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.
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.”
CHAPTER 6: INTO THE FIRE
“And while I must deal with today
I must worry about tomorrow because I don’t want it to be like yesterday.”
— Premier Brian Peckford, October 26, 1982
I WAS EAGER TO clearly outline the administration’s vision and focus. I had come to realize that with the pending constitutional talks approaching, our position should be made very clear. So the first Throne Speech said the following:
Forty-five years ago, our people faced the greatest crisis in their history. The suspension of Dominion status, an economic and political crisis that cost them their hard-won democratic institutions and control over their social and economic destiny.
Since then we have gone through a period of social and economic reconstruction and development which has seen a Commission of Government for fifteen years, our entrance into Confederation, and a thirty-year post-Confederation development period. Throughout the whole, the determination of the Newfoundland people to control their social and economic destiny has not wavered. The debate has only been about the appropriate means by which the great overriding objective is to be achieved. While it is clear that our entry into Confederation cannot be questioned, there is a growing realization that the present structure of Confederation does not allow this province to realize the full economic benefits of its own resources or to adequately promote the enhancement of our unique cultural heritage.
The speech went on to say:
My government feels that we must go through a final but necessary stage of reconstruction. Our people are, I am sure, ready, yes, even anxious to complete the task of securing for themselves the means by which they, as a people, can assure their future as a distinct society. This objective can only be achieved if we, once again, have adequate control over our marine resources: fisheries and offshore oil and gas. If we are to move forward there must be constitutional change . . . My government will make strenuous efforts to renegotiate certain arrangements already in place, in particular the power con
tract at the Upper Churchill . . .
And the final quote I will reference from that Throne Speech:
A detailed five-year plan will be presented to the federal government before the end of this calendar year, which will serve as a basis for a complete rationalization (in the medium term) of the financial relationships between the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I am going through some pains to quote this first Throne Speech since it marks the beginning of my time as first minister of the province, but also more particularly as it highlights the three main thrusts that I pursued, ones I thought were the most necessary for the future: first, fish, because of its historic roots and also because of the labour and demographic dimensions of the issue; second, the Upper and Lower Churchill Falls, both to try and correct the wrongs of the Upper Churchill contract—which if changed to current economics would, in one fell swoop, make us a “have” province—and to develop the Lower Churchill for future energy needs; and third, offshore oil and gas, the new frontier where we could start from the ground floor and try to reverse the resource giveaways of the past, including fish through the Terms of Union, Upper Churchill Falls through the Upper Churchill contract, forest concessions in both the Corner Brook and Grand Falls original deals, mineral concessions to John Doyle, and railway concessions to the Reid family and the Come By Chance refinery bankruptcy.
Now, it is likely forgotten just how poor we still were even thirty years after Confederation and how necessary the changes, as outlined in that speech, really were. I am unsure whether at the time the people really appreciated this circumstance. Of course, after a while negative overload kicks in, and in order to cope people must get on with managing their own lives as best they can.
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