In thirty-four days, twenty-five thousand one hundred twenty Newfoundlanders, Labradorians and Canadians, living in the province and around the world, combined to send over fifty-two thousand four hundred letters to Paul Martin, Ralph Goodale and Newfoundland and Labrador Members of Parliament.

This is an average of over fifteen hundred letters per day.

Think about that number for a second: 25,000. Mile One Stadium in downtown St. John’s has a maximum capacity of “5,811 seats for hockey and 5,300 seats for full venue concerts“. The known supporters of this campaign could fill Mile One Stadium 5 times over.

These numbers are staggering and we should be proud. The Fair Deal campaign, featured on radio, television and in print across the country, helped give attention to the oil dispute, and made our elected leaders take note. Thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians took a political stand by telling those who serve in Ottawa that we would not settle for less. No matter what you think of the outcome, our voices were heard.

Yet these numbers are not our only accomplishment. Supporters of this campaign have helped advance online activism in provincial and federal politics. The Fair Deal Blog has become a source of information for many, but also a forum where people have debated, vented deeply felt frustrations, argued and exchanged ideas. We have collectively stamped our feet in front of Newfoundland and Labrador MPs, our Premier, and the Prime Minister of Canada, reminding them that we helped put them in office. Our “virtual march on Parliament Hill", as one columnist called this campaign, has motivated and united, while at the same time it added a voice to the decades old debate about our identity and our place in Canada.

I am very proud of this campaign, and I do not think that this effort should dissolve. The strongest advocate for Newfoundland and Labrador is its people – not one party or one politician – and we should not forget that. Fair Deal is a beginning; let’s remain vigilant and continue to keep the future of our province fruitful and prosperous. We can continue to make a difference.

Premier Williams’ deserved granite base of power and popularity will be steadily tested in the coming weeks and months. He has come home with good news and lots of money; everybody is going to watch his government with fierce scrutiny — and this is as it should be. Folks are lining up already:

Not quite in the same ballpark, but John Efford is hoping to reap some benefits from this deal as well:
Judging from participation in this campaign, Efford has an uphill battle ahead of him. In less than four days, four hundred fifty-one letters were sent to Efford, using this web site, by his direct constituents.

We’ve got a deal:

Williams:

Read it here and here.

What to say?

I am relieved, but most of all I am proud of this effort. Time to take it in, analyze the result, reflect, and step back. The pages that send letters to the PM and Newfoundland and Labrador MPs have been shelved.

Thank you, everybody. Your efforts — every single one of you who sent a letter or spread the word or put up a poster or helped in any other way — have brought real online grassroots activism into Newfoundland and Labrador politics.

Goodnight! I’m happy it’s the weekend.

Roland Martin in today’s Globe and Mail:

Roland Martin goes on to take issue with specific conditions in the federal offer

• An eight-year time limit on any new revenue-sharing mechanisms.
  - Roland suggests 16 years
• Insistence that the deal only apply to one new project; which in the case of NL would only cover Hebron.
  - Why shouldn’t the 2005 agreement cover all existing and future offshore projects?
• NL and NS achieve and maintain debt/GDP levels healthier than any other Canadian province.
  - Why should they be penalized for sound financial management?

Roland sums it all up:
The full article, “Drum roll: a solution", is online.

You might want to compare this with the Williams’ government official statement.

For Williams critics, I understand how you take issue with some of his tactics. I don’t understand your basis for criticism if a deal is reached tomorrow, or later, that has some financial wins for our province. If Williams took the Manitoba deal, we’d be having a different conversation right now. If Williams gets a better deal, then how has he failed?

Before I get accused of blindly throwing support behind Williams, with no critical thought whatsoever, take a minute to read my question again. In the vacuum of the Atlantic Accord debate, an offer was made. Williams turned it down (loudly). I don’t for a second think that blind, carte blanche support for any elected official is a good thing, but if Williams achieves a better deal, hasn’t he done a good job for the people of the province in this matter?

In that vein: have you contacted your Newfoundland and Labrador MP yet? We might really need their support next week.

