Remaking the house

Scandals, spats and health concerns shake up makeup of legislature

By John Gushue/ CBCNews.ca

No matter what happens on Oct. 9, the house of assembly will undergo an extreme makeover after the N.L. election.

In fact, the makeup of members is already drastically different than it was four years ago, as a result of political spats, scandals, health concerns and that old standby - "personal reasons."

Indeed, no less than 17 of the legislature's 48 districts will have a change in representation. In several cases, byelections have brought in new members since the original cast was elected on Oct. 21, 2003.

Let's see how things break down across party lines.

Liberals

Of the 12 politicians elected to the Liberal caucus in 2003, only five are running in the coming election. [They're joined by Dwight Ball, who snatched Humber Valley from the Tory column in a byelection this winter.]

Former premier Roger Grimes, who governed for two years before calling the last election, stayed on until May 2005, when he announced his retirement.

Of the six other Liberals not seeking re-election, two are leaving under a cloud. Torngat Mountains MHA Wally Andersen and Bellevue representative Percy Barrett were among the five politicians named in legislative spending scandal reports by Auditor General John Noseworthy. Andersen was charged in July and resigned his seat in September. Police found insufficient evidence to charge Barrett. [A third Liberal - former cabinet minister Jim Walsh, who was defeated in 2003 - was also named.]

Also leaving is Judy Foote, a former cabinet minister from the Tobin and Grimes governments who is moving to federal politics. She will be the Liberal candidate in Random-Burin-St. George's riding in the next federal election.

Also retiring are MHAs George Sweeney (Carbonear-Harbour Grace), Oliver Langdon (Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune) and Anna Thistle (Grand Falls-Buchans).

Progressive Conservatives

The legislative spending scandal was, of course, not isolated to Liberal politicians. Ed Byrne, a former PC leader and the government house leader, was forced to resign from cabinet as natural resources minister when Noseworthy released his first report. He consequently left politics altogether, after representing Kilbride district for a dozen years.

Two other Tories left the house amid controversy. Fabian Manning, the fiery MHA for Placentia & St. Mary's, was thrown out of the Tory caucus in 2005 after he criticized government fisheries policy; he later was elected as Conservative MP for Avalon riding.

Meanwhile, Kathy Goudie, a rookie MHA for Humber Valley, resigned in January after Noseworthy found she had double-billed on her constituency claims. [A second politician named in the same report, Lake Melville MHA John Hickey, came through the uproar unscathed, and retained his cabinet seat.]

Finance Minister Loyola Sullivan, a former party leader, surprised observers last December by announcing his retirement from elected politics - at least for now. Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, who has clashed frequently with Williams, soon appointed Sullivan as Canada's ambassador for fisheries conservation. Sullivan has said he is not ruling out a return to some form of elected politics down the road, and has denied any friction with Williams.

Jim Hodder, who had more than 21 years of experience over two stints in the legislature, retired in January while citing health reasons.

Three other politicians in the PC caucus have announced they are not running in this year's election:

• Baie Verte MHA Paul Shelley, a former tourism minister, who resigned in July.
• St. John's East MHA and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister John Ottenheimer.
• Speaker Harvey Hodder, the representative for Waterford Valley since 1993.

As a footnote to the Tory caucus, the district of Lewisporte is also guaranteed to have a new representative. Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout, who has represented the district since returning to politics in 1999, is running in Shelley's old district - the district he had represented for 16 years, including his short stint as premier in 1989.

New Democrats

Both NDP members elected in 2003 have already departed from the house of assembly, under different circumstances.

Randy Collins, the fifth and last politician named in Noseworthy's audits in 2006, resigned his seat in February to take a job with the United Steelworkers union in Ontario. He said his decision was not related to the legislative spending scandal.

Meanwhile, Jack Harris - the longest-serving of recent political leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador, having led the NDP since 1992 - stepped down as leader in 2006, and resigned his Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi seat later that year.

For a look at what the house of assembly looks like heading into the Oct. 9 election, click here. Even if all the incumbents are re-elected, there are going to be some changes.