AKERMAN WINS Harbour Main - Whitbourne

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to announce that the nomination process in the District of Harbour Main - Whitbourne has concluded and Fred Akerman has been nominated as the Liberal Candidate for the next provincial election. Mr. Akerman prevailed in the nomination over three other contenders, Wanda Dawe, Bern Hickey, and Steve Hurley.

Liberal Party President Churence Rogers said he was particularly pleased to see the interest in the nomination for the District of Harbour Main - Whitbourne, where four people put forth their names as candidates. "The large amount of interest from people who are community leaders was impressive. Moving forward with continued success has become an important value of the Liberal Party, and is attracting a high calibre of new candidates to the field," said Rogers.

"I would also like to congratulate the over 1000 Liberals who participated in the nomination process tonight in Harbour Main - Whitbourne, as they are the grass roots of the Liberal Party," Mr. Rogers went on to say, "The principles of an open and democratic process are the foundation of Premier Roger Grimes and the Liberal Party, unlike the PC Party where Mr. Williams personally controls the nomination process."

 Candidate Profile

Fred was born and raised in Cupids and is now a resident of Clarke’s Beach. He is a dedicated family man, has been married for 31 years and is very active in the lives of his 2 daughters. Fred is also currently serving as a Director of the Harbour-Main Whitbourne Liberal Association.

Fred is a hard worker. He started working at a very young age in his father’s business, Akerman’s Wholesale. After leaving the business, he started his own wholesale business, Atlantic Frozen Foods. After the sale of Atlantic Frozen Foods, he worked with Dawson and Randel Real Estate. His latest endeavor has been owner and operator of King’s Fish Market, which he has sold recently.

Fred enjoys bowling, has played hockey for years and enjoys an occasional round of golf.

Fred has a vested interest in the area and will work hard to ensure it receives every opportunity to prosper.

His commitment to the people of this district is a promise of hard work and devoted service. His intent as the elected representative of Harbour - Main-Whitbourne is his undivided time and energy to improving the district.

The Young Liberals Commission cordially invites you to enjoy a Hot Breakfast served by the Commission with special guest, Premier Roger Grimes on Friday, March 7^th, 2003. The event to take place at St. James United Church Hall, Elizabeth Avenue. Tickets are $10 each.

For more information on these events or other events please view our Calendar of Events on the Liberal Party's website.

On January 16, 2003 Premier Roger Grimes and Paul Martin, Federal Liberal Leadership Candidate, joined 200 hundred others for the MUN Liberal Club Breakfast in St. John’s.

During his remarks Mr. Martin praised the leadership of Premier Grimes as the reason why Newfoundland and Labrador is once again leading the country in economic growth. The pro active development agenda of Premier Grimes is securing a stable economy which in turn allows for greater re investment in areas such as education, health care and social services.

Last year the province recorded a record employment number of 213, 900 and saw social services caseloads at the lowest level ever.

Mr. Martin also expressed his opinion that of all the politicians in Canada no one has shown the interest and focus towards investment in education as Premier Grimes. Mr. Martin said the Premier fully recognizes that a quality education is the fundamental basis for achievement and success. He congratulated the Premier for his effort to make post secondary education more accessible for those who wish to pursue it.

Since becoming Premier, Roger Grimes has reduced tuition at Memorial by twenty per cent with another five per cent anticipated for this fall. As well tuition at the College of the North Atlantic has been frozen for the past five years. This in fact is contrary to the trend across Canada where universities are increasing their tuition.

Humber - St. Barbe - Baie Verte Elects new Executive

The Annual General Meeting of the Humber – St. Barbe – Baie Verte Riding Association was held at the Deer Lake Motel on Friday, January 24, 2003.  There was a great turn out and some spirited elections with several individuals competing to become a member of the executive.    

Congratulations to the successfully elected members and thank you to those who also offered themselves to run for office.  I am quite confident that all those who attended will be an integral part of the team and continue to support and assist our riding association. 

Here is the newly elected executive: 

1st Vice President - Pat Hickey 

Vice President - Baie Verte Peninsula - Ann Robinson 

Vice President - Northern Peninsula - Sam Hoddinott Sr. 

Treasurer - Denise Gibbons 

Secretary - Jeanette Mulrooney-French 

Womens Commission - Janet Sacrey 

Youth Commission - Rob Carlson 

Seniors Commission - Lloyd Buckle 

Directors - Deer Lake - Todd Goodyear 

Directors - St. Anthony - Max Sexton 

Directors – Hampden - Joan Parsons 

We were very pleased to have in attendance, the Honourable Gerry Byrne, our Member of Parliament for Humber – St. Barbe – Baie Verte and Minister of State for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.  For those who wish to know more about Gerry please visit his website at www.gerrybyrne.ca It’s a great site!

