National Post Compares Harper Maritime Visit to Chantal

"Like a mini-Chantal -- the tropical storm that battered Newfoundland this week -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper blew through Atlantic Canada on Friday, leaving political damage in his wake."

Read it early and often.

By noon tomorrow they'll be denying it ever appeared on their pages.

So here's the whole thing.

"Harper has been using his trip to the East Coast this week to try to bolster his party's image in a region where it is deeply unpopular, thanks partly to his government's decision not to honour the letter of the Atlantic Accord agreements with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador over offshore petroleum revenues.
But Harper's whirlwind trip may have hindered -- not helped -- his party. First his impromptu trip to Newfoundland to see the storm damage angered Premier Danny Williams, who wasn't notified of the visit.

"I would at least expect the courtesy of a phone call," Williams said. "The simple courtesy of at least letting me know that he was coming so suddenly so that something joint could be arranged -- but he decided not to do that."

The Newfoundland premier used the impromptu visit and perceived snub to take some further shots at Harper and the federal government.

"We agreed as a province to put our money up front, regardless of whether the feds came to the table or not," he said. "Now the prime minister is coming in after the fact and didn't even bother to give me a call."

Harper met with residents on the Avalon Peninsula who bore the brunt of Chantal, a storm that battered the province this week, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Harper told reporters the speed of compensation for the region largely depends on the provincial government. "The province has to start the work, and then send some of the bills to Ottawa," Harper said.

"There's a provision for advance payment. That can be done fairly quickly if we get the documentation. Sometimes it takes time, because sometimes the documentation doesn't come. But I hope we'll get on with it quickly."

The prime minister arrived by Challenger jet in St. John's and was whisked to the Placentia area by a Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopter.

Williams accused Harper of trying to curry favour with Newfoundlanders by showing up in a time of crisis. "I guess he feels by coming in here and making some piecemeal compensation in a very difficult situation Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that he'll gain some favour from the people. But I think the people will see through that at the end of the day."

Then later that afternoon, Harper let loose with a blast aimed at Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald and their ongoing battle over the Atlantic accord.

At a barbecue in the Nova Scotia riding of Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, Harper told some 300 Tory faithful that every province was better off because of the Conservative's budget. "More money is flowing to this province and will flow in future years, for health care, for post-secondary education, for daycare spaces, for gateway and infrastructure and, yes, for equalization."

Speaking from a podium flanked by two miniature lighthouses, Harper told the crowd Nova Scotia received $100-million more in equalization in the most recent budget.

"Make no mistake, our best hope, our only hope, is that despite our differences, Conservatives stay united and work together in this province and across the country," Harper said.

Although MacDonald was at the barbeque, he was not invited to speak. The premier could not be reached for comment.

Just before the prime minister took to the podium, aides removed the flags of Canada and Nova Scotia, fueling speculation that an accord announcement may have been scuttled at the last moment.

Harper's words were the latest blow in the battle over the accord, something the prime minister has repeatedly denied violating. But following his March budget Harper offered Newfoundland and Nova Scotia the choice of either dropping the accord provisions while opting into a new, richer equalization program or sticking with the accords under the old, poorer program.
In between his controversial Newfoundland and Nova Scotia visits, Harper stopped in Moncton, N.B., for a private meeting with a group of local business leaders, in a session hosted by former Tory premier Bernard Lord. Harper met the group behind closed doors for roughly an hour.
New Brunswick, which has no offshore oil or gas industry, is Harper's best choice for adding Atlantic seats in the next election. The Conservatives currently hold three of the province's 10 House of Commons seats.

With file from Richard Foot"

I'm posting this in it's entirety because I believe that once CanWest editors are back on the job tomorrow morning this article will either utterly disappear or be edited beyond recognition.

Strictly speaking that may not fall under fair use guidelines (if such a thing exists) but then again I don't believe CanWest generally provides fair service either so we're even.