Nearly one year into a PC government, Tony Wakeham and the PCs have built a record of broken promises and failed commitments. The PCs’ broken promise to hold a referendum stands as the clearest, but far from only, example of a government that has failed to keep its word.
The PCs made big promises to get elected, but delivered too few results. One year in, families are struggling, communities are waiting, and public trust is wearing thin.
The PCs abandoned their election promise to let Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have their say on the Churchill Falls and Gull Island deal.
The PCs promised all topsides work for the Bay du Nord project, but none has been secured. They promised 24/7 snowclearing, only to dismiss public expectations as unreasonable when they failed to deliver. They promised lower taxes but kept the provincial gas tax in place, while their income tax relief amounts to just $28 a month for many taxpayers.
The PCs promised better health care, but cancelled plans for a new provincial hospital while throwing good money after bad by committing hundreds of millions of dollars to St. Clare’s, a facility that needs to be replaced. Communities continue to wait for promised improvements to emergency services, while other commitments remain unfulfilled or fall short of what was promised, including free hospital parking.
The PC government has also failed to deliver on commitments to education, workers and public safety. A new school for Cartwright was cancelled, while concerns about early childhood educator benefits and $10-a-day child care remain. Staffing pressures continue across the justice system and police services, including sheriffs and correctional officers. Meanwhile, the PCs have yet to take any concrete steps to fulfill its commitment to four new ferries, and rural communities are left questioning the future of roadwork and highway twinning projects.
Other PC decisions have raised further questions about the government’s priorities, including dropping the equalization lawsuit, effectively cancelling the Future Fund, failing to deliver the promised rotational worker tax credit, and spending $275,000 annually of MCP funds on a part-time political adviser and making other secretive political appointments.
The PCs’ decision to abandon their referendum commitment on the Churchill Falls and Gull Island agreement is among the most significant broken promises. Rather than deliver the meaningful public vote they promised, the government pushed ahead with a 50-year agreement with Quebec, denying Newfoundlanders and Labradorians the say they were promised. The deal also lacks market-based pricing, includes a declining price for Gull Island power, and leaves Quebec with all the upside, just like the 1969 deal.
As the PC government approaches its first anniversary, the Official Opposition says Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve accountability for the commitments that have not been kept and a clear plan to address the challenges facing families and communities.
During the election, Tony Wakeham said, “Our attention will be focused on helping people balance their budgets, and then we will balance the budget of the province.” But families are feeling the pressure of rising costs, communities are waiting for promised services, and the government has walked away from commitments it made to voters. After a year of big promises and big letdowns, trust is wearing thin.
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