Al Best

Federal Riding President

alpeg.best@nf.sympatico.ca

From Left to Right, Front Row:  Jeanette Mulrooney-French, Denise Gibbons, Joan Parsons, Sam Hoddinott Sr., Todd Goodyear. Back Row:  Janet Sacrey, Pat Hickey, Lloyd Buckle, Gerry Byrne, Ann Robinson, Al Best Missing members are:  Rob Carlson, Max Sexton
 

Liberal Party President Congratulates Premier

Churence Rogers, President of the Liberal party of Newfoundland and Labrador, congratulated Premier Roger Grimes on a successful first two years in office.

"Under his leadership, Premier Grimes has unified the party behind the most successful and productive government we have seen in decades. He has moved the province forward with a strong vision for continued success," said Rogers.

"Positive and solid economic accomplishments like the Voisey’s Bay Agreement and the sanction of our third major offshore oil project, White Rose, lays the foundation for a bright future for all Newfoundlander and Labradorians," Mr. Rogers went on to say, "The hallmark Premier Grimes leadership has been his continued investment in people through quality accessible health care and in our education system to prepare students for success in their lives. We are proud of his other achievements to date, which include negotiating fair labour contracts and establishing better labour relations with unions from all sectors."

Premier Grimes clearly demonstrated his understanding of and strong commitment to the fishing industry and rural Newfoundland by having the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with the FFAW leaders, its members and community leaders by introducing legislation to limit ownership and control of FPI. "Despite the criticisms of some political pundits and business leaders on this issue, the Premier stood behind the fisherpeople and plant workers to protect their jobs and ensure the survival of their comminutes," explained Rogers, "The mark of a true leader!"

"In starting his third year as Premier of our province, we know we can look forward to more of the same kind of solid governance and careful attention to the social and economic issues facing Newfoundland and Labrador that we have seen the last two years," stated the Party President.

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Nominations Close in Five Districts

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador announces the Close of Nominations for Candidates in the following Provincial Districts:

All Nominations must be filed at Liberal Headquarters, 21 Mews Place, St. John's, no later than 12:00 P.M. on Thursday - January 30^th, 2003.

Should there be more than one person filing nomination papers by said closing date, voting will be announced later.

For more information or to obtain nomination papers please contact the Liberal Party Office:

President of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador says polling information released by Corporate Research Associates, Inc (CRA) of Halifax combined with the polling results released last month shows that support for the province’s Liberals is increasing while support for the PC Party continues to decline.

"This latest information supports what Liberals and thousands of other people in this province have known all along, the Progressive Conservatives do not have the next election wrapped up," said Party President Churence Rogers.

Mr. Rogers said he was particularly buoyed by the analysis of Don Mills the President of Corporate Research Associates on the polling indicating the Liberal Government has an approval rating of 56 per cent. Mr. Mills said: "The majority of people in the province are satisfied with the performance of the government, and that makes it harder to defeat them."

"I have always been confident in our success," said Mr. Rogers. " The Liberals are serving the people of this province well and we have every intention of achieving success when the provincial general election is held to ensure increased prosperity for Newfoundland and Labrador."

"The people of this province want leadership from a government that puts the people of this province first by securing a stable and strong economy that allows this government to continue its significant investment in quality, accessible healthcare and education," said Mr. Rogers. "The growing economy that is noticeable all over the province is also the means for a better standard of life for our citizens. In 2002 a record number of our people were employed and this province enjoyed record economic growth. This is a result of having a strong and steady hand at the wheel, Roger Grimes, who is Premier for all the right reasons."

A poll released by CRA Atlantic Omnibus, on December 04, 2002, showed that compared to their poll conducted in August, the level of satisfaction with the Liberal Government increased by two percentage points, securing a 56 percent voter satisfaction for the Liberals.

That poll also reported that Premier Roger Grimes maintained his 31 percent of preference by the people of the province for premier, while the Leader of the Opposition’s numbers dropped by two points compared to the last polling period.

The results of the most recent research of CRA can be found at www.cra.ca.

St. John's West Federal Riding Elected

St. John’s West Federal Riding Association held its AGM and election of officers at Liberal HQ on January 21, 2003. Attendance was 49 with 46 eligible voters. There was healthy competition for executive positions from members throughout the riding.

