirabel International Airport and Dorval (now Pierre Trudeau) International Airport in Montréal.

The Broadway musical Come From Away touring the United States takes us through the anxieties of those traveling and wondering where they were as well as the dilemmas of those in Gander about how to accommodate the influx of travelers.

They landed with little news about what had happened and had to stay on the planes for awhile. Once they exited the planes, the passengers and crew had a lot of disorienting confusion and concern. They were also greeted with warmth, love, and lots of food.

The townspeople were settling into an ordinary day when called upon to help those trapped by events in the United States.

The show is filled with ordinary details such as a school bus strike temporarily lifted to help get large amount of people to destinations. At one point, a woman is happy to be there but still wants to go home.

A gay couple try to hide their relationship because they aren't sure about whether these people will understand. Turns out gay people are everywhere, even in Newfoundland.

They see a moose at one point. We hear Newfoundland lingo. Cod tongues were mentioned. There is even a song about the screech ceremony, which might have seemed unusual even if the passengers had been to other parts of Canada.

The warmth, friendliness, and generosity of the people of Gander and Newfoundland is apparent, obvious, and loved. The lasting friendships of those people in the play and in real life are awe-inspiring.

There are Canadian references such as Tim Hortons (which got a big laugh at the show I attended in Chicago) and Shoppers (Drug Mart). Even if you didn't know what Shoppers was, you soon figured it out.

The deterioration of the U.S.-Canada relationship ties back to September 11, 2001

There might be a concern about seeing or laughing at a musical that has to do with 9/11. The show has little to do with the actual attacks but more about the people temporarily in a foreign land and their triumphs and struggles. The show might trigger such moments if you are more sensitive about what happened that fateful day. Your feelings are more than valid. We do not judge.

The Chicago audience had a chance to learn more about what happened during a Q&A session, featuring Lt. General Rick Findley from North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); James Earl Jones II, a Chicago native who is in the show; and Beverley Bass, the first female American Airlines pilot who features prominently in the musical.

Even for those who landed in Canada but closer to the United States, Findley reminded the audience that the Canada-U.S. border was closed for awhile. The musical makes a note about showing how long it would take just to get to the U.S. border from Gander.

Jones told the story of taking an initiative to visit Gander. The touring company only had a single official week off in the year. Jones took that opportunity to go to Gander.

His plane didn't arrive until 3:15 am yet Jones were greeted upon his arrival in Gander. Jones said Gander has a Wal-Mart, mom/pop shoppes, and an open door policy. He said they took him everywhere and he was immersed in the community. Jones mentioned the Bread Box and noted the "mug shot" there is having your picture in front of a wall of mugs.

Jones got an offer to chase icebergs where a woman was driving a random stranger (Jones) for several hours to see icebergs. He said the people there never wanted a thank you or money for their help for Operation Yellow Ribbon.

He told the audience that Gander is now up to 12,000, up from 9,000 in 2001.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

Come From Away hits Broadway, shows how Canada helped out after 9/11

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

Beverley Bass arrived late with a delayed flight the night of the discussion. Bass said her plane was the 36th of 38 planes to land on September 11. Her September 11 day started in Paris and was scheduled to end in Dallas.

The passengers on her flight were forced to remain on the aircraft with limited news. Bass said the passengers and crew didn't leave the airplane until 7:30 am on September 12. They stayed in Gander for 5 days.

When they did leave the airplane, they went through a tiny terminal. Bass remembered the tables full of food that the people of Gander had cooked up the previous night. They handed everyone a plastic bag full of food.

I asked Jones how much he knew about the story before doing the play: "Nothing." He didn't know Gander existed and had never been to Canada. Jones didn't even know about the Tom Brokaw Operation Yellow Ribbon video (above) that NBC News ran during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Jones said the story blew my mind and "you will be compelled to find out about Gander once you've heard the story."

Location might be a factor in seeing this musical as opposed to where you see Hamilton. Jones said the Toronto Come From Away shows felt like a party. He was reminded in the Q&A that a lot of Newfoundland people live in Toronto (not just Q's Tom Power).