From the CBC today:

The Newfoundland and Labrador government needs to do the same. More specifically, they need to hone their messaging and provide a solid, publicly accessible counter-argument to answer the federal case.

I am not saying this because I suddenly agree with the federal offer. This is a simple truth: we know the feds are going to launch a PR campaign around this, and if it goes unanswered, they will persuade. Unless of course they run a mötley campaign and shoot themselves in the foot, which is entirely possible.

A Rally Planned

If you go, or plan to go, leave a comment and tell us about it.

Three more notes:

• Paul Wells gives his perspective.
• Agree with him or not, Über-commenter Ed Hollett is certainly worth reading. Ed thinks this web site fosters an island-wide inferiority complex — I think. I assume he’s aware that this little effort is also a letter-writing campaign, fifty thousand letters strong. That’s besides the point; he’s got a good blog cooking, updated frequently with his take on things.
• The MUN Public Forum on Equalization Benefits has been re-scheduled. Open to the public, and free. If you go, or plan to, leave a comment about it.

One last thing: We are about to hit 2100 letters sent to Newfoundland and Labrador MPs. Did you send your letter yet? And at last count, we are 14 shy of 25,000 letters sent to Primer Minister Paul Martin.

First, it seems we are making some headway: the balanced budget requirement is no more. So we get a reply from Ralph Goodale, and a concession from the Feds; two small victories.

Second, Anthony Wilson-Smith makes some interesting points in Maclean’s “Editor’s Letter“:

While I see Anthony’s point and agree with it, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Should the uniqueness of our culture merit a better deal from Ottawa? The provincial “cute” factor that sets us apart from fellow citizens (arguably) — something I talked about in an earlier highly contentious post — is nothing to dismiss. Indeed, what’s wrong with relishing our individuality and distinctness?

Nothing. But frankly, I’d rather get a good deal on our resources because it’s the right thing to do, plain and simple. I want a good deal because it’s high time we looked at the unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador and saw it plummet.

I completely admit that I may be projecting on to Anthony’s observation. He makes another interesting point:

I didn’t see the show and it’s not available on the web, so I don’t have an opinion on this. Marg Delahunty, Warrior Princess and Dakey Dunn have really made me laugh over the years. 22 Minutes was the only show I made a point of watching. Two questions: What did you think of the show? Is Anthony right — has their been a mood change?

Let’s say there’s a bulletin board in your university. How many people do you think walk by that bulletin board every day? What about your local Tim Horton’s or Starbucks or Caribou Coffee shop? How many people stand in line, or walk through the front doors, glancing at the community board? How often do you stare blankly at the back window of the car in front of you? How many students, sitting in class, waiting for their teacher to come, are starved for something colorful to look at?

The numbers are staggering. Astonishing, I tell you.

Top ten reasons to download a Fair Deal Poster
and post it somewhere today:

• They are rich in primary colors.
• You might make a new friend ("What’s that you are putting up there?").
• When is the last time you posted anything in a public place?
  It’s past due.
• Flags are art.
• Go to sleep tonight knowing you made at least 10 people see something they would otherwise never have seen.
• Great story to tell after work/class. “Hey, guess what I did today? I put up a Fair Deal poster.”
• This isn’t really a reason, but I’ll throw it out there. Don’t like my poster? Make your own. That’s really empowering.
• They have a certain symmetry that’s pleasing to the eye.
• You will have played an even bigger part in spreading the word about the fastest growing online movement in Canadian history.
• You really think the PM and John Efford just don’t get it.

Put up a Fair Deal Poster. Give in to the inner-activist.

There are two outstanding versions (thanks Colin), PDF format:
Fair Deal Poster 1   |   Fair Deal Poster 2

If you do put up a poster, leave a comment and tell the group about it.

There’s a new tool on this web site, and it’s all the rage:

If you live in Newfoundland and Labrador, go here and send a letter to your Member of Parliament.

If you live outside of Newfoundland and Labrador, click here to visit the Parliament web site and contact your own MPs.

