Fisherman's Road

    Mr. Speaker, Today marks the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Burton Winters of Mokkovik, Labrador. The 14-year-old walked 19 kilometres before he lay down on the ice, removed his hat, mitts and goggles, and died. His body was found after three days. Search and rescue was called, but the help came far too late. Burton’s family never wanted him to become the poster boy for all that’s wrong with search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador – but he has become just that. The poster boy of needless tragedy. Today, the story in the news back home is about how the search and rescue center in Halifax referred to the Port au Port Peninsula on Newfoundland’s west coast as Port au Prince – as in Haiti. It was a slip of the tongue, they said. But in terms of search and rescue such mistakes can cost lives. That’s the point that’s lost on this government.   Today we remember Burton Winters and hang our heads w...

Two full pages in this week’s edition of Ottawa's Hill Times are devoted to Greg Malone's new book, Don't Tell The Newfoundlanders . The two headlines include: Canada 'played long, dirty, and hard' to get Newfoundland into Confederation, says Malone ; and Malone tells the true story of Newfoundland's Confederation with Canada, and it ain't pretty . Here are the Top 5 quotes from the question-and-answer style article by Katie Malloy: No. 5 – (The writer’s story lead) “When Greg Malone left Newfoundland for Toronto in the 1970s to get into acting, he says he left a Canadian, but came home a Newfoundlander.” No. 4 – “The Canadian government and the British government lied, not only to the Newfoundlanders, but they lied to their own populations and their own Parliaments. They were asked direct questions about what they were doing and they lied the whole way through it.” No. 3 – “I like to say after the (Second World) war, Russia got...

The House of Commons is back in session tomorrow and my Newfoundland pin has been modified — with a piece of Labradorite (from Labrador, not that inferior Madagascar rock).  Tks to Chris Kearney , jeweler extraordinaire, for the outstanding work. 

St. John’s   –  New Democrat Post-Secondary Education Critic Ryan Cleary is outraged at the latest privacy breach by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) involving 583,000 students who received student loans between 2000 and 2006. “As if students didn’t have enough to worry about having to pay back massive loans, now they have the additional stress of having their private information lost by the Conservative government,” says Cleary, MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl. “Worrying about whether their private information will end up in the wrong hands should not be an additional price to pay for taking out a student loan.” This privacy breach is just the latest in a series of missteps by HRSDC. Another breach was discovered at the end of December during an investigation into the loss of a USB key by the department containing personal information for over 5,000 Canadians. “HRSDC has been one of the departments hit hardest...

St. John’s – New Democrat Post-Secondary Education Critic Ryan Cleary is reacting to comments of a  Memorial University professor that students lack a basic knowledge of geography, saying that's reflective of a national problem and is not unique to Newfoundland and Labrador students. “We should not be surprised that students are entering university with low literacy rates and a shaky educational foundation,” says Cleary, MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl. “Low literacy is a problem in every corner of the country.” Judith Adler, a sociology professor at MUN, expressed concerns to CBC on Tuesday that some students don't basic knowledge of geography  —  identifying Africa on a map, for example. Cleary, a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources Skills and Social Development (HUMA), points to a presentation made by the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network to the HUMA committee in June during its study on skills shortages acros...

Top 5 quotes from Jan. 13th Republic of Doyle: : “Pineapple Crush would be deadly.” “Whatever happened to the fun-loving penitentiary guards?” “Newfoundland Fonzie car on the fritz?” “You have a chance to do something here. Don’t go Doyleing it up.” “Why don’t you broadcast it on Paddy Daly.”

St. John’s – St. John’s South-Mount Pearl NDP MP Ryan Cleary is calling on the federal Conservative  government to ensure minimum processing requirements for the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery are protected in the upcoming Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). Cleary’s call comes on the heels of a report published by Scott Sinclair of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that highlights serious implications of the CETA deal for the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery — including the possible elimination of minimum processing requirements. “CETA is being negotiated in the back room with no transparency whatsoever throughout the entire process,” says Cleary. “The Conservative government must ensure that the province maintains its ability to set minimum processing requirements and protect the livelihoods of on-shore fishery workers.” Cleary is also concerned that the CETA deal will override the owner-operator, fleet-separation policies. “The sancti...

St. John`s – St. John’s South-Mount Pearl MP Ryan Cleary says the proposed permanent fence around much of the St. John’s harbour apron is not the only option — the port authority could re-instate port security officers. Transport Canada requires the port authority to increase security measures at St. John’s harbour, but government officials haven't directed the port authority on exactly how to do so .  “I have been trying to learn for weeks what the other security options are besides a permanent fence,” says Cleary, whose riding takes in the port of St. John’s. “Today we find out that there is another option that the public wasn't aware of.” During a conference call Tuesday morning, Cleary says St. John’s Port Authority CEO Sean Hanrahan admitted that fencing a portion of St. John’s harbour and limiting public access is not the only option — Transport Canada’s requirement for heightened security could also be satisfied by hiring port security officers. “Port secu...

Tour being given by Mr. Aubrey Green during "Their honours" visit to Francois, NL, in August 2012. The image adorned this year's Crosbie Christmas card. John Crosbie's five-year term as NL's lieutenant-government will end shortly.  In January 2008, near the eve of Crosbie's swearing-in ceremony, I wrote the below column for The Independent newspaper . No word on an official ceremony to reunite Crosbie with his knockers. ••• Snip snip  By Ryan Cleary, The Fighting Newfoundlander, Jan. 25, 2008  I already miss John Crosbie, and he hasn’t even had his “knockers” removed yet. That’s his word, not mine. I can’t imagine Crosbie without the sizeable knockers he walks around with.  A mortal Newfoundlander would have to use a wheelbarrow.  I can tell you this: he wouldn’t have had much of a career without his knockers.  He definitely wouldn’t have been able to pour Sheila Copps that shot of tequila before he asked her to “lay own and lo...