Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

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For pre-1949 Liberal parties see Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)

Newfoundland & Labrador Liberal Party
Image:Nfldlabliberallogo.PNG
Active Provincial Party
Founded 1948
Leader Yvonne Jones
President Tom Lush
Headquarters 21 Mews Place
St. John's,
Newfoundland & Labrador
A1B 4N2
Political ideology Liberalism
International alignment None
Colours Red
Website {{{website}}}

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. They currently hold 3 seats in the provincial legislature.

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] The Joey Smallwood era

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.

[edit] The party under Clyde Wells

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 era, and cut social programs, reduced the public service and even attempted to privatize the state-owned electrical utility, Newfoundland Hydro. In the face of public outrage, the Liberals backed down from privatization.

While the Tories were supporters of a decentralised federation and argued for the devolution of power from Ottawa to the provinces, the Liberals, particularly under Wells, supported a strong central government and helped kill the Meech Lake Accord, a package of proposed amendments to the Canadian constitution that would have increased the powers of provincial governments within Canada.

The Liberals remained closely tied to the federal Liberal Party of Canada. 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.

[edit] After Wells

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.

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. He has been replaced by Gerry Reid.

Auto parts store owner and Placentia town councillor Kevin Power represented the Liberal Party in a byelection in the provincial riding of Placentia—St. Mary's on Tuesday, February 21, 2006. The byelection was held to replace former Progressive Conservative and later independent Member of the House of Assembly Fabian Manning who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2006 federal election as Conservative Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Avalon. Powers finished a distant third behind the winning Conservative candidate Felix Collins, and independent Nick Careen who came in second.[1]

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. Party leader Gerry Reid resigned, and Yvonne Jones was named interim leader. A leadership convention is scheduled for Spring 2010.

[edit] Leaders

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

For the pre-1934 party see Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Former Newfoundland premier Frank Moores dies, CBC News, June 11, 2005
  2. ^ Sterling lost seat in the 1982 provincial election and Neary became interim opposition leader. Sterling officially resigned as leader several months after the election.

[edit] See also

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