The PC Party says it's ready for N.L.'s next election — whenever it is

Tony Wakeham says he and his party are ready for an election.

This weekend in Gander, the provincial Progressive Conservative leader put the reigning Liberals in his crosshairs during a campaign-style speech.

"What we have done this weekend is laid down the foundation to say we're ready," Wakeham said, following the speech.

"We're ready for an election. We're working hard as a party. We're working with our membership to develop policies that matter to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. That's what this weekend was about, and that's what we continue to do."

Wakeham was first elected in Stephenville-Port au Port in the 2019 general election, and has been leader of the PC Party for about a year.

In that time, his party has won two of the four byelections held, with the Liberal Party winning the others.

While there's no election call on the horizon, the convention this weekend had the feel of a campaign in full swing. Flanked by images of his slogan, "Better Starts Now," Wakeham's speech spoke of how he would improve lives of people in this province through better management of such things as health care, housing and education, and accused the Liberals of having no strategy to combat economic struggles.

"This government is great on the photo ops and great on the announcements, but at the end of the day, it comes down to what is your plan?" Wakeham said. "Clearly they have no plans. And that's what we're talking about. We're talking about a comprehensive plan. So we identify needs, we identify where those issues are, and then we commit to saying OK, let's address this."

Federally, the Liberal Party is taking a hit in the court of public opinion, as recent polls put the Conservative Party of Canada about 20 points ahead of the governing Liberals. 

While Wakeham says he agrees with the stand taken by Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre on many issues that affect this province, he said it's not a blanket endorsement.

"I'm not interested in cozy relationships; I'm interested in respectful relationships," he said.

"When the federal Conservatives talk about the elimination of the carbon tax, I agree with [that] 100 per cent. When they talk about expanding our offshore oil production, I'm 100 per cent. When they talk about housing, I'm there 100 per cent. So we have a lot of things that we have the same viewpoint on. Obviously there's things are different, but we have our own constitution, which basically says we will work with any federal party as long as it's in the interest of Newfoundland and Labrador, and I will continue to do that."

As cost of living rises, Wakeham says the province needs to make better choices that affect people living here, especially in the rural areas. He said he envisions a government that doesn't spend more, but makes better decisions.

"We will review all the taxes and fees that this current government has put in place," he said during the speech. "Any fees that impede growth, they're gone. Any taxes that do more harm than good — gone. The sugar tax — gone. And we will fight until that carbon tax is eliminated."