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Chiropractic Association - Newfoundland and Labrador... scca.ca | of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland & Labrador cpsnl.ca | Detail: Newfoundland and Labrador Autism Society slpwebsites.com |
For pre-1949 Liberal parties see Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)
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 currently holds four seats in the provincial legislature.
[edit] OriginsThe 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 WellsIn 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] 2001 leadership conventionWhen Premier Tobin left the provincial liberal party to return to federal politics it created a open for the party to elect a new leader who would served a Premier. Between 2000 and 2001 Beaton Tulk served as interim leader and Premier. In 2001 the party held it official leadership convention the party had three candidates for it's leadership:
Roger Grimes won the leadership and became Liberal Party leader and Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, by defeating John Efford by 14 votes in a fierce and divisive contest. Efford and fellow leadership contestant Paul Dicks subsequently left provincial politics saying they could not work with Grimes. [edit] After WellsBy 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 was replaced by Gerry Reid. Placentia town councillor Kevin Power represented the Liberal Party in a by-election in the provincial riding of Placentia—St. Mary’s on Tuesday, February 21, 2006. The by-election 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. Power finished a distant third behind the winning Conservative candidate Felix Collins, and independent Nick Careen who came in second.[2] [edit] After 2007 general electionIn 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. [edit] 2009 by-election victoryOn October 27, 2009 the district of The Straits - White Bay North held a by-election, to replace Minister of Transportation and Works, Trevor Taylor, who resigned on October 2, 2009. This by-election was won by Liberal candidate Marshall Dean, who won 1,975 votes to Progressive Conservative Candidate Rick Pelley's 1,799. This by-election elected the fourth Liberal MHA to the House of Assembly and increased the party's confidence after only getting three members elected in 2007 provincial election. This by-election was mostly focus on Premier Danny Williams' plan to make cuts to rural health care in this area. He announced days before the by-election he would not make cuts to the district's rural health care after protesting from residents and because the district was soon to have this by-election. [edit] 2010 leadership conventionSee: Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal leadership election, 2010 The party will be hold there 2010 leadership convention in Spring of 2010. A leadership convention was originally scheduled for spring 2008, but after failing to find an individual interested in the position the convention was pushed back to a new date later then when it was original scheduled. In February 2008, party president Danny Dumaresque announced that pushing the leadership convention to spring of 2010. [3] [edit] Leaders
Smallwood, Wells, Tobin, Tulk, Grimes have been both leader and Premier. For the pre-1934 party see Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation) [edit] Notes
[edit] See also
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