Read Some Day the Sun Will Shine and Have Not Will Be No More Online
Authors: Brian Peckford
“Open it,” he said.
I opened it, and there was a cheque for $1,000.
“I wanted to be the first donor to your campaign,” Father exclaimed.
“Ewart,” said Mother, “how do you know he is going to run?”
“Allison, it was clear when he was here Friday . . . he has no choice
anyway.”
Of course, others had encouraged me to consider this opportunity. My later
campaign manager, Frank Ryan, who was honest and super able, visited my office
and suggested I seriously examine this option. Additionally, I was further
encouraged by a meeting I held in Gander of supporters led by Ron and Agnes
Richard. These people knew me well and I could count on them to provide frank
and direct advice.
“Politics is the art of the possible.”
— Otto Von Bismarck
Statement by the Honourable Brian Peckford
Minister of Mines and Energy
January 31, 1979
A New Generation of Leadership
I have decided to run for the leadership of the Newfoundland and Labrador
Progressive Conservative Party at its convention to be held on
March 16 and 17. This was not an easy decision. I have thought long and hard
about it. I have consulted with my wife and family, friends, my district
association, and supporters from around the province. There are many reasons
for my decision. I shall attempt to highlight some of them:
Since an early age, I have been interested in public life. The
same drive and ambition that brought me into politics eleven
years ago still possesses me today.
As a people or society we have in this century “sold out” to
those who would develop our resources for themselves and others
without providing a fair return to the owners of the
resources—the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are on
the threshold of having perhaps our last
chance to “make it” or “break it.” I think I can help us make
it.
Since being involved in government I have seen injustice that I
would like to set right: social, economic, and political
injustice.
Reform must be the order of the day if we are to succeed; that
is, a new politics based on ability and integrity. It is a
strong conviction I have held for a long time.
People whose opinions I respect have confidence and faith that
I can provide the leadership that’s needed. Both my district
association and a large group of people from around the province
who met in Gander on Monday night endorse this view.
Perhaps the all-pervasive, underlying reason has to do with two concepts:
leadership and the province’s future. The two are intertwined.
Our resources—the fishery, energy and minerals, forestry, agriculture,
tourism—and our people all have a great capacity for expansion, to improve
the living standard of all our people. If and only if we in government
representing the people use the right methods, pursue the right policies,
and have clearly developed aims and objectives established after adequate
public debate. It is easy to answer the question “What should we do?” It is
much more difficult to answer the question “Why should we do it?” We must
answer the question of why before we can be sure that the answer to the
question of
what
is the right one. Sound, realistic, long-term
resource development goals are the only sure way to meet the many social
needs and have a healthy society. It will take strong resolve and
determination—that is, leadership—to
look beyond the
project-oriented approach to government to one that involves the long-term
good of our people, to be creative yet responsible. It is a challenge that
must be met now. I am excited by such a challenge and wish to embrace it
with all vigour.
The March 16–17 convention is perhaps the most important one ever held by
the PC Party in its history because not only is the party choosing a leader,
but at one and the same time a premier is being selected. I consider it
absolutely vital, therefore, that the delegates know where I stand and what
I will try to do if elected. Of course, it will not be possible to give
in-depth policy statements, but I will issue specific statements which will
provide clear direction on my thinking. The first statement will deal with
political reform. Statements will follow over the next weeks dealing with
economic development, social development, and cultural development.
My wife and I, beginning today, will visit every district in the province
to meet with district associations and explain and elaborate on ideas
contained in this announcement.
I challenge all those interested in better government not more
government—in a new generation of leadership—to get involved to ensure a
bright future for our people.
THIS WAS AN EXHILARATING
time. New people were coming forward.
Frank Ryan, my campaign manager, was putting together a solid team at our new
campaign headquarters and, hence, I could go on the road to meet the executives
of the district associations around the province. These executives were already
voting delegates, so meeting and trying to get their support was crucial, for
their own votes as well as their ability, given their stature, of influencing
the other delegates to be elected from the riding. Three incidents stand out as
I write.
The Port au Port District Association had a public meeting to which they
invited all the candidates for the leadership to address the
gathering and give the people of that region a chance to assess each
candidate. Of course, all the main candidates attended. Given that there was no
hotel on the Port au Port Peninsula, all the candidates stayed at a well-known
hotel in nearby Stephenville. The night went well, with a full house at the
meeting. After the formal part of the meeting a dance followed, at which time
the candidates were able to mingle and meet “the people.” This proved to be a
late night; however, I think I was one of the first candidates to leave, when I
was sure I had done all I could that night to attract support and that wine and
song was to be the order for the rest of the night. I also had an ulterior
motive.
I was up early the next morning and off to the peninsula to meet the executive
members of that association, and I did not have a lot of time. I had found out
from the locals the previous evening where the executive members lived. My first
stop on the peninsula was a small house right on a curve of the road. This was
the Campbells’ residence; Mr. Campbell was an executive member of the
association. It was all of 8: 00 a.m. when I tapped on the door. No answer. I
tapped again, and then a third time. Suddenly, the door opened, and standing in
her nightgown was Mrs. Campbell.
“Oh!” I blurted out. “Sorry to get you up so early. My name is Brian Peckford
and I am running for the PC leadership.”
“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Campbell said. “Well, we are just getting up, but do come
in.”
The wood stove had been lit and a good heat was circulating around the kitchen.
A door off the kitchen opened and Mr. Campbell appeared.
“Well, well, Mr. Peckford, you are an early bird,” he said.
“I am,” I replied, “but if I don’t start early I will never get to all the
districts, and I must do that if I want to be elected.”
