Danny Williams always likes someone who stands up for his or her province. Well, likes them as long as the someone doing the standing up standing in the way of something Danny wants. . Anyone who wondered why Williams turned up in the Globe praising British Columbia Premier Christy Clark
Continue readingTag: Kathy Dunderdale
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Art of Budget Forecasting #nlpoli
The provincial government set its budget this year based on an oil price forecast of US$124 a barrel in 2012. As we move up on the midway point in the fiscal year (it starts on April 1), oil is well below that. The result is that the provincial government could
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: NL wheeling power through Quebec #nlpoli #cdnpoli
From April 2009, here’s Kathy Dunderdale – then the province’s natural resources minister – quoted in a news release on an historic agreement that saw Nalcor wheeling electricity from Churchill Falls through Quebec to the United States: “This is a significant development for us to share our excess green renewable
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: There’s reality and … #nlpoli
Premier Kathy Dunderdale decided to talk about reality on Monday. A reality check she called it: “Everybody sees what’s happening with the price of oil, and I see every day what that’s doing to our budget,” the premier said. [CBC online story] Dunderdale warned that the provincial government’s deficit this
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Autonomy and Legitimate Aspirations #nlpoli
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter is ringing the bells, trying to alarm Canadians to the fact the federal government is trying to withdraw funding from areas that are generally provincial responsibility under the Constitution. You can see a lengthy interview Dexter gave to Evan Solomon of CBC’s Power and Politics
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Everything old is not new again #nlpoli
Trying to blow off the implications of last week’s Environics poll, former natural resources minister Shawn Skinner trotted out another line in this week’s edition of On Point with David Cochrane: it’s still early days. People don’t know Kathy Dunderdale yet. Give her another year and a half or two
Continue readingPressing Politics: The NL Big Picture: NDP Tops Tories in New Poll, Liberals Showing Signs of Return
It has certainly been an interesting couple of days. On Wednesday I published a blog which argued that for the first time in post-confederation NL history, the upcoming provincial election in 2015 would be wide open race between three parties. … Continue reading →
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Premier and her glass house #nlpoli
One of Kathy Dunderdale’s more obnoxious qualities is her love of insulting other people. She couldn’t let the House close without doing it a few times just for good measure. There’s nothing witty in Dunderdale’s insults. Nor is there anything that could pass for clever in her jabs. That’s part
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Shit the Premier says: dems da facts version #nlpoli
“When your first piece of information is wrong,” said Premier Kathy Dunderdale in the House of Assembly on Monday, “you can pretty much assume…that the rest of it is wrong as well.” Truer words, Mr. Speaker, truer words. In fact, the words are awfully familiar. But anyway… In her first
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Shit the Premier says: law and democracy edition #nlpoli
Last week the gang at the Center for Law and Democracy were, in the words of justice minister Felix Collins, a “two-bit outfit.” This week, things are different. Now the Premier has decided that this two-bit outfit is peachy keen. In the House of Assembly on Monday, she thought the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Dunderdale rejects Locke’s advice on Muskrat #nlpoli
Sometimes you agree with people. Sometimes you don’t. All it means is that you agree sometimes and disagree at others. Premier Kathy Dunderdale didn’t seem to understand that point when she spoke to the St. John’s Board of Trade back in January: Memorial University economist Dr. Wade Locke, has concluded
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: What she said… visionary leadership edition #nlpoli
Newly minted Premier Kathy Dunderdale from her 20 Questions interview in the Telegram, December 24, 2010: Still, Dunderdale maintains being premier was never on her radar. She says she’s not the kinds of person who envisions things 10 years down the road, but prefers to live in the now. “If
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: What they said…Part Deux #nlpoli
Basic public relations problem. Say one thing. Say another thing. A few weeks later, do something else, twice over. For starters, here’s the what Premier Kathy Dunderdale said in the House of Assembly in March about job cuts and the provincial budget: March 13: …Mr. Speaker, we will make the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Other Damn-Fool Fisheries Policy #nlpoli #cdnpoli
About 30 years ago, Kathy Dunderdale started out her political career fighting against fisheries reform. Last December, she scolded fish plant workers in Marystown for turning out 18 weeks work that would have qualified them for employment insurance and kept their plant open. She continued her fight against fisheries reform
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Dunderdale-O’Brien Confusion #nlpoli
In a scrum on Wednesday, May 23, Premier Kathy Dunderdale said: “What we are talking about, in fact, is a two hour window here.” In the House of Assembly on Thursday, May 24, Premier Kathy Dunderdale said: I have asked Minister MacKay for an explanation of the gap that occurred
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: And she believes this crap is brilliant #nlpoli
Arguments are so much more convincing when claims match with the evidence. Otherwise you wind up with a credibility gap. It’s bad enough for ordinary people, but when you are – for example – the Premier of a province, having people doubt that what you say is true, you are
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Feds calls Dunderdale’s bluff #nlpoli
In an interview with CBC’s David Cochrane, federal intergovernmental affairs minister Peter Penashue called Premier Kathy Dunderdale’s bluff about a public inquiry into the death of Burton Winters. Penashue said: "This is a legally initiated process and everyone would have to co-operate." Dunderdale has criticised the federal government over Winters’
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Grandmother, what big teeth you have #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Political leaders have a moral duty to the people they serve. There are times for politicians to fight for their constituents. And there are times when responsible political leaders must help a community to heal. In the wake of the tragedy in Makkovik, Premier Kathy Dunderdale should be helping people
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: It worked so well for Roger #nlpoli
Kathy Dunderdale is apparently off to Ottawa. According to voice of the cabinet minister: There’s no word on when the Premier will be flying to Ottawa, but according to the MHA for Mount Pearl South [Paul Lane], it will be soon. Representatives from the Premier’s office have confirmed that Dunderdale
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Federal-Provincial Puzzle #nlpoli
Premier Kathy Dunderdale is frustrated. “Extremely frustrated” “What is it that we have to do down here to get your attention?” she asked, rhetorically, on Thursday. She expressed that frustration in the House of Assembly in response to questions from Liberal leader Dwight Ball and in a scrum with reporters.
Continue reading