WARNING: Some Politicians Won’t Like This Report WARNING: Some Politicians Won’t Like This Report …But a lot of people in Windsor Lake district will love it HOW WINDSOR LAKE VOTERS CAN CHOOSE TRUE CHANGE I wrote this report to help people in Windsor Lake understand the unspoken AND WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRUST ME – FOR A YEAR! game of government and empower them to make the best political decisions for themselves, their families, and this province. Inside this report you’ll discover shocking and useful information, including: • What great government means and how it can change our lives • Why I’m “different” than most other politicians • What makes democracy the worst form of government (except for all the others) • How to test whether someone will be a great political representative, and whether party matters • The biggest political issues this province is facing, and what we can do about them • How you can put me on probation and fire me after one year The contents of this report can make a direct impact of your life, the lives of your loved ones, and everyone in this province. I look forward to hearing what you think about it. PC Party CandidateWindsor Lake PC PARTY LEADER PC PARTY LEADER WHY DID I WRITE THIS REPORT? My father Hon. John C. Crosbie likes to tell a story about our love of place. “How can you tell the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at the Pearly Gates?” Because when St. Peter answers and invites them in, “they’re the ones who want to go home.” This report is not about me. It is about the dreams and aspirations of people who live in Windsor Lake and in Newfoundland and Labrador and want a prosperous future. It is about finding true change and trust in government for this place we all love. Like all who meet the challenges of life in this place, I have a love of Newfoundland and Labrador. My aspiration for our province is that it be the place to which each Newfoundlander and Labradorian at the Pearly Gates wants to go home. Good government can make the difference in helping the residents of this province make ours a home to envy. Good government can partner with us to realize our potential as a self-reliant, proud and prosperous province. Good government requires great democratic leadership, with a grip on the crises that assault us, and a plan to win through to prosperity. Great leadership, because you as a resident of a great province in a great country should not settle for less. Good government creates the best conditions for all of us to reach our potential, but great government inspires us to achieve our potential. You should aim high, and you should hold your political leaders to the highest standards of true change. Our elected politicians strongly influence our destiny, either toward opportunity and prosperity, strength and independence -- or toward weakness, dependence and despair. And you the voter determines who the elected politicians are, and toward which destiny they may lead us. If you’re like me, the destiny you want for this province is one of opportunity, prosperity and independence. And to achieve that vision, you need great leadership and great government, and leadership you can trust. This by-election is about Windsor Lake. But it is also about the search for great leadership for Newfoundland and Labrador. Our challenge is to find a leader to vote for who doesn’t make whatever promises he or she thinks will win election without solemn intention to implement those promises, and when in office play whatever political games seem likely to win re-election. Our challenge is to find a leader who means to deliver on promises made and if elected, sets about implementing those promises. A leader we can trust. Our challenge is to find candidates who want more than to keep their jobs. Our challenge is to find candidates who want to make a difference. Candidates who have respect for the truth. Candidates who stand for true change and reject the status quo. I’ve written this report to give you the tests to judge for yourself which candidates might deserve your support and why. I have written this guide to empower you, the Windsor Lake voter – to give you the tools to decide for yourself how to attain true change and great government. Why should you believe me when I promise true change? I’ve had a good career as a lawyer, helping people find justice against government and big corporations. I don’t need a job. I’m doing this for one reason – to make a difference. So judge for yourself. I care so much about Newfoundland and Labrador that I wrote this report to help you as a Windsor Lake voter in your quest for a better political representative, better government and a better life. I hope you find it useful in choosing a representative in the House of Assembly, one who will speak up with an authentic voice for you and for this place we love. A representative you can trust. WHY SHOULD ANYONE VOTE? If you – or more precisely your demographic group – don’t vote, politicians will ignore your interests and concerns. The 18-35 age group historically tends not to vote and therefore tends to be ignored by government. If younger voters get politically active, then government will pay attention to their needs too. Unless this province is successful in attracting and retaining young people, our long term future is bleak. Do get active and assert your vision of the future. The great British wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill said that “Democracy is the worst of all possible systems of government – except for all the others”. Democracy is messy and imperfect, but we paid in blood for the right to govern ourselves democratically, and we owe it to those who have sacrificed to preserve our rights to make it work. The answer to the destructive effects of “politics as usual”, is for us – political office seekers and voters alike – to stop accepting that politics as usual is the way politics should be and must be done. Political candidates and political office holders have a role in bringing about this change, but the voters who reward political game playing, who enable success by politics as usual, have the determining role. That voter is you. Only you can bring about change. Money and resources are limited, and politics is about making hard choices for the public good. For the long term public good. For the good of our children and grandchildren. The answer to the destruction of good government caused by politics as usual, is for you the voter to demand the truth, and stop rewarding politicians for political game- playing. Find politicians who don’t play by politics as usual and vote for them. The politicians who don’t play politics as usual are the politicians who will give great representation of your interests, true change and great government. Politicians you can trust. The great irony is that while some politicians are busy preserving their jobs and playing politics as usual, our most admired political leaders are people who took stands, risked defeat and sometimes suffered defeat, and showed the resolve to lead through short term pain to long term gain. Leaders of resolve like Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. More recently, perhaps like my own father John Crosbie. The 25th anniversary media coverage of the Cod Moratorium brought in by my father as federal Fisheries Minister featured well-known video of angry fishermen pounding on the doors at a news conference in 1992 – and interviews with some of these gentlemen 25 years later, in which they said John Crosbie did the right thing! But in 1992, the right decision was not the popular decision, and required resolve. TESTS TO CONSIDER I’ll put my cards on the table. Character is the primary quality you should look for in a political leader. It is character that delivers true change, tackles crises, and leads a course to a prosperous future. It is character that creates trust. Character is defined by core values, and one of those core values is respect for the truth. Core values establish how a person acts. Core values are shown in what a person actually does, just as a government’s real policies are shown not in what they say but in what they actually spend money on. Character is built around core values. Character is what enables us to deal with the adversities of life and the unexpected. It gives resilience, enables us to resist demands and pressure, and helps us to make good life-affirming choices for ourselves and others. It enables us to succeed, to inspire, and to leave a legacy. It is founded in the courage to face down adversity, and enables us to live a life of significance, with no regrets. The people we know who have character are the people who make a difference in the lives of everyone in their circle of influence. Character enables us to provide for the financial and emotional wellbeing of our families. Character also enables us to be heroes to our communities, to be people who contribute more than they take. We see many examples of ordinary people who are heroes in their communities because they give without expecting anything back. From a political leader, should you accept anything else? Why should you believe me when I promise true change? I’ve had a good career as a lawyer, helping people find justice against government and big corporations.