The following quotes were gathered Sunday afternoon in St. John’s at a forum hosted by NDP MPs Ryan Cleary and Jack Harris to discuss Bill C-38, the Conservative omnibus budget bill. “Stephen Harper is not my Prime Minister — he’s the CEO of corporate Canada, and his cabinet are the board of directors.” — Ken Kavanagh, head of the Northeast Avalon Regional Economic Development Board.  “It will come to the point where a mariner will be asked, ‘Are you up to your neck in water yet? Call back when it gets there.’ ” — Merv Wiseman, recently retired rescue co-ordinator at the now closed Marine Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John’s, on various cutbacks to search and rescue.   “Perhaps we’re paranoid, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out to get us.” — Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers’ union. McCurdy listed off the various aspects of the omnibus bill (he called it an “ominous” bill) that are detrimental to NL — including cuts...



I gave the following 10-minute speech Thursday (May 31st) in the House of Commons.  Mr. Speaker, My perspective on this motion is a Newfoundland and Labrador perspective.  And in that light, I begin.  First the fishery, now the fisherman — that will be the theme thoughout my speech.  First the fishery was destroyed.  Under consecutive federal Liberal and Conservative governments groundfish stocks such as cod and flounder were practically wiped off the face of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. There has been an embarrassing lack of recovery — in fact, there aren’t even plans for a recovery.  The Conservatives voted against that bill (my bill), the Newfoundland and Labrador Fishery Rebuilding Act — last fall.  So 20 years after the biggest layoff in Canadian history, comparable to the Prairie Dustbowl of the 1930s  — of course, I’m speaking of the shutdown of the northern cod fishery, the anniversary of which, ...





“Never for one moment have I forgotten that I was a Newfoundlander and a Grand Banker, or been less intensely proud of it. My roots are here. Whenever I come back I say to myself, “I’m back in my own country and with my own people.” A year ago I was saying, “I’ll never get back to Newfoundland except perhaps in my coffin.” Then you gave me this delightful invitation, and the effect was to rejuvenate me … This has been a very wonderful and heart-warming experience for me. I shall be joining shortly in what I know by heart and have known all my life, the Ode to Newfoundland.” - The late Eugene Forsey, from a brief address to the 1987 Grand Bank Tricentennial celebration. *** The above quote is contained in the book, Eugene Forsey, Canada’s Maverick Sage , by his daughter, Helen Forsey. Forsey was raised a Conservative before converting to social democracy in the 1930s and joining the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (now the New Democratic Party). Later in life, he became a S...