Newfoundland premier declares war with Tories over

St. John's Telegram

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams says his Anything But Conservative campaign was a success. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams is declaring the battle between his government and Prime Minister Stephen Harper over.      Speaking the day after a federal election that saw Harper's Conservative party returned to power with a beefed up minority government, Williams said his ABC - Anything But Conservative - campaign was a success.     

"We've achieved our goal," he said Wednesday.     

"We've sent a very strong message to the Harper Conservatives that we, in fact, had a role to play in preventing a majority government here."     

The Conservatives went into the election with three of the seven seats in Newfoundland and Labrador. By the time the polls closed, the party was wiped out, with the Liberals claiming six seats and the NDP taking one.     

Fewer than 17 per cent of Newfoundland voters supported the Conservatives in Tuesday's election.     

Across the country, the Conservatives took 143 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons.     

Williams suggested that if Harper had delivered on his promises, including a written pledge to exclude non-renewable resource revenues from the equalization formula, all seven seats in Newfoundland and Labrador could have voted Conservative.     

He added that a "ripple effect" would have been felt in other provinces, and the result would likely have been a majority for Harper.     

"If there had been a good rapport they possibly could have 150 seats. That would put them in striking distance of a majority," he said.     

It's the first time since joining Confederation in 1949 that Newfoundland will not have an MP on the government side of the House.     

But Williams is not worried about the lack of representation. He said the three previous government MPs failed to advance major issues such as custodial management of the fishery and a loan guarantee for the Lower Churchill River hydroelectric project in Labrador.     

He said the province will now have seven strong Opposition MPs at the federal level.