If you don't get a chance to see the musical, you can find out more about the experience through a documentary You Are Here. Jones mentioned the documentary in his presentation and noted that the documentary is already available in Canada.

There are screenings in 800 theatres across the United States on September 11.

Come From Away is based on a true story, a story that Americans should know about how Canada responded at America's lowest modern moment.

map credit: Google
photos credit: me
video credit: NBC News

Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

Dwight Ball and the Liberal Party are in a new reality with only the second minority government in the brief history of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberals won 20 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly in St. John's. This was a far cry from the 31 seats the Liberals won in the 2015 election.

The Progressive Conservatives remain in opposition, moving up to 15 seats. The New Democratic Party had neither incumbent running (2 seats) and now have 3 seats. There are 2 independent MHAs. The new NL Alliance produced 0 seats.

The previous minority government came in 1971. That lasted less than 6 months. The dynamics are much different in the 2019 election.

The Canadian media, including the CBC, has pounded the point of incumbent governments losing, implying that will also happen federally in October. What they have missed is that this is the 3rd straight election in the Atlantic provinces that have gone to a minority government.

Progressive Conservative Party leader Ches Crosbie gave one of the most bizarre speeches in modern Canadian politics history. We criticized Jason Kenney for his angry speech in winning the Alberta election. Crosbie had a lot more anger in a far shorter speech.

"Constitutional conundrum." "I am not conceding victory to the Liberals." "They will have to struggle for the next months and years to hang on to power." He also vowed Ball would be out as premier and Liberal leader within a year. Crosbie also went after the integrity of Lieutenant Governor Judy Foote.

[In Canada, the lieutenant governor is the equivalent of the governor general, representative of Queen Elizabeth II. That person handles what happens during a minority government as far as which party will form government.]

John Crosbie, father of Ches, was the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2008-2013.

Crosbie implied that the PC party won the popular vote when that wasn't true.

Stunned is an understatement. You might hear that kind of speech if you run for class president in Grade 7. Even then, you would think that person should know better.

Alison Coffin had a much better night. The new NDP leader had 0 incumbents and only 14 candidates running. Coffin won her seat in St. John's East-Quidi Vidi. The party also won seats in St. John's Centre (Jim Dinn) and Labrador West, the latter where Jordan Brown won by 5 votes.

NL Alliance party leader Graydon Pelley barely got his party registered in time. The party wasn't a factor in any district.

The two independents have more potential power in a minority government. Eddie Joyce and Paul Lane were re-elected as independents. Joyce was a long-time Liberal who was kicked out of caucus over harassment allegations. He was later cleared of that charge. Lane used to be in the PC and Liberal parties.

Turnout was about 60%, an improvement over the 2015 election with a 55.2% turnout.

As we saw in the Prince Edward Island election, party leaders can be friends in real life. The Newfoundland and Labrador election said hold my beer.

The Dinn family featured Jim (left), the older brother, who won in St. John's Centre for the NDP in his first race. Paul (right), won re-election in the Topsail-Paradise district for the PCs. Mom (centre) couldn't vote for either son since she lives in the Waterford Valley district.

Speaking of the Waterford Valley district, Tom Osborne won re-election for the Liberals. Osborne has been in the House of Assembly since 1996 as a PC and later switched to the Liberal party. His older brother Bob Osborne ran in his first race in Windsor Lake for the Liberals but lost to Crosbie.

Their mother, Sheila Osborne, was a MHA from 1997-2011 representing St. John's West for the PC party.

Ches Crosbie won his seat but his sister Beth lost in her race in the Virginia Waters-Pleasantville district for the PC party. She also ran and lost for the same district in 2015. Turns out she lives in her brother's district.

The number of women in the House of Assembly dropped from 10 to 9. The PCs doubled their total from 1 to 2. The Liberals fell from 7 to 6.

The NDP had 2 female incumbents but both were not running in 2019: Lorraine Michael (St. John's East-Quidi Vidi) and Gerry Rogers (St. John's Centre). Coffin won in Michael's former district. The party won Rogers' old district, but that was where Jim Dinn won.

And then there were none: the lack of female premiers in Canada

They were like "watching two bowls of vanilla ice cream melt in the sun."

