Newfoundland & Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Opinion

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BOB WAKEHAM: Danny Williams buying political influence shows why election rules in NL must change

Williams' donation that got him the ear of the NL premier on Churchill Falls shows why election donation rules must change

That timeless and perceptive adage that “money talks” — one of whose interpretations unambiguously concludes that plenty of bucks can buy influence and gain access to governments — was never more disturbingly evident than Danny Williams’ admission that his personal donation of nearly $47,000 to Tony Wakeham’s successful election campaign opened the doors to allow the ex-premier to personally lobby the new premier to tear up the proposed changes in the infamous Upper Churchill contract.

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First off, it should be noted — ad nauseam, if necessary — that Williams’ sizable contribution to Wakeham’s political efforts was made possible because this province is one of only two in the country that places no limits on the contributions made by individuals or groups or companies, etc., to a political party or politician.

It’s a nauseous status quo that reeks of political immorality, a law that demolishes the laudable notion of every single soul having the same degree of say in the formation of a government, and embarrassingly permits the continuation of a system that allows for the purchase (implied or otherwise) of access to those in authority.

So what can you do if you’re a company seeking a lucrative contract from a party that could form the government?

Well, an effective option is to help fill the coffers of that particular crowd of candidates during an election, and hope to be rewarded if and when that party forms the government.

Better still: make sizable donations to any and all the political bodies with a shot at victory, and you have the best of worlds; you can’t lose.

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It’s not just corporations that can take advantage of such an open-ended system: if a labour organization is hoping to have a party elected that’s most aligned with its philosophy, such a body can make unlimited donations to its party of choice (usually the NDP in Newfoundland).

Or, more to the most recent point of interest: If you’re in the midst of a crusade to kill a government proposal, as is Danny Williams, you can write cheques galore if you and/or your companies are blessed with deep pockets; there are absolutely no limits in this gullible land of ours to the contributions that the zealot, the crusader, might wish to make.

It’s a disgusting policy, even if technically and legally above board, and all governments in Newfoundland, past and present, who’ve allowed it to continue, should be ashamed of themselves.

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Thus, we had the spectacle of an unabashedly proud Danny Williams implying, if not admitting outright, that he made his donation to the Wakeham campaign basically so he could sit down with the wet-behind-the-ears premier and convince him that the so-called MOU is “disastrous”.

What happened to shutting up and going away?

This is the same Williams, of course, as I wrote a while back — and bears repeating — who pronounced during his term of office that ex-premiers should “shut up and go away” once they resume their private lives, and have absolutely nothing to say about future administrations.

He even elicited the help of the Almighty Father, as believers refer to the Big Guy in the Sky, saying: “I pray to God that I never do that when I’m finished politics.”

Well, so much for that spiritual commitment, Danny, b’y. Time for confession.

It should also be noted that this isn’t some former, inconsequential premier who has donated his way into a personal sit-down with the rookie premier: this is one of the most powerful leaders Newfoundland has ever had. This is the King of the Tories, an intimidating presence who commanded adoration and blind obedience for years, and still does in many circles, despite his creation of the latest in a line of historical Newfoundland white elephants, the much-maligned, heavily over-budgeted Muskrat Falls project.

Not coincidentally, Williams suggested in a submission to the three person panel analyzing the MOU that the government conduct a financial analysis of the “value” of all existing Churchill Falls assets, “including Muskrat Falls,” a save face opportunity he apparently could not resist, a chance to re-sell the merits of his legacy project, a project ripped to shreds in a scathing public inquiry report by Judge Richard LeBlanc.

Not just ‘one person’s opinion’

When meeting with the media the other day to unabashedly sell his opposition to the MOU, Williams’ falsely modest assertion that he was merely expressing “one person’s opinion” was disingenuous and near laughable.

It’s a wonder Premier Wakeham — probably still in shock that his upset victory has actually placed him in the premier’s chair — didn’t bow and plant a wet kiss of adoration on the hand of St. Daniel, the unofficial patron saint of Newfoundland Tories and others, when they met to talk about Churchill Falls.

When Danny talks, Tony listens, and probably nods like an obedient beagle.

During that media scrum, Williams sounded at one point as if he had already convinced the premier that the MOU should be ripped to shreds.

“I’d say it’s probably the single biggest achievement I’ve had since I’ve been in politics, was stopping that MOU,” he said.

Was it a slip of the tongue, or were those words to be taken literally: that he accomplished his goal in “stopping the MOU,” that he had been successful in his meetings with Wakeham, that destroying the proposed agreement was a fait accompli?

What does the rest of NL have to say?

What I do know, and hope, is that there will be half a million Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, those not equipped with $47,000 to buy their way into a one-on-one meeting with the head of government, who’ll ultimately have the ultimate say in the revamping of that disgusting 1969 Upper Churchill Contract.

I’m referring to those residents of this proud place unwilling to sit back in their rocking chairs and play the role of the compliant and stunned “Newfie” for the next 15 years and allow Quebec to continue to make a fortune while tossing a few miserable crumbs in Newfoundland’s direction, those souls who will demand a say, in a referendum, if that’s the only option, on the MOU.

Maybe Williams can afford to give the thumbs down to a deal that will supply this financially strapped province with a billion dollars a year, starting immediately, and undo an immoral and incredibly inequitable contract with Quebec.

The rest of his former constituents, the unwashed, the ordinary rank and file, many struggling to merely survive from week to week, do not have such a luxury.

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