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Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams visit the hurricane-stricken town of Trouty with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sept. 24, 2010.GREG LOCKE/Reuters

Danny Williams was a force to be reckoned with in Ottawa.

As the Newfoundland and Labrador Premier announces his resignation, Liberal MP Scott Simms says there are likely a few politicians breathing a sigh of relief - including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who ignored Mr. Williams and suffered electoral losses in his province.

"Danny Williams doesn't take the middle road," said Mr. Simms, who was elected to the House of Commons in 2004, about six months after Mr. Williams took office.

"He doesn't relax. For Danny Williams it's you're either in for everything or you're in for nothing. At that level of play it's a pretty intense life," Mr. Simms said. The MP for Bonavista- Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor added he wasn't surprised to see Mr. Williams step aside now.

His announcement, comes a week after the Premier nailed down a $6.2-billion hydro deal on the Lower Churchill, reversing a pact signed years ago that ended up benefiting Quebec.

"He's one of a kind," Mr. Simms said. "He just personified something that we wanted for so long. I think what [Mr. Williams]did was instill a sense of pride. ... I just thought he was the right guy for the right time."

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