Williams seeks ABC allegiance from MHAs

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is taking steps to ensure that his MHAs are backing his Anything But Conservative campaign as a federal election approaches.

In an e-mail Williams sent to his caucus, the premier asks them, among other things, to declare whether they support the ABC campaign, and whom they would work for in the federal election, CBC News learned Thursday.

Sources say it's a move sparked by a report that quotes a federal official who suggested not all MHAs were on board, and some are leaking information to the feds.

Steve Kent, MHA for Mount Pearl North, would normally work for the federal Conservatives, but this year he says he will be actively working in his district — getting the word out that everything needs to be done to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government.

"When the premier contacted me and asked where I stood in this race, I was unequivocal in my support for his stance and for his leadership, and I assured him that I would be out actively working to defeat the Harper Conservatives," he said.

The ABC campaign goes back to May 2007, when Williams feuded with Harper over equalization formulas.

Williams has frequently criticized the prime minister for breaking a written 2006 campaign promise, in which Harper said a Conservative government would exclude non-renewable resources in any new formula.