Signs of a rift between Danny Williams and his party have flared into the open just before the leadership convention to crown his designated successor.
Kathy Dunderdale, who has acted as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since Mr. Williams resigned last fall, is to have her leadership ratified next weekend. The occasion was expected to include a tribute dinner for the former premier.
But Mr. Williams pulled out. He left the province Wednesday, offering a cryptic “ask the Premier” when television crews at the airport questioned whether the decision indicated a split with the party. Ms. Dunderdale would not discuss the issue.
The convention and tribute dinner would be a key step in her quest to win the next election, scheduled for this fall. Mr. Williams remains wildly popular and his official blessing would help remind the public that she was his hand-picked successor.
Mr. Williams’s sway over Newfoundland voters was made clear in the last federal election. Furious at Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he spearheaded an Anything But Conservative campaign that left the Tories shut out in the province. And while the Tories under Ms. Dunderdale are riding high in the polls, it would be a shattering blow to lose the support of their best asset.
A friend of Mr. Williams said the apparent split was mystifying. He noted that Ms. Dunderdale is sticking closely to her predecessor’s political program.
Mr. Williams, who could not be reached Thursday, has kept a very low profile since stepping down in December. He stayed quiet during a heated local controversy over whether former communications director and close confidant Elizabeth Matthews was qualified for a patronage appointment. She ultimately withdrew her candidacy as vice-chair of an offshore regulatory board.
Observers say that a perception the province did not stand firm in the face of criticism over the appointment is the only obvious reason for the former premier to be upset. But others say that, while handled badly, the controversy wouldn’t be enough to cause a public rift.
Ms. Dunderdale offered effusive praise for her predecessor in a scrum Thursday with reporters. She was not available for an interview, and her office offered a statement that sidestepped the issue of a split.
“We are disappointed that he won’t be at the tribute dinner,” the statement read. “He has been involved in the plans for that evening for the past few months and it is very disappointing, especially for party members, that he will not be there. However, the convention will go ahead as planned next weekend and we look forward to a time of celebrating the past and looking to the future.”
Pressed about a rift, press secretary Milly Brown said there was nothing she could add. “The final word I have from the Premier is there’ll be no further comment,” she said.
The party is now scrambling to paper over any suggestion of problems in its relationship with Mr. Williams.
“They’d better get that sorted out because the public is still hugely in love with Danny Williams,” said Alex Marland, assistant professor of political science at Memorial University.
In her statement Thursday, Ms. Dunderdale stressed that the former premier had “the full support and loyalty of caucus, cabinet and the party.”
