Lots of promises, not many platforms as N.L. election reaches stretch drive

Garrett Barry reports on the N.L. fall election being paved with promises, as only one party has released its full platform ahead of the polls closing Oct. 14.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have been flooded with promises during the province’s fall election campaign, but with 11 days to go before polls the close, only one party has released its full platform.

The N.L. NDP, whose leader Jim Dinn, taunted his opponents on Friday by sarcastically offering them calculators to speed their releases along, is the only party to have published a platform with cost estimates.

Both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties (PC) have promised to unveil their full platforms in the coming days, even though early voting in all districts has begun.

“I think (voters) know where our priorities are,” said Liberal Leader John Hogan, who is looking to secure a mandate of his own after taking over the Liberal leadership and premiership in May.

“They certainly have the opportunity to hear what we’ve been saying, I think they know where we stand.”

PC Leader Tony Wakeham said his party would unveil their Blue Book before a leader’s debate scheduled for Wednesday.

“We’re going to throw at them the same question that they often throw to us,” Dinn said Friday. “How are you going to pay for it?”

The NDP platform includes a hike in the minimum wage and an increase to the provincial seniors’ benefit. The party says it can find savings in the provincial budget by cutting spending on advertising, consultants, travel and travel nurses.

“We’ve demonstrated how we’re going to pay for it. Show us your work,” Dinn said.

Although platform releases have been slow, spending promises haven’t been —despite the province’s nearly $700-million deficit.

The deluge of new announcements, including a Liberal Party promise of new highway interchange which promises to speed up commutes for drivers near St. John’s, has drawn the ire of fiscal conservative lobby groups, like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the St. John’s Board of Trade.

The PC party, however, isn’t pulling back either: It has promised millions in new spending on housing for seniors, tax cuts and increased policing.

“My focus on this campaign has been about helping people balance their budgets first,” he said. “And then I’ll focus on balancing the provincial budget.”

The provincial Liberals, for their part, have said many of their new pledges will be covered by increased revenues that are projected to flow to the provincial government in the new hydroelectric deal with Quebec.

“We’re making responsible allocations of provincial revenue, I think,” Hogan said. “We recognize, of course, that we don’t have a bottomless pit of money. But I think you do need to focus on the priorities of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, such as health care, affordability, education and infrastructure.”

Historically, N.L. provincial governments have rarely been able to balance the provincial budget — with rare, oil royalty-filled exceptions. The province’s aging population is also spread out, putting an extra strain on health-care spending.

“You can promise the moon, and it’s easy to retract and make excuses as to why you didn’t fulfill your promise,” said Tony Martin, a voter who was listening in as Hogan pitched his plan on Friday.

“You got to spend it responsibility, but you got to have it coming in the first place,” he added. “Every government wants to give you this and give you that, and why wouldn’t you?”