A meeting is set for this coming Friday, January 28th. In the coming days, we need to make sure our elected officials know that we expect them to work towards the best deal possible for Newfoundland and Labrador. Please, contact your NL MP. If you live in another province, tell your Canadian members to support this cause.

If you are living outside of NL and you do send a letter to your MP, leave a comment and tell us about it!

Coming from Newfoundland is an interesting thing.

In America, I am unique at the table, most of the time. I am definitely a good ice breaker:

Friend to group of strangers: “Did you meet Kevin? He’s from Newfoundland.”

This never bothers me, and actually, I am glad that people are interested, and I know that I am similarly interested in folks from other unique places. I typically answer like this:
Inevitably, folks who have heard of Newfoundland ask what happened to all the fish. Why is your province on the bottom rung of Canada? Whenever I take a stab at answering this question another voice creeps into my ear. Oddly enough, it’s Percy Janes, who wrote in House of Hate that Newfoundlanders can at times be plagued with an “island-wide inferiority complex.” I believe that there is some truth to this, and perhaps it’s not unique to us. Irish and Jamaicans, indeed any islander whose nation has been trod upon by those bigger and more powerful, or whose governments have recklessly misused natural resources, probably feel a need to explain themselves when others ask “what happened to you? Where is your wealth? Why do so many of you leave?”

Let me be clear: I don’t feel inferior. But when I have to explain the plight of our province, particularly the history of our fishery, I am saddened that any explanation is necessary. We should never have lost that resource. Too many mistakes were made. We can never let it happen again.

The terrible truth is that all of the parties involved with managing our greatest gift failed miserably. Failed in such a way as to make us gnash our teeth in anger and disgust. How could our fishery, a $3-billion renewable resource, be lost?

Read Roy MacGregor’s fourth installment in his Newfoundland series: How a $3-billion renewable resource was lost to Newfoundland, Globe and Mail, January 20.

From the CBC:

This move speaks to recent articles across the country that point to a bigger question for Canadians: is rural Canada getting a raw deal? (Yes.) Is the middle of the country a sink hole, fed by resources from outlying provinces? For all of those Fair Deal activists living Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia—anywhere in Canada: take the time to tell your fellow Canadians that Newfoundland’s stand is important to the future of their province as well. Tell them to ask their MPs for a fair deal.

Roy MacGregor follows the Accord dispute with another column today in the Globe and Mail:

MacGregor, as the title suggests, goes on to talk about Danny Williams’ reputation and history, with the aim of shedding some light on The-Premier-That-Took-The-Flag-Down.

While this campaign is not about Premier Williams—it’s about keeping a promise and getting a fair deal—I’ll certainly steal his sound bite if it inspires a few activists out there, reading this blog, to put up a Fair Deal poster, write a letter to their MP, tell just a few more friends or send a fax to the PM’s office (613-941-6900). Williams: “I can go to war. I’m tough. I’m dogged. I will persevere. I don’t give up”.

Margaret Wente describes some of her hate mail and lessons learned in today’s Globe and Mail.

Proud, prickly and mad as hell, Globe and Mail, January 18

Roy MacGregor, who actually went to the province and talked to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, writes in today’s Globe and Mail:

Also:

• The Atlantic Accord For Dummies: See it in .Blame it all on the tangled nature of the Atlantic Accord. The Express has removed this article. Here’s another one.
• d dispute a bigger issue for Canada? Newfoundland vs. Ottawa is an expression of, a variation of and a dramatization of a struggle that’s now underway between rural Canada and urban Canada. Richard Gwyn in today’s Toronto Star.
• MacGregor and Graeme Smith tackle the question: “Is it possible to gauge a province’s value to a country, and vice versa?” in Saturday’s Globe and Mail.
• Ted Byfield asks in the Calagary Sun: “Does it not seem to you that any resource industry that falls under the control of the federal government is thereupon doomed?“

Rex Murphy faced some criticism—albeit light—this week for giving one commentary on Newfoundland and Labrador television and a different, arguably less biting version on CBC’s The National. Both are linked here in this blog entry.

