Some Day the Sun Will Shine and Have Not Will Be No More (20 page)
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Authors: Brian Peckford
Victory—for hard work and organization!
Perhaps the passion and commitment to the cause is best summarized by my
indomitable sister, Brenda:
My memory of the March 17 leadership is as murky as the day itself. It was
a windy, rain-snow mix and the parking lot of the hall was a thick layer of
slush.
I had had surgery only a few months before and I was not at my best. I was
the only family member with a vote and I had quit my job to devote my time
to the campaign. My request to my employer, a sitting MHA, for a leave of
absence to help my brother’s campaign was denied. He was supporting another
candidate. The hall was packed with cheering supporters from all camps. The
speeches were delivered and the voting began. I remember the first ballot.
The fever pitch of chanting on the floor was deafening and the heat was
stifling. At some point during the voting I knew trouble was afoot as I was
feeling faint. My legs were wobbling and I knew I had to leave. I was
quickly ushered to the trailer outside the hall by Fintan Aylward and Cabot
Martin. When it became obvious that a third ballot was going to be
necessary, I summoned up the strength to be escorted back to the hall, and,
although my memory is vague, I cast my ballot. I couldn’t even imagine what
I would have gone through if I had not voted and Brian had lost by one vote.
That was not an option. Years later as I recalled the eventful day, there
are still bits and pieces of it I still can’t quite remember. The most
important part is still clear—Brian won!
Now the real work was to begin.
I was unhappy with being under the mandate of the former leader and eager to
put my own stamp on the direction I wanted to see the province take. Therefore,
after getting a Cabinet in place and becoming somewhat organized, I was
determined to have a Throne Speech clearly articulating the goals and vision of
the new administration and then call an election. And I did for June 18.
I did not foresee that a very formidable candidate was looming on the horizon.
The Liberals were in disarray, and knew it, when I called the election. Within
days they had persuaded the popular and long-serving MP and former minister in
the federal Cabinet, Don Jamieson, to take the mantle of the Liberal leadership
and to return to the province and challenge me.
It was said at the time that when Mr. Jamieson arrived at Torbay Airport in St.
John’s, it was the largest cavalcade of vehicles ever seen in the province. I
think it was the next day that my chief of staff expressed some concern about
what seemed like a Liberal renaissance and that it did not look good. There was
a poll that showed us well behind.
Well, I rallied the troops and said, “This will get our juices going— let’s go
full steam ahead.” Frank Ryan was my campaign manager again and we hired some
policy and public relations people from Ontario. And away we went into the
fray.
Several things stand out about that campaign.
First, we had to be relentless and travel everywhere to get our message out.
Here is a press release issued on June 11 during that campaign that reflects
this approach:
Frank Ryan, campaign manager for Premier Brian Peckford, released today a
summary of the past week’s tour schedule for the premier. During the period
Friday June 1st to Sunday June 10, the premier visited seventy-one
communities in thirty-one districts.
Mr. Ryan stated: “Premier Peckford has travelled over 4,000 miles by fixed
wing aircraft, helicopter, and car throughout all parts of Newfoundland and
Labrador. This pace is a testimony to the energy and
drive of Brian Peckford—assets that will serve him well as premier.”
Mr. Ryan indicated that Premier Peckford will leave for Labrador
immediately after tonight’s scheduled television debate and is scheduled to
visit twenty-five districts during the final seven days.
One of these hectic days saw me helicopter to Melrose in Trinity North
District, a Conservative stronghold that we did not want to overlook. So we were
on our way. Only one problem: the fog descended on the coast and made travelling
the coastline impossible, so the pilot had to veer inland and fly low to the
ground, following the Bonavista Highway. But we could not get close to the
coast.
We asked the pilot if he could land on the highway—he circled, looked for the
electricity poles, looked for traffic, and hollered, “Yeah, I think we could do
it.” Down we went on the highway. I got out and the helicopter took off to find
a fog-free place to land, likely back at Clarenville or in St. John’s.
We waited a few minutes and then heard a car coming. We flagged it down. A
middle-aged woman, a teacher, was driving home to Bonavista. I told her my
plight, that I had to make it to a rally in Melrose, and would she turn around
and take us there?
At Melrose the local hall was filled to capacity, but all were sure we would
not make it, knowing as they did that I was coming by helicopter.
The local MHA, and later minister in my Cabinet, Charlie Brett, described it
thus:
“When temperatures are right, particularly during the summer, heavy fog forms
over Placentia Bay. It comes ashore and crosses the isthmus of the Avalon in the
Chance Cove–Random area. It then follows the coastline of Trinity Bay, on the
north side, all the way down and flows out over the Melrose–Port Union area into
Bonavista Bay. I call it the ‘three bays fog.’”
It was this wall of fog that we ran into while on our way to
Melrose by helicopter during the provincial election. The helicopter was
not equipped to fly in the fog, which was too high to fly over and extended too
far over the Atlantic to fly around. Thus we were forced to land about ten or
fifteen miles from Melrose. I was one disappointed politician because I had
promised the people of Melrose that I would visit their community during the
election, and here we were stranded in the fog on the Bonavista Highway.
You can imagine the look on the face of the first person that came along
driving a car. Here was the premier of the province hitchhiking a ride down over
the Bonavista Highway. To make a long story short, we were soon on our way to
Melrose, with the hall full of people awaiting our arrival. When the crowd saw
us it seemed almost a miracle and that it was meant to be. The rally that
followed gave us the uplift and welcome that only Melrose knows how to
give.
From Melrose we were driven to Clarenville by car, where we spent some time
meeting people at the local mall, people who had come from all over the area to
meet Premier Peckford. There was overwhelming support in that area.
It was one of those days that one remembers. It looked like the “three bays
fog” had shut us down, when in fact it turned out to be a very successful
day.
Of course, the press the next day was full of this incident and our campaign
was invigorated.
The second thing that stood out in that campaign was that we had to be
responsible and prudent. Hence, when Mr. Jamieson announced that he would
introduce a new, elaborate pharmacare program, we attacked it as too expensive
and unaffordable for the province. I think the people knew it was too rich for
our blood, and this showed that we would not try and match promises the other
parties were making but that we would say and act responsibly. Contrary to
popular myth, the people are often wiser than politicians think.
Thirdly, we had to provide a direction in writing. In this we wanted to be
positive, hence our slogan “Step forward with Peckford,” and the tag line on our
policy document contained the words “The Way We Want to Grow.” We spelled out
direction on social and economic
matters, parliamentary
reform, strong leadership, and standing up for a better deal in
Confederation.
We were also assisted by support coming from one of the larger newspapers in
the province, the
Western Star
, which on June 12 said this:
“Premier Brian Peckford has shown in the short time that he has been in
politics that he has the energy and drive that Newfoundland needs. He insisted
that the province should have jurisdiction on offshore mineral resources, a
stand that has been endorsed by Joe Clark. Mr. Peckford, who took over from
Frank Moores in the spring, has earned the chance to lead the government for at
least the next term.”
As the last days of the campaign unfolded, it seemed clear we were out-hustling
the Opposition and providing the kind of policy and leadership the province
wanted at that time.
On Tuesday, June 19, the largest paper in the province, the
Evening
Telegram
, carried the following headline: “A new day is breaking.
Peckford pounds Liberals, final score 33–19.”
