Connors taking nothing for granted
By Craig Westcott
Meeting for an interview at CBS Arena in Kelligrews, a building he was instrumental in getting for the town because of his chairmanship of a volunteer group that lobbied for money to build it, Paul Connors admits he is nervous.
The usually steady going CBS councillor and lifelong volunteer has butterflies because he is embarking on the biggest challenge of his work life – running to become the Liberal MP for the riding of Avalon.
Connors has faced bigger challenges – he had open heart surgery at age five, a procedure that necessitated him staying in Montreal for eight months away from his close-knit family (though it didn’t slow him down from a lifetime of playing, and later coaching hockey). And he has known the sting of political defeat, losing re-election to CBS council two terms ago when many people thought he was a shoo-in. So, he is not taking anything for granted, no matter what the sudden turn in the polls say.
Connors actually made up his mind this past December that he would run, when the polls prophesied the Conservative Party of Canada would likely win a big majority and the Liberals would be wiped out.
Connors, who worked as the executive assistant to Avalon MP Ken McDonald, said he had been thinking about running since he learned his boss didn’t plan to run again. So over Christmas he ran the idea past his family and some friends.
“Everybody thought I should do it, and here we are today,” Connors said. “It certainly was a different situation, and a lot changed in January, which made my decision easier, I guess. There had been some concerns about the strength (of the Liberals) in this riding, but even at that time I thought I could give this riding a good run for the money. And Ken has done exceptional work in the Avalon riding over the past 10 years. I thought that as his EA, I could carry some of that with me and hopefully be able to do that moving forward.”
American president Donald Trump’s wacky desire to wage a tariff war and try goading Canada into becoming the 51st state have since made Liberal fortunes climb back faster than mercury in a heat wave. And so at age 60, Connors, with nearly four decades of experience in economic development, supply management, and these latter years in municipal government, the times seem almost tailored to a person with his resume.
After graduating Holy Spirit School, Connors did four years at Memorial University earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree while he worked at Hickman Motors.
Next came 10 years working for an economic development agency on Bell Island. That meant a lot to him, as Wabana was the native soil of the Connors clan, before they moved to Kelligrews as the mines wound down.
Then came 14 years with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture. Connors started as a business development officer responsible for delivering funding programs for farmers and agricultural enterprises to help them build their businesses. After two years, he was made the organization’s executive director.
“People don’t realize how important the agricultural industry is to Newfoundland and Labrador and to food sustainability,” said Connors. “When we hear talk of tariffs and the potential changes to the supply management program, to the industry here in Newfoundland, that’s dramatic. We’re an island and in order for us to have a sustainable food supply we need to build it here, because everyone knows when Marine Atlantic shuts down or we can’t access from the mainland, our food supply goes off the shelves very quickly.”
During his time at the federation, Connors worked with the provincial government to set a goal of increasing food production on the island and in Labrador by 20 per cent.
“That’s still ongoing and that’s very positive,” said Connors. “Farmers now in Newfoundland are definitely seeing the benefits of that and some are growing, there are new farmers coming on. You take the riding of Avalon. We’ve got the largest egg producer east of Quebec, out on Roache’s Line; we have four or five dairy farmers; plus numerous other vegetable farmers, beekeepers, sheep producers, and beef producers. And if we don’t control the tariffs and what’s coming in and we don’t build a sustainable food supply for ourselves, then we’re going to become a dumping ground for very low value stuff that other producers in other areas, or other countries, will use to get rid of their surplus.”
Connors clearly loved the work. It was a big decision to leave the job to work for McDonald.
“There is a story to it,” Connors admitted, laughing.
What happened was, the two of them ended up stuck one evening in Montreal airport as the MP was returning home from Ottawa and Connors was coming back from yet another agricultural meeting on the mainland.
“Just joking around, I said, ‘I need to find something else to do,’” Connors recalled. “Now I loved the Federation of Agriculture and I was just joking. Ken looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you come to work with me?’”
They talked about it for a bit, and Connors decided it was something he actually would like to do, bringing all his economic development experience and knowledge of different sector funding programs to bear on behalf of McDonald’s constituents.
“And that’s how I ended up there,” he said.
Connors went to work for McDonald in April 2020, just after the world closed down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I got in the office – and actually it was only myself and Ken in the office at the time, everyone else was working from home – and we started dealing with some of the Covid issues that were arising and the different Covid programs. I was definitely introduced to the life of a constituency office very dramatically with Covid.”