Such complaints were unfounded and undeserved. Since the Wente article, Rex has waged his own campaign for a fair deal for his home province, and against the ridiculous Wente article that spurred so much emotion and anger. Today, Rex appears in the Globe and Mail (on I would bet it’s most popular day), in the third leg of his one-man assault against the “lazy newfie” stereotype. All obvious bias aside from the author of this blog, when you read Rex Murphy, you realize what good and effective writing really is:

Somebody once said, as a reader of this blog recently pointed out, that where there is a negative stereotype, there is exploitation. I don’t for a minute think that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can fit into the same realm of suffering that far more maligned and disenfranchised people on this earth find themselves. I think it is a terrible mistake to claim otherwise—let’s never forget that we enjoy a first world economy, a real democracy, unmatched social services and education for all who choose to pursue it. There are no land mines in Newfoundland. There is no war in our backyard. The sky isn’t falling on us.

What Rex Murphy does so well in this article, aside from making Margaret Wente look like an amateur disgrace to her profession, is point out that the “contemptible practice…of dealing in caricature and stereotype” is simply intolerable and unacceptable, no matter the target. He rightly calls on Canadians to “shut down the Newfie joke industry, of which… Margaret Wente’s column is an extended and singularly hostile example.”

Read Rex’s column, and be thankful he’s on our side. In the past four days his words have held Canadian readers in a verbal Kung Fu death-grip, and he’s taken no prisoners.

Sheila Copps definitely knows how to keep a promise. In 1996 she vowed to resign if the GST were not abolished, and when Chretien balked she kept to her word. Running again and winning, it was testament to her reputation that she was re-instated to previously held posts.

Copps speaks up for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in today’s National Post:

One of the positive byproducts of the flag lowering drama and the Accord dispute is the amount of press for Newfoundland and Labrador in recent weeks. Those who complain that Canadians have never really understood the province and its plight suddenly have champions in the national media: Rex Murphy, Paul Jackson, Licia Corbella, Link Byfield, Peter Warren and Roy MacGregor—who featured this web site on page two of the Globe and Mail—have repeatedly defended the Premier’s position and the purpose of this effort. Margaret Wente inadvertently did the province a favour by stirring national interest in what’s been happening since Confederation. Her column even prompted a response from the Prime Minister, and now Sheila Copps.

Insulting a whole region of the country: what better way to unite aggravated folk? It only takes one flea to irritate a dog, and the Newfoundland dog seems plenty irritated these days. One need look no further than the screen in front of you to see the proof of this: 23,000 citizens have taken action on this site so far, and the number is climbing. What more can we do between now and January 28th? What more can you do?

Check out Copps full article if you can. Also, Vic Young in The Globe and Mail.

It’s about time: Prime Minister Paul Martin and Premier Danny Williams will meet face-to-face Jan. 28 in Ottawa. Sullivan doesn’t pull any punches:

Can Efford ever recover from the repeated blasting in the press, and is Sullivan right? I haven’t seen a positive thing written about John Efford in weeks, and his defense has been lacklustre at best.

Check out Clearwater Foods’ president John Risley in yesterday’s Globe and Mail, Don’t write off rural Canada:

The feeling of “this is our last chance"—true or not—has guided this effort, and I think Premier Williams’ actions during the past six months.

In cased you missed it, Rex Murphy gave two commentaries this week: one for local news in Newfoundland and Labrador, and one for CBC’s The National. Both are definitely worth your time today:

• Rex Murphy’s commentary on CBC St. John’s
• Rex Murphy’s commentary on CBC’s The National

You can also listen to Rex’s St. John’s commentary here in the Fair Deal Audio News Archive (audio provided by Ear-Shot Productions). From Rex on The National, January 12:

My parents lived and worked in Carbonear, and reared children there. I’ve been there thousands of times. Let me clarify: Carbonear Rocks, and so does Art Fong, who owns the best Chinese food joint in Conception Bay—just one of Carbonear’s 225 businesses. Let’s join Art in asking Margaret Wente to visit that fair town in the hub of the bay, so she can see that Carbonear’s citizens are not all welfare denizens waiting for a hand-out. Please, anyone from Carbonear, send Margaret Wente a postcard at the Globe and Mail, asking her to pay a visit editor’s note: maybe just the postcard.

