'I know how it feels': Former premier Brian Tobin remembers 1990s cuts

Former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Brian Tobin says his government hesitated to spend $50 million on The Rooms during a time of fiscal restraint in the 1990s, buta persuasive argument from his wife helped change his mind.

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Tobin, now vice-chair of BMO Capital Markets, was at The Rooms Monday to announce the bank's financial support for a FirstWorld Warexhibit.

"My wife [Jodean]said to me, 'You need to think again because of this notion that you have to do difficult things like cut, you can'tdo a necessary thing like spend, when what is at stake is the cultural heritage of the province,' said Tobin.

"SoI want to do a public nod toJodeanfor really making a powerful case for this facility," he told the audience.

Fiscal flashback

Having presided over tough financial time 20 years ago, Tobinreached out to the current premier, Dwight Ball.

"I want to tell him I know how it feels to come into office and discover that you have challenges to deal with," said Tobin.

"We spent most of our time in office doing things that weren't always popular, but were necessary."

When Tobinbecameas premier in January 1996, he inherited a struggling economy that had beenhit hard by the cod moratorium.

First oil from Hiberniawas still a year away, there was fiscal restraint in Ottawa,and the province was projecting a $290-million deficit.

"It was a time of cutting. It was also a time of constraining the wage spend in the province," said Tobin, whose governmenteliminated about 1,000 public sector jobs during its first budget, and increased fees on many government services.

In 1997, it announced a three-year-plan to lay off another 1,100 civil servants.

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"You recall, at least I recall I've gotthe scars some of the strikes that occurred in the public service, notably and God bless them, and I salute them,the nurses who fought hard at that time," said Tobin.

"But all that was done in the interest of getting our financial house in order."

The Liberal government under Tobinalso ended the denominational education system, reduced the number of school boards,consolidated hospitals, dismantled agencies and sold off assets.

"Things like selling off some of our parks and privatizing them because we couldn't maintain them all against the budget backdrop of the day," he said.

"Selling off Elizabeth Towers because we couldn't figure out why we owned it anyway...selling off properties and apartments and buildings in Churchill Park."

Hard Sell

According to Tobin, the proposal to spend money to consolidate the provincial archives,art galleryand museum in one space was a hard sell.

"The initial response of me and members of cabinet, the minister of finance of the day Paul Dicks,was, 'You just can't do it,' it's too much money, it's$50 million to talk about doing that."

Tobin said things changed when his wife, Jodean, was taken on a tour of the facilities,which were scattered over several locations in downtown St. John's, Memorial University and the Colonial Building.

He said she told him the exhibits were at risk because of improper storage and lack of space.

"And the message was that culture, heritage is not something you can invent on the run. It's not replaceable," he said.

"And if you lose it, you've lost it forever."

The decision to build The Rooms was made in February 2000, just a few months before Tobinresigned to return to federal politics.