It's not called Debate Week for nothing: Why this week of the campaign matters so much

If a debate can influence an election, this could be a very influential week in the campaign to the Feb. 13 Newfoundland and Labrador election. 

NDP Leader Alison Coffin, PC Leader Ches Crosbie and Liberal Leader Andrew Furey are taking part in a series of debates over the course of the week, highlighted by a provincially televised debate Wednesday evening.

It will be carried on CBC Television, CBC Radio and NTV beginning at 7 p.m. NT, 6:30 p.m. in most of Labrador. The CBC's Peter Cowan and Jane Adey will be part of the questioning panel.

Crosbie and Coffin are debate veterans, having taken part in the 2019 campaign. 

But Wednesday's debate will likely serve as a key test for Furey, the political rookie, and will allow many voters to take their measure of him. Last year, Furey debated fellow Liberal leadership candidate John Abbott on CBC Television. In this week's debate, the stakes are higher, as more people are available to be persuaded. 

Welcome to Monday's edition of Election Notebook, where we cover the events of the day, and — definitely the case here — foreshadow what's to come as the campaign wears on. 

There are two other debates scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, respectively.

Furey, though, is not attending the labour debate on Tuesday, and the opposition is not amused. 

In a news release Monday, Crosbie suggested Furey's connection to Federation of Labour president Mary Shortall, who last month quit the premier's economic recovery team due to what she called a lack of transparency and a conflict of interest, as a reason he might not be attending. The Liberals, though, say there is a conflicting travel schedule.

"The premier is unwilling to face the music and explain himself directly to Federation of Labour membership," Crosbie said in the release. "Andrew Furey will stop at nothing to avoid talking about the Greene report and the deep cuts and job losses he is planning," he said, referring to Moya Greene, who is chairing the volunteer team writing a report that is expected by the end of April. 

Coffin also thinks there may be an explanation that is not connected to travel.  

"Maybe he's upset that Mrs. Shortall left the task force," Coffin said during a news conference. "I really don't know why he has chosen not to come, but it would be much more appropriate that the leaders of all three political parties show up to debate the things that are important to workers in this province."

According to Liberal and NDP party officials, both Furey and Coffin will spend most of Tuesday preparing for Wednesday's debate. At the time of publishing, the PCs had not yet released Crosbie's itinerary for Tuesday.

• Complete coverage: Read all Newfoundland and Labrador Votes stories

People who lost income from CERB 'penalized', Coffin

Sticking with the NDP, the party called on government to stop cuts on income support for those who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit in 2020.

Coffin said people she has spoken to who received both income support and CERB are now being "penalized" as the government claws back the amount of money they can receive. Others who applied for CERB thinking they qualified and were later notified they didn't were told they would have to pay back some or all of the money. 

"By clawing back income supports, the provincial Liberals are going after people who are barely surviving the pandemic," she said. "We have to do better than taking money from some of the most vulnerable in our communities."

Jim Dinn, the NDP incumbent for St. John's Centre, echoed the sentiment, saying the cuts show the Liberals aren't prepared to help people who applied to CERB in good faith and didn't qualify.

"The Liberals here in our province aren't helping those who need it the most," he said.

"This is about making choices.… The provincial Liberals are choosing to claw it back."

Tourism a must-need focus, say Ferryland voters

As part of a series The St. John's Morning Show is doing on districts in its listening area, voters in Ferryland say they are looking to the next government for support to help the future of the region.

The district has been a given for the Progressive Conservatives for more than five decades, since Liberal Aiden Maloney lost the seat in 1971. Tory MHAs who have represented the district include Loyola Sullivan and Keith Hutchings, as well as recently elected incumbent Loyola O'Driscoll. The district spans the Southern Shore, reaching from Kilbride to St. Shott's.

• Who is running in your district? Get the complete list of candidates

In an area heavily known for its history and impact on tourism, people in the area say support for the industry is a hot-button issue.

"There's got to be something done to help sustain the tourism and such," said Jamie Clowe, executive director of the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council.

"A Newfoundland bubble will not sustain the whole province, and it won't sustain any particular area. An Atlantic bubble will help to a certain degree. I know they can't promise that, but I think financially there's got to be something done."

Ferryland Deputy Mayor Harry Bryan says another key issue for the next government will be addressing the drop in population in rural areas, as the population in other district communities like Witless Bay and Bay Bulls grows.

"If we don't find some way of attracting and keeping more people in the area, I think it's going to be difficult for this area to survive in the long run," he said. "We need people to want to come here, build their houses here, live here and raise their families here. Whatever federal, provincial and municipal governments can do to help in that regard, that's what I think would be most appreciated."

LISTEN | The St. John's Morning Show speaks with voters and candidates in the Ferryland district:

While both Clowe and Bryan say they believe Liberal candidate Cheryl O'Brien could secure votes in smaller communities like Ferryland, they agree it will be a challenge for the first-time candidate to upstage the incumbent PC candidate in a historically blue district.

"You're looking at Bay Bulls, Petty Harbour, Witless Bay, Kilbride," Clowe said. "It's been PC for 50 years, and I think the Liberal votes will be up. Will it be enough? We'll have to wait and see on election day."

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