The Globe and Mail
444 Front St. W.
Toronto, ON
M5V 2S9

Maybe she can make the Sheila Na Geira Theatre Festival next summer.

Brian Peckford, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1979-89, spoke in Mount Pearl last night and made perhaps the most accurate statement of the past few days:

Dare I read between the lines and add: Keep up the Fair Deal effort. Keep spreading the word.

Peckford added that John Efford, Natural Resources Minister, is “out of his league” in his role as the province’s representative in the federal cabinet, and that while John Crosbie is still a major player, Efford “can not be considered in the same light". Has Efford lost all credibility with the majority of people in his province over this affair? Current headlines haven’t been flattering to Efford’s legacy, and I don’t think his sound bites have done him any favours.

And from the PM’s office: “Williams can expect ‘a sound reply that opens the door to resume talks that will be mutually satisfactory.’”

Rex Murphy is no “slackarse", and he get’s it right, again: Listen Here, right column of the page.

UPDATE: Read the commentary here.

Maybe someone is paying attention. Although probably not until next week, the PM made some positive statements yesterday regarding negotiations with the province. Notably:

It’s not much, but I’ll take this statement in good faith—for now. Let’s see some real results and keep this fight alive. Until then we need to keep the pressure on. I still find it amazing that the PM’s promise last summer could be so easily and publicly dismissed by his office, and that the excuse of not fully understanding the issue during an election cycle was palatable to anyone.

In other news, I’m glad Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest union is weighing- in on the issue. NAPE’s Letter to the Prime Minister.

Gil Dalton lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and he’s written an excellent summary of the troubled history between Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian Government in a letter to the PM. Dalton astutely writes that “At this stage in our history, I think it is important for the rest of Canada to understand the roots of why Newfoundlanders feel so deeply the way they do.” Dalton explains further:

Required Reading: Gil Dalton’s letter to the Primer Minister.
Gil, thanks for sharing this piece.

By now you have probably seen the Prime Minister’s excellent response to Margaret Wente’s Globe and Mail article. I really think he needed to address this, and I applaud the article whole-heartedly. However, the Canadian Press release states that Martin issued his statement to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Telegram newspaper. Why not a national press release? Why not in the Globe and Mail? An excellent opportunity for the PM to do the right thing and go that extra mile to clear the air.

On a related note, the PM did say in his release:

Were you satisfied with the PM’s response?

Premier Danny Williams has announced that all provincial governement buildings will raise the Canadian flag again today.

Read the full release.

What do you think?

From today’s Globe and Mail:

Many have asked how I feel about the removal of the flag. I think it was a powerful statement to the rest of Canada that the people of the province won’t stand for the same mistreatment at the hands of the Federal Government again. We don’t, and have never wanted to be, a “welfare-state", taking hand-outs. We want self-sufficiency, an equal partnership, and fairness.

On another note, this campaign makes The National Post:

If you haven’t seen it yet, John Crosbie’s article in today’s Toronto Sun is a must-read:

John Crosbie: Our beef with Canada
Toronton Sun, 01/09/05

This site has truly taken on a life of its own. It isn’t my site any more; it belongs to each of the seventeen thousand plus activists who have taken the time to send a letter for this cause.

Two weeks ago, this was a thought. Now it’s a force.

Together we have earned national attention, as this effort has been featured from coast to coast and in between:

• CBC Radio Noon in St. John’s, NL
• The Rutherford Show in Calgary, AB
• The Peter Warren Show, out of Vancouver, BC

I started this campaign because I think it is an issue important to all Canadians. Do we want a Prime Minister who hedges on election promises? Do we want a Prime Minister who is willing to keep Newfoundland and Labrador’s future enshrined in the status quo?

It is important to note that Prime Minister Martin did a great thing today: he refuted Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente’s appalling column. Martin wrote:

but most importantly:
“It’s the right thing to do”. If we can take that statement as indicative of the shape of things to come, then maybe our province will get a fair deal, and shirk the cloak of a have-not province that we have worn since Confederation.