Connors immediately took to the work.
“Over the years, the funding programs and the different things these sectors would use to grow their industries, I had become very knowledgeable and aware of,” Connors said. So being able to guide people in the right direction and assist them with that just came naturally. It’s some-thing that I’ve always enjoyed, and when you do something that you enjoy, it’s not a job really. I love when people call me up on the telephone and I can help them to go in the right direction to either find a funding program, or find themselves workers, or solve any types of issues, work with them on opportunities – that’s a pleasure to do and something I’m very comfortable with doing.”
Connors also brought a wealth of municipal experience to the job. He was first elected to CBS council in 2013, but lost re-election in 2017.
That was a blow, he admitted.
“To be honest, something happened that I won’t let happen in this election – I probably slacked off in the last little while,” said Connors. “I was getting all good feedback from everybody, and I thought I was safe, but I should have done a little more work, to be honest.”
The lesson?
“Don’t take anything for granted, and I’m not taking anything for granted now,” Connors said.
Connors won back his seat on council in 2021. Over the years he has served on every committee from economic development to public works to recreation to finance. With a committee of oth-er volunteers, he helped find the money to come up with a concept plan for CBS Arena and find the government backing to build it. More recently, as chairman of yet another volunteer group, Connors spearheaded the introduction of ATV trails in CBS.
Connors’ biggest concern in weighing whether to enter federal politics was the time it will take away from his family, if he is successful. While he and his wife Michelle’s children, Bradley, 27, and Jenna 24, are adults now, anyone who knows the Connors’ clan knows they are a close bunch.
“Family means a lot to me,” Connors allowed. “In the Connors family, there are nine kids — mom and dad (Stan and Evelyn) are deceased – and the farthest any of the brothers and sisters lives is Avondale. Most of them are in Conception Bay South.”
There’s a big crew of nieces, nephews and cousins, with the farthest one away living in Saskatchewan. But she too stays close. Among his various volunteer activities, the one closest to his heart is the Sammy’s Climb High Foundation, dedicated to the memory of his great nephew, Sammy Porter, who drowned several years ago at the age of six. Like most of the Connors brood, Sammy was a sports fanatic and was known to ask his parents why some of his friends couldn’t afford to participate in sports. After his death, Sammy’s family started a foundation to raise money to help children meet the cost of sports registrations and equipment. The group also helps preserve the memories of other children who are lost to their families too young. Connors chairs the foundation.
“That’s something I made a commitment to Angie (Sammy’s mom) that I will always work with her to keep Sammy’s memory alive,” he said. “That’s something I will continue to do.”
Connors is counting on his family to help and friends to help with his campaign. But again, he is uncharacteristically nervous.
“This is a huge step and anyone who can go into making this big step and putting yourself out there and not be nervous, I commend them,” said Connors. “Because the campaign is not even started and I’m already thinking about what I’ve got to be doing and where I’ve got to be. Very seldom am I ever nervous… but there are certain times, I guess, when your body gets nervous for you. It’s a huge jump.”
But if he makes it, Connors said he knows what he will have to do.
One thing he learned from McDonald is the importance of speaking up for your constituents, even if it makes you unpopular in some quarters.
“It’s important to do the right thing,” Connors said. “And that’s what I’ll be bringing to Ottawa. I’ll also be bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge of the system and the issues and opportunities that are facing residents of Avalon riding from all sectors, from the agricultural sector, to the fishing sector, manufacturing, tourism, all the sectors that are important here right down to small businesses in the riding, your corner store, or not-for-profit organization. There are the bigger picture things, but these people need to be represented. It could be something under the Canada Summer Jobs program, or the New Horizons program or different programs that actually benefit them. Almost every municipality in the riding is dealing with the impacts of climate change with erosion or infrastructure that is not capable of handling the storm surges and rain events. We need to make sure the funding is there to be able to meet this, and that’s huge in the municipal world right now. There are breakwaters that are being washed out, there are areas that are being flooded or damaged that have never been damaged before. Municipalities just don’t have the monetary resources to address these issues and that’s when the federal government needs to come in to make that happen.”
Connors said he feels lucky to have the nomination.
“Everything in this frame of work is a challenge and you can’t take anything for granted,” Connors said. “And I don’t take anything for granted at all… But when I commit to something, I commit to it full time, and I try to work things through ‘til they’re finished.”