The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has seen 10 premiers in it's 62 year history. 5 have been PC's, 5 have been Liberals, it's now time to rank these 10 based upon their performance as premier:
10) Beaton Tulk- It might be unfair to rank Beaton Tulk last on this list. Tulk is the only premier to ever be an interim premier of our 10 premiers but here you have it. Tulk was a cabinet minister during the Liberal governments of the mid to late 90's and was deputy premier at the time of Brian Tobin's 2000 resignation as premier. He also had a 17 year political career at the time of his becoming premier so he was an easy choice to serve as the interim premier.
9) Tom Rideout- When you hear the name Tom Rideout you think of a person who is a legend in Newfoundland politics. He has a quarter century as MHA which is one of the longest careers any MHA has had in this province's history. Many credit him as being the best minister of fisheries the province has ever had, when he was elected premier by the PC party in March 1989 he had the support of the majority of caucus and at 41 years of age seemed to have a good future ahead of him. He also had a 20 vote lead and decided to call an election which people question now but you have to realize it had been 4 years since the last election and Rideout wanted a new mandate. I've often wondered to myself how a Tom Rideout government would have worked had he been given the chance. I think had Rideout won in 1989 we would have seen the Tory legacy continue in this province into the 90's and a former fisheries minister could have been handy as premier during the cod moratorium instead of a premier who once compared the employability potential of Hibernia to 2 fish plants.
8) Kathy Dunderdale: Only because she's been premier for a year do I have the current premier at this low a ranking on this list. Truth is she has done an admirable job as Danny Williams' replacement that it's quite possible than if you do this list again in the future Dunderdale will rank higher on a premier's all time listing. She's done a good job overall and we all should be proud of how good she has done as the premier.
7) Roger Grimes: Grimes was the favourite from the start of the 2001 Liberal leadership convention and with good reason. He had served as minister for Education, Employment and Labor Relations, Health, Mines and Energy, Tourism, all pretty big portfolios that increased Grimes' portfolio and made him seem like a good choice for premier. Grimes though was way in over his head as premier. While the leadership of Danny Williams across the house may have deterred Grimes, the fact was I think if the PC party had gone with someone who wasn't as charmistaic as Williams, Grimes' run as premier was disastorous whether it be his dis-interest in the FPI file (Which may have led to the Marystown plant closure last week), his Newfoundlanders only good for 2 things comments in New York City or his overall smugness, Grimes was a disaster as premier and gets a high ranking because the 3 others beneath him wheren't in the premier's chair for over 2 years as Grimes was.
6) Brian Tobin: Brian Tobin's leadership ambitions where always known federally before he became Newfoundland's 6th premier in the winter of 1996. I think that Paul Martin was the favourite to replace Jean Chretien as prime minister even back then but Tobin was in that 2nd tier of candidates that could possibly replace Chretien in a crowded field. Tobin came in as a hero, the person that would come in and save this province. Tobin's run as premier came as I was becoming aware politically so I followed his time as premier, like Danny Williams Tobin was charismatic but with Tobin you always knew that the premiership wasn't his sole focus, his choice to call a snap election in the winter of 1999 and his decision to resign as premier in the fall of 2000 are good reasoning behind that statement.
5) Clyde Wells: I first got into politics around the time of the 1993 election so Clyde Wells' 2nd election as Liberal and 1st as premier. Wells was a lot like Danny Williams in that he had his own way of doing things, it's just with Wells his ways didn't go over quite as well as Danny Williams' did. His choice to roll back public sector wages early in his 1st term as premier didn't do him any favours nor did his wish to privatize Newfoundland Hydro in 1994. Wells also is known for his statement of comparing the employability of Hibernia to that of 2 fish plants. His stance on Meech Lake ruined that project and may have helped lead to the creation of the Bloc Quebecios, he was also premier at the time of the cod moratorium which wasn't his fault but maybe if he had done more to diversify the economy of the province during his time as premier our economy would have been stronger back then but he did not and that is why Wells is at #5 on the premier's list.
4) Frank Moores: The 1971 election was probably the most exciting in this province's history, for the first time the Liberals and Joey Smallwood where in trouble of being removed from their grasp on power that had existed since Confederation. Moores was a dynamic premier and his administration brought many changes that made this province a better place. The book "The Time Of His Life" by Janice Wells is a must read for anyone who wants to read up on his premiership.
3) Brian Peckford: Peckford was Danny Williams before Danny Williams entered elected political life. Brian Peckford was quite the warrior for this province during the 80's and I know many people who have been involved with the PC party for years who preferred the style of Peckford to that of Williams. Peckford also had a strong caucus which meant people flocked to him. Peckford's famous saying of "Some day the sun will shine and have not will be no more" is one of the most said statements in Newfoundland's political history. People fault Peckford for the Sprung Greenhouse fiasco but give him credit for wishing to diversify the economy, though growing cucumbers in Newfoundland may not be the best idea. Peckford's currently involved with the BC Conservatives, let's hope Peckford has the same success for that party as he did for our PC party back in the 80's.
2) Joey Smallwood: Almost 20 years after his death and close to 40 years after his time as premier is there any person in this province's history that invokes as much feeling than our first premier, Joey Smallwood. I don't think there is. He was our longest serving premier and his getting us into confederation probably saved this province, then a country, from going into bankruptcy. Getting us to become a province allowed us to avail of old age pension, unemployment insurance and other good programs. While confederation is hotly debated to this day, what can't be debated is the fact that Smallwood as our 1st and longest serving premier and he gets the #2 spot on this list.
1) Danny Williams: Is there any other choice really? Danny Williams did more for this province in 7 years than any other premier has done for this province. He was the first and only premier to maximize the full benefit of our resources. He gave us an attitude of where we can do anything if we put our mind to it. He was always a champion for this province during his time as premier and it's a shame that he resigned when he did. That said he knew when it was time to give up which is more than can be said for many other premiers. He's the #1 premier in this province's history and I think unless you're terribly biased you can agree with that.
Well there you have it everyone my ranking of the top 10 premiers in this province's history, as always I welcome your comments. My email is tducey1@gmail.com. I'd be interested to see some of your rankings.
