Fisherman's Road

I gave the following 10-minute speech today (Jan. 27 th ) in the House of Commons on an Opposition Day Motion calling on the Harper government to immediately present an economic and fiscal update to Parliament. Mr. Speaker, I read an interesting quote this morning in a blog by Newfoundlander Drew Brown. Mr. Brown describes himself as a Newfoundlander in exile, a young man who’s working on his PhD in political science at the University of Alberta. The quote, Mr. Speaker, was by a well-known Newfoundland lawyer who gave a talk to the Canadian Bar Association back in the early 1930s. The group had just finished singing O Canada and the Newfoundland lawyer said: “That’s the real difference between Newfoundlanders and Canadians. In Canada you guys can sing ‘we stand on guard for thee,’ but back home, we have to sing ‘God Guard thee Newfoundland,’ because no one else is up to the job.” Mr. Speaker, there’s truth in that. Newfoundland and Labrador is always in ...

I posed the following question today (Jan. 26) during Question Period in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, The Minister of Justice is saying Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are demanding a CETA "slush fund." That`s coming from the Minister who used a military search and rescue helicopter to taxi him from a fishing trip. It`s also not true. What my province deserves is a quote "transition fund" for "development and renewal." Because that's word for word that the Trade Minister's Chief of Staff and Minister of State for ACOA promised my province. Mr. Speaker, What won't the minister honour that promise?