This is how veteran political reporter and Newfoundland native David Cochrane described the debate between Ball and Crosbie. Front Burner with Jayme Poisson had Cochrane and Newfoundland native Tom Power of Q for a discussion about the election.

We learned a bit about Muskrat Falls, a huge power plant that was designed to lower electricity costs but instead has become a financial boondoggle. We also learned that the demographics make things difficult to get enough money to reduce the crippling debt.

The Simpsons and others should learn Newfoundland before cracking jokes

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Red Liberal wave runs through Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

2019 Canadian politics preview

The PC party and the NDP spent time complaining about the election being moved from fall to spring. Even I knew the election was getting moved up. There was a concern about having the provincial election so close to the federal election. The 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador election was after the federal election. Heads up to those in the province: the 2023 election, unless an election is called earlier, will be in the spring.

Canadian notebook: Newfoundland and Labrador developing anti-book reputation

The first Liberal budget after the 2015 election featured a 10% provincial tax on book sales with only a few exceptions. That lasted until January 1, 2018. When we wrote about this in 2016, Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest literacy rate in the country.

That budget proposed that over 50% of the libraries in the province be closed within 2 years. After a long struggle, that proposal was taken off the table.

In a consensus government, the Liberals won't be able to make such dramatic moves.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CBNT, Channel 8 in St. John's, stayed with election coverage through the first 2 periods of the Boston NHL playoff game. Hockey fans could have followed on Rogers Sportsnet, another CBC station through cable or satellite, or streaming at cbcsports.ca. Newfoundland and Labrador has only 2 stations, both in St. John's.

photos credit: CBC News Network

The Simpsons and others should learn Newfoundland before cracking jokes

Here's the full context of last night's Simpsons episode making fun of Newfoundlanders, does it change anything that they were pointing out that Canadians don't always treat Newfoundlanders well? (Video from CityTV) pic.twitter.com/4uljG1rXVl

— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) April 29, 2019

Newfoundland is celebrating 70 years of being a part of Canada. The territory officially joined Canada at midnight on April 1, 1949.

For most of that time, Canada hasn't treated Newfoundlanders well. They were different and not just because The Rock was 30 minutes ahead of the Atlantic Time Zone.

Reducing the people of Newfoundland to "Newfie" is simplistic, especially since their Maritime neighbours don't suffer a similar fate. If the insinuation is more rural as opposed to the "big" city of St. John's, most of Canada could be identified by that word.

South Park used that word in It's Christmas in Canada (Season 7, episode 15) in 2003 and implied that people from Newfoundland were into sodomy. There might have been some controversy but the Internet is broader in scope 16 years later.

Anthony Bourdain takes CNN's Parts Unknown to the mysterious land of Newfoundland

Someone on the Twitter account for CNN's Parts Unknown hosted by Anthony Bourdain used that term on the Newfoundland episode of the travel series: "Embrace the Newfies as they are." There was a lot of people upset at the use of the term.

The Simpsons has Lisa seeking asylum in Canada in D'oh Canada

“Where the wind blows cold and there’s ice and snow, some days go on forever. But I’m warm and fed in a Newfoundlander’s bed, I’ll be an islander forever. I’ll be an islander forever.”

Those are the lines that the Newfoundland version of Ralph Wiggum sings in The Simpsons episode D'oh Canada that aired earlier this week on Fox and Citytv.

A few media outlets attributed the song to The Islander by Bruce Moss, but the lyrics in the show don't match up with the 1982 song. Moss said in an interview that The Simpsons offered him $20,000 U.S. to licence the song but he refused.  

"I'm not sorry I didn't license it. And after what I've been told about this episode, I'm really happy I didn't." Moss told The St. John's Morning Show.

Several Google searches didn't net a result for the origin of the song in the episode. Tom Power of Q likely knows the answer. The song lyrics rang true and was more a part of Newfoundland than the lame jokes.

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Canadian notebook: Newfoundland and Labrador developing anti-book reputation

Humour can be fun when there is some truth behind the joke. The show could have joked about cod shortages or the time zone difference of being a half-hour ahead or taught the world what "b'y" means. The joke could have been about screech or rum or everyone has a pet moose. The focus could have been on the province having the worst literacy rate in Canada.

