Online Campaign Launched

Terry Roberts
The Telegram, December 30, 2004

St. John's native now living in Washington, D.C. has launched an online letter-writing campaign aimed at pressuring Ottawa into keeping its promise to allow this province to keep 100 per cent of its offshore oil revenues. Kevin McCann came up with the idea while he was home for Christmas.

His website, www.fairdealfornewfoundland.com, was launched Dec. 27 and is slowly building momentum, McCann said Wednesday before boarding his flight back to the U.S.

"We had 50 letters alone today," he said.

He wants the entire province to get behind the campaign and speak with one voice in support of Premier Danny Williams, who broke off last-ditch negotiations with Ottawa last week.

"I wanted to do something to support the premier, so I put up this website. It's basically a tool for Newfoundlanders, or any Canadian, who wants to take some political action to support the cause," he said.

Visitors to the site can forward a generic letter to both Prime Minister Paul Martin and Finance Minister Ralph Goodale.

The letter states:

"Newfoundland and Labrador was resource-rich when we entered into confederation with Canada in 1949. Since that time we have watched as our resources disappear while we, the people, have received little in return.

"We have lost our fishery due to years of mismanagement and this has proven disastrous to our social and cultural structure. Our minerals are being shipped out of the province without generating any processing revenue.

"Newfoundland and Labrador has been a have-not province for too long, and a generation of young people have left our resource-heavy land to find work elsewhere.

"Now Ottawa wants to plunder our petroleum resources through the Atlantic Accord. Enough is enough, Prime Minister Martin. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians expect better from you; we expect you to keep your promise and let us justly keep one hundred percent of our offshore oil revenues."

McCann was born and raised in St. John's. He left the province in 1997 and is working as a director of online development with a public relations firm.

The company specializes in online public relations campaigns, so the website was a no-brainer for McCann.

"This is what I do for a living and I thought it would be good to provide this tool for other people who feel like me to take some action themselves," he explained.

But why would someone no longer living in the province go through such effort?

McCann said his connection to the province remains strong and he may wish to return someday.

"It's my home and I'd like to see the place do well," he said.

"I think this is one of the most important issues that will affect Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for years to come."

Online letter-writing campaigns are common in the U.S., and have been used with great success to influence lawmakers on various issues.

McCann thinks the Accord issue is big enough the unify the entire province, regardless of political stripe or background.

"We've got a premier that's taken a stand for the province, which is what we're paying him to do. Whether you're a PC or Liberal, you should act, and one of the ways to do that is through this website.

"Instead of just talking on the streets about it or complaining about it, there are things we can do. We have a voice and we've got to make our voices heard if we're ever going to make a difference," he said.

Link:
http://www.thetelegram.com/news.aspx?storyID=27022

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