Hard at it

By Craig Westcott

He seems pretty relaxed for a fellow just named to the second highest post in the provincial government.
Barry Petten has even been taking a ribbing for it from his caucus mates. But it’s clear from an exchange of texts to arrange this interview that the re-elected member for Conception Bay South is hard at it, replying to messages after 10 at night and before seven in the morning.

“Be careful what you wish for,” said Petten, laughing and comparing the winning of government to the dog that catches the bus it’s been chasing.

But Petten appears to have a good notion of what he wants to do now that he’s caught the vehicle. He attributes his sense of calm to the years he spent on the opposite side of the House getting ready.
“It makes a big difference, it gives you a different perspective,” said Petten, whose October 2 win marked his fourth in the district. “It comes with experience and age too, because you’ve been around the block and understanding the game is half the battle, you’re not overwhelmed by the unknown, you pretty well know what you’re getting into.”

Petten handily beat one of the Liberal Party’s star candidates in the form of Ken McDonald, the recently retired MP for Avalon riding and a well-liked former mayor of CBS. Petten said McDonald is a formidable competitor and he wishes him all the best.

“On a personal level I was pleased,” Petten admitted. “When your community, the place where you have lived all your life supports you the way they have been supporting me since the first election in 2015, it’s humbling. It’s probably one of the more humbling things you can do in life, to knock on someone’s door and ask for their support. And when you go back repeatedly and they grade you on the work that you’ve done, it means a lot. My goal is to continue doing what I do and hopefully try and improve the lives of all of us. It’s important work and I’m glad the people appreciate it.”

Petten was one of the few lucky contenders election night in that he was in a lopsided sprint to the finish line while many others were in seesaw races with no certain victory until the last polls were counted. Petten was as rivetted to the screen as everyone.

“It was a rollercoaster,” Petten said. “We had thought all along that we had a narrow path to victory and that we could pull off a majority. But with the early returns there were times when you started to wonder… And like the rest of the of the province we were like, “Wow,” when it started to turn. And low and behold we ended up with a PC majority. As slim as it is, it’s still a majority. So, it was a pleasant outcome to a nervous night.”

Petten credited much of the win to his party’s ground game on election day, meaning they were better than the Liberals in identifying their supporters and getting them out to vote.

“I think it’s the best organized we’ve ever been as a party,” said Petten. “I always pride myself on having a good ground game in my own district. But provincially, right across the board, everyone seemed to have their ground game going and there was a lot of confidence. But elections are pretty nervous times. It’s a pretty nervous game when you’re in the middle of it, especially when your name is on the ballot. I always have full respect for anyone who puts their name on a ballot, it’s not an easy decision.”

Since the election, the Liberals have been trying to tar the PC Party’s campaign strategist, Steve Outhouse, as some sort of wild-eyed extreme right-wing radical. It’s a shock to anyone who has ever met the former soft-spoken communications director to federal PC MP Loyola Hearn, who took a leave from politics some years ago to study theology and become a Baptist minister. The Nova Scotia native now acts as a campaign consultant to Progressive Conservative and conservative parties across the country.

“I think it’s distasteful,” Petten said of the way Outhouse has been characterized. “Steve is a great individual. He’s a great organizer. And people have the right under the Charter to believe whatever they want. And whatever he believes, or whatever anyone believes, to be narrowing in on that is so petty. I don’t know what the Liberal Party and the former premier is trying to accomplish on this campaign against Steve Outhouse… The man is a good human being, and he should be treated with more respect. Everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs and that’s the world that we live in. It’s unfortunate, but I think a lot of that is coming out of the Liberal side because they didn’t think they could lose and they can’t handle the fact that they did. There’s a lot of bitterness there now, and it will pass hopefully, but right now you’re seeing a lot of bitterness.”

Petten admitted to feeling humbled when asked to serve as Premier Tony Wakeham’s deputy, which he described as a privilege. But it’s not like he doesn’t have experience. Petten served as Opposition House Leader prior to the election, effectively making him second in command in the party.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I wasn’t shocked when he did offer it to me, because we have a great relationship,” said Petten. “There’s a lot of trust between the two of us, we work together well… Our relationship is really strong and in that relationship you’ve got to be in lock step with each other, and it makes the job a lot easier when you’re working together with somebody that you respect and when you think a lot alike, so I think it’s good things to come.”

Petten is also the minister of Transportation, one of the biggest and costliest departments in government and one that generates much attention because of its responsibility for roads, ferries and other critical infrastructure.

“It’s a department I’m quite familiar with,” said Petten. “I was the Critic for six or seven years. I worked there for a year with the minister in the last (PC) administration previous to 2015, so I consider myself very lucky because I know the department quite well and getting up to scratch is a lot easier… There’s a lot happening (in the department) and I take that as a challenge. There are certain things I’d like to see done differently. In my Critic’s role over the years there were certain things I used to shake my head at, so now I’m the one who can make those decisions, and when I get through the briefings and get straightened away, I look forward to it as a great challenge.”

One thing he has noticed so far, Petten said, is that many of the announcements made by the past government over the past year were really little more than photo ops. He pointed to the announcement on the new high school for Paradise.

“They put $50,000 in the budget for the new school in Paradise,” said Petten. “Myself or (Topsail-Paradise MHA) Paul Dinn joked at the time, ‘What is that for, to buy looseleaf?’ That’s something that’s starting to jump out at me now. You have to wonder, how were they planning to build it? It looked good, it was a diversion, it took the attention away from something bad, it was a nice announcement, a shiny new building, and it was what people were looking for, but buildings are more than announcements. I think that’s one of the things that people will hear more about in the coming days and weeks ahead, that a lot of these things weren’t really funded properly.”

Petten said he is looking forward to the opportunity to make a difference for the province, and for his district.

“I always like common sense,” said Petten. “Common sense leaves a lot of governments over the years. There’s a lot of things we can do to improve the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and our premier and our party’s slogan is ‘For all of us,’ and he’s very focused on that, he doesn’t want anyone left behind. So, I think we’ll govern in a fair way and our goal is to improve the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the right way. That’s our mission and we’re excited about the opportunity, and I believe we will deliver given time for everyone to get up and running. I think people will be pleased with what they see.”