The problem with the "clubbing baby seals" joke is that there is no truth. The act has been illegal for more than 30 years. Most hunting involves adult animals for a simple reason: you get more benefit from a larger animal, especially in an indigenous culture where the whole animal is used (buffalo, seal).

When I was in Newfoundland, I heard quite a few people share with me variations on what happens in the seal hunt. I've seen a seal hunt in films and on television. Anthony Bourdain covered the seal hunt and how the whole seal is used in a visit to Quebec.

The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon along with Canadian icon Pamela Anderson visited St. John's in 2013. Simon, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, offered $1 million to Canadian sealers to give up the seal hunt.

Newfoundland native Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) crashed the photo-op with his much smaller $1 million check that he offered to Pamela Anderson to stop acting.

There is nothing wrong with being anti-hunting as a general concept but the seal hunt has been a target based on the incorrect perception of "clubbing baby seals." That perception has cost the native people in that region from being denied the right to sell goods made from seals outside of Canada.

Sunday night's joke looks like a legacy to Sam Simon.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

If you are looking to take away an impression of Newfoundland other than lame jokes from The Simpsons, Come From Away is a remarkable legacy. Gander and many other communities suddenly hosted people on airplanes that landed in eastern Canada on September 11, 2001.

The generosity was amazing to the travelers but typical of how Newfoundlanders are. I saw similar hospitality to me during my visit there in 2015.

You could also watch Republic of Doyle with Allan Hawco to see Newfoundland. The CBC show is available in the U.S. on Netflix.

We will also talk about Newfoundland and Labrador as the province gets ready for its election in 2 weeks on May 16.

Twitter capture: @PeterCBC
photos credit: me

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Newfoundland and Labrador premier Scott Ball is going for a second term for the Liberal Party in calling a spring election on May 16 for the province.

Ball's challengers have had precious little time in party leadership. Ches Crosbie has been leader of the Progressive Conservatives for days short of a year. NDP leader Alison Coffin has been in charge of the party since March 5.

The NL Alliance party just got officially registered. NL Alliance leader Graydon Pelley will only have a smattering of candidates.

The Liberals start with 27 seats, down from 31 in the 2015 election. The Progressive Conservatives have 8 seats, up from 7 in the last election. The NDP has 2 seats, same as the 2015 election results.

And then there were none: the lack of female premiers in Canada

NDP leader Alison Coffin is running in the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi riding as current incumbent and former party leader Lorraine Michael is not running for re-election. The other NDP member is Gerry Rogers from St. John's Centre. Rogers is also a former party leader and not running for re-election.

The Liberals 2015 win came on the heels of a federal election and was a complete turn around flip from PCs to Liberal. The PCs had been in power from 2003-2015. 40 seats are up for grabs in this election.

Red Liberal wave runs through Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Liberals had been hinting the election would flip from fall to spring to not clash with the federal election. Even with the hint, the other parties are not as ready in terms of fielding candidates.

The ruling Liberals just tabled a budget, which will not be passed unless the party wins re-election.

Earlier this month, the province renewed the Atlantic Accord agreement with the federal government on offshore resource revenues. Newfoundland and Labrador has had crippling debt in part due to falling oil prices.

Newfoundland and Labrador will receive $2.5 billion over 38 years: front-loaded so the province receives 60% within the first year. That does mean $1.5 billion within the next 12 months but only $40,540,541 on average each year for the next 37 years.

Video lottery terminals (VLT) may become a campaign issue. The gambling terminals in bars are a huge source of income to the province but come at a society price.

Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie says VLTs would not be allowed "until they're safe" if he becomes premier. Crosbie was the original lawyer behind the current class-action lawsuit against the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, the entity that runs the machines in Eastern Canada.

2019 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The May 16 election will fall during the Stanley Cup playoffs. NHL fans in Newfoundland and Labrador will have to rely on other CBC affiliates or stream the game on cbcsports.ca. The province only has 2 over-the-air stations: CBNT (CBC) and CJON (NTV-Newfoundland television) licensed to St. John's.

photo credit: me