Thank you to our election officials: Cheryl Beaton, Mike Lucas and Mark Watton from St. John’s East; to our secretary Flo Oliver; to Ruby Batstone and Karen Duffett for covering our registration; to Minister Julie Bettney for taking time from her busy schedule to attend our meeting; and to our outgoing Executive.

Congratulations to the following elected executive:

1^st Vice President - Rex Gibbons

Area Vice Presidents - Richard Careen & Doug Tilley

Secretary - Marge Gibbons

Treasurer - Bob Windsor

Directors - Lester Petten, Tom Hann & Marilyn Duffett

Women’s Rep - Cavelle Normore

Youth Rep - Jeff Mackay

Senior’s Rep - Jim Parrott

Past President - Ruby Batstone

Our first Executive meeting will be called within the next three weeks. I will put forth a motion at that meeting for all District Presidents in our Riding to become non-voting Directors on our executive. This will ensure an all inclusive executive to work together for the Provincial and Federal wing of our party.

Cammie Nash

745-2782 (h)

687-6096 (c)

cammie.nash@nf.sympatico.ca

Upcoming Events

Jan. 24 - Federal Riding AGM & Election of Officers

               Humber - St. Barbe - Baie Verte

Jan. 25 - Federal Riding Association Meeting

               Gander - Grand Falls

Jan. 27 - Federal Riding Association Meeting

               St. John's East

For more information on these events or other events please view our Calendar of Events on the Liberal Party's website.

Message from the President

Churence Rogers
President of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

Happy New Years fellow Liberals!

Welcome to the first edition of the Liberal Party’s E-News letter. Communication with you, the Membership, of the Liberal Party is essential in ensuring electoral success in the upcoming provincial election.

2003 will prove to be a very busy year for our party and we busy getting prepared with Campaign Colleges across the province.

When I was first elected as President in November 2001 I promised the creation of an Executive Council of the Liberal Party.  I am pleased to have introduced into our constitution the formation of a such a council. District Presidents, MHA’s, MP’s, Senators will gather with the Executive Board in Gander on May 2-3, 2003 for the first Executive Council Meeting.

If you have any suggestions or comments that want express at this meeting please contact your District President or a Executive Board.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact our office.

Liberal Support Increasing - PC Support Decreasing

Projections by one of Canada’s leading, independent, polling firms have taken the wind out of the sails of Tories in this province and strengthened the resolve of the Liberal Party. In interviews with the Globe and Mail and CBC Radio in St. John’s, the President of Corporate Research Associates (CRA) commented that Liberals and Conservatives are running neck and neck in this Province.

Going further than a simple report of percentage support, Corporate Research Associates has done an analysis of data from recent polls and the prior seven provincial elections and predicts actual electoral seats by Party. Based on a regional breakdown of the most recent poll, there would be a very tight race and possibly a minority government. It is anticipated that the specific findings are to be released to the public by CRA very soon.

In interviews with the Globe and Mail and CBC Radio in St. John’s this week, the president of the company, Don Mills said:

"The majority of people in the province are satisfied with the performance of the government, and that makes it harder to defeat them."

Don Mills, CRA, Globe and Mail, January 4, 2003

Mr. Mills added that the actual election may not take place until the fall, allowing the Liberals more time to gain support.  In an interview with CBC Mr. Mills made the following comments:

"Satisfaction numbers of government are a really good indicator about the likelihood of re-elections. On that score the Liberals are doing quite well, they’re in a good position from that score."

Don Mills, CRA CBC Radio St. John’s

Polling released in December 2002 indicated an approval rating for the Liberals at 56 percent, an increase of 2 percent since August of 2002, while support for the Leader of the Opposition decreased by two points.

These comments and the anticipated results indicate that the Liberal Government and its Record of Achievement are finding approval with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and support for the Liberals is increasing. On the other hand the inconsistencies and lack of opposition policy are resulting in a decline in the Opposition’s popularity.

Over the next few months the Liberal party will be holding campaign colleges across the province. Organization at the District level will be the key to victory in the next general election expected sometime this year. By getting party members and campaign workers together to to discuss campaign tactics and strategy, we will be able to reflect on past practices and plan for the future.

The next college will be held:

This session will be for people from the districts of Bellevue, Bonavista South, Carbonear-Harbour Grace, Harbour Main-Whitbourne, Placentia & St. Mary's, Terra Nova, Trinity North and Trinity-Bay de Verde.

People who should attend are those who will be involved in district campaign organization such as district executive members, campaign managers, financial officers, IT support people, poll coordinators and canvassers, communications coordinators, MHA's, prospective candidates, and any other interested party members.

On February 22nd, the College will be held in Grand Falls-Windsor.  Stay tuned for further details as they become available.