And so the missus got us some breakfast and we had a grand chat about the
upcoming convention and politics in general.
The Campbells became very strong supporters at the convention and campaigned
vigorously on the floor of the convention hall. They remained strong
supporters.
By late morning I had met the four executive members for the
Port au Port district and then headed back to the hotel for an early lunch.
None of the other candidates had been out that morning; all of them were having
a late breakfast or early lunch. I did not disclose to them my earlier
campaigning. I credit this hard work as one of the major contributing factors to
my success in the upcoming convention and in other subsequent electoral
successes.
Sometimes your mind can play tricks on you, especially when you are remembering
personal things from over thirty years ago. So, I wanted to check this Campbell
story. I contacted former MHA, local Stephenville lawyer Fred Stagg. Fred
responded to my inquiry with a wonderful letter, part of which described the
matter of Mr. Campbell:
“. . . John Francis Campbell. He was a World War II veteran, served in the
British Isles, and may have been in the forestry section. In any event, he
met a Scottish woman, Irene, and they married. They came to Newfoundland
in 1945 or 1946 and set up a store in Campbell Creek. It was a prototypical
store, lots of knickknacks and miscellaneous items, housed in a nondescript
building which still exists.
It is certainly true that John Francis Campbell was a devotee of yours. As
leadership campaigns go, I was trying to recruit people for Leo Barry [a
rival candidate for the leadership] and spoke to Mr. Campbell. He was kind
and courteous to me, but there was no doubt who he supported. He was a
disabled man who was partially crippled. I am not sure how that came about.
I do know, however, that when you got elected and the night of the
celebration that followed, John Francis Campbell was alert, athletic, and I
am sure regarded it as one of the great victories of his life. The
celebration must have taken a lot out of him because he died on the 23rd of
July 1979. He did live to see your victory at the convention, and most
importantly, he lived to see your victory in the June
1979 election. His nephew, John Campbell, a retired teacher (who you
may remember from university), inherited the property when Irene Campbell
died on September 6, 2001.”
A second incident took me to Port Saunders to meet the president of the
district association there. Given the distances involved in touring the Great
Northern Peninsula, I was in a big hurry to ensure I visited St. Anthony,
located north of Port Saunders and Roddickton, and to the east on the other side
of the peninsula. And so, once again I was knocking on someone’s door in the
early morning as I sought out the president. Sure enough, she had just arisen
and was surprised to see me at her door. But some breakfast and a good chat left
me with the impression that I was likely to get her support and that of others
with whom she was associated. Of course it didn’t hurt that I was able to inform
her of an earlier time when I served as temporary welfare officer for the month
of August, 1964, in Port Saunders!
My first inclination that things were really going well was my trip to
Roddickton. The mayor and council were looking for a meeting with me. Now, this
was a very strong Liberal place (and riding), and for the mayor and council to
be looking for a meeting with a Conservative leadership candidate told me that
they thought I had a chance of succeeding. And so I met with them and we
discussed their many and varied problems, and I gave suggestions on how they
could resolve them. Once again, having been the welfare officer for this area
(stationed in Englee nearby), I could relate to many of the issues that we
discussed.
A crucial turning point came when three of the most prominent Conservatives in
the party announced they were throwing their support behind me: William
Marshall, then the Member for St. John’s East; well-respected lawyer and
parliamentarian Gerald Ottenheimer, Member for St. John’s South, renowned
orator, highly educated, and former leader of the Progressive Conservative
Opposition during the Smallwood days; and Dr. John Collins, a highly regarded
pediatrician. This support came after a thorough grilling by the three
at Marshall’s study one day. I guess I passed the test. All
three were to become invaluable members in my Cabinet, without whom our many
achievements that are now obvious would not have been possible.
The campaign was running well from the highly motivated office in St. John’s.
We had enlisted the services of John Lashinger of Toronto, who was of immense
assistance. As Frank Ryan, my competent campaign manager, said, “He was a great
help to us on all fronts, material procurement, delegate organization, and great
design work. He had the necessary contacts we needed for a first-class
campaign.”
And we were winning our share of delegate support from the many district
meetings. Yet it remained a formidable task since we were running against the
establishment, given that the premier (contrary to his promise to me) was
actively campaigning for Bill Doody then, also a minister in the Cabinet. Many
political pundits at the time saw him as the front-runner. But there were seven
other candidates who also felt they had a shot or could influence who the leader
would be. So in all there were ten of us running: seven ministers, the former
mayor of St. John’s, a student, and a farmer from the Humber Valley.
By the day of the convention it was clear that we had the most organized team,
both in the many hotel meetings, transportation, and on the floor of the
convention. And the Doody camp, now seen by most as our biggest rival, was in
desperation mode.
The speeches of the candidates went as expected, and the real campaigning began
on the floor as the voting began. It was our objective to try and make 200 votes
or better to be in the lead on the first ballot. This was seen as a real
symbolic marker.
There were 736 votes cast on the first ballot. I received exactly the magic
number, 200. Bill Doody had 157; Walter Carter, a veteran political warhorse,
87; and Leo Barry, a bright, ambitious lawyer, 84. The other six candidates had
a total of 108, with the last two, the farmer and former mayor, taking no
votes.
A second ballot ensued. This time there were only the top four competing. A
total of 638 votes were cast. I increased my vote total to 272, Doody increased
his to 184, Carter dropped to 83, and Barry increased to 99. I was growing more
than any of the other candidates,
but I still had not
achieved the magic 50% plus one.
A third ballot was necessary. Obviously, it looked like a two-person race;
however, Barry refused to drop out. There were 619 ballots cast. Peckford 331,
Doody 208, Barry 80.