Andrew Furey steps down as premier of N.L. after 4½ years in office
Surgeon-turned-politician makes surprise announcement
Andrew Furey — the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador — has announced his resignation.
The move came as a shock on Tuesday afternoon, as Furey addressed the media and his supporters on short notice, immediately following a caucus meeting at Confederation Building in St. John's.
The province has been abuzz with rumblings of a forthcoming election for weeks. Instead, the premier announced he'd be returning to his job as an orthopedic surgeon.
"It has been a wild and unexpected journey, right from the start to bring us here to today, to the finish," he said. "It is with a heart full of pride and hard-earned confidence in the future of Newfoundland and Labrador, that I must now move on."
He finished his address with tears in his eyes, saying: "God bless the beautiful people of this province, and God guard thee Newfoundland and Labrador." He then walked off the stage to his wife and kids, wrapping them in his arms.
The premier was tight-lipped with his decision, with even his deputy premier Siobhan Coady saying she found out just before his announcement.
Decision comes after Furey crosses off major goal
His resignation comes three months after securing a memorandum of understanding with Quebec on a new deal for hydroelectric power flowing from Churchill Falls in Labrador.
The memorandum of understanding would see the controversial 1969 contract torn up and replaced 16 years early. Furey and Quebec Premier François Legault say the new agreement would provide $200 billion in value to each province over its lifetime.
Furey referred to the accomplishment on Tuesday as "history made and past wrongs rewritten," and called it a "rock solid foundation for our province moving forward."
He also made reference to "blind sides" — such as the adversity of the pandemic, the financial woes of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project, and the potential trade war with the U.S.
In recent months, Furey has been on the front lines of that fight, making several trips south of the border with other Canadian premiers. After meetings earlier this month, Furey told reporters that President Donald Trump's officials informed them the president was "very serious" about his 51st state comments.
"We're looking at four years of erratic, crazy, bonkers behaviour by the president of the United States," Furey said on Tuesday. "This is going to be a pervasive problem for Canadians for the next four years."
Furey said the province's natural resources put it in an optimal position for economic uncertainty and a trade war with Canada's closest ally.
Decision made with family in mind
After departing the stage and hugging members of his family and caucus, both Andrew and Allison Furey spoke to a crowd of reporters.
"It was the balance of family, combined with the electoral timing rules and what I felt was best for the stability of the province," he said.
The province's fixed election laws mean voters must head to the polls in October or November — depending on the timing of a federal election — at the latest. The province also has a rule stating there has to be an election within one year of a governing party changing leaders.
Furey said that could have resulted in him leading the Liberals through an election before the fall, only to trigger another election once he stepped down.
"We felt that this was the most stable thing to do, the most responsible to do for the people of this province," he said.
Furey confirmed he will stay on until a new Liberal leader has been chosen. He said he will not be running in the upcoming federal election.
'We've enjoyed every second of this'
Furey's tenure as premier wasn't all roses.
He ascended to the role in August of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He faced scrutiny over the decision to call an election in the spring of 2021, which was blindsided by an outbreak of COVID-19 cases that caused voting to be delayed.
Even as the pressures of the pandemic relented, Furey was in charge of a health-care system in a state of permanent crisis. There was controversy with the province's reliance on travel nurses, a fisheries protest that disrupted a provincial budget last year and a fishing trip with a billionaire that resulted in a conflict of interest probe — he was ultimately cleared of conflicts in the latter case.
On the bright side, Furey pointed to the MOU with Quebec, a multi-billion dollar rate mitigation deal with the federal government, and the repatriation of an unknown soldier from France as his favourite accomplishments.
"We've enjoyed every second of this," he told reporters.
Allison Furey told reporters how proud she was of her husband over the past five years.
"I think the province knows Andrew as somebody who gives 150 per cent, and he's done that for the last five years in this role as premier," she said.
"I'm feeling a little bit of relief, a little bit of sadness and nostalgia. I think our future is bright. I think he's left this place in a better spot than he found it, and we're very proud of him."
Furey also received a message of support from the Quebec premier immediately following his announcement. The two formed an unlikely friendship during their time as premiers, setting aside decades of bad blood between the neighbouring provinces.
"I will remember for the rest of my life what we accomplished together in reaching a new agreement on the Churchill Falls power plant, its expansion and on the new Gull Island power plant," Legault wrote on social media. "With this historic agreement, we have transformed the relationship between Quebec and Newfoundland, making it one of the strongest relationships in the country."
What's next?
Furey will stay on as premier until a new leader is selected — a process deputy premier Siobhan Coady says remains without timelines, since nobody knew this decision was coming.
His resignation comes at a tricky time for the party, as there were questions about whether or not a number of senior caucus members — Coady included — would be seeking re-election.
When asked if she would consider a run, Coady said she hadn't had a chance to think about it.
"I haven't even spoken to my husband since this announcement," she said with a chuckle.
"Let me take a few days, obviously. I think there will be a lot of people who will think about this over the next number of days. There are a lot of leaders in our caucus and a lot of leaders in the community who might want to step up as well."
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