The province is remembering one of the most iconic and colourful politicians it’s seen in recent decades.
John Crosbie, a former MP and Lieutenant Governor, passed away yesterday just short of his 89th birthday.
Crosbie was known for his acerbic and quick wit, something that often got him into trouble.
Despite that, Liberal MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, Seamus O’Regan says Crosbie took on some of the toughest issues facing the province, including the closure of the commercial cod fishery in 1992.
Crosbie held his ground at the Radisson Hotel in St. John’s on that fateful day as angry fishermen were trying to beat down the doors as he made the announcement that threw thousands of people out of work.
“I don’t frighten” is what he told reporters at the time, and walked through the melee as he left the news conference.
O’Regan says that courage is something to be remembered.
Former Political Foes Remember Crosbie as a Friend
“He was a tireless public servant and wanted to contribute in any way he could” Tobin recalled when asked about Crosbie’s passing.
Tobin, who sat opposite Crosbie in the House of Commons in the 1980s and 90s, says while they often sparred politically, they were friends and shared common goals.
“I don’t think of John in partisan terms as a conservative, but just as a man of public policy” Tobin told VOCM News.
Tobin says some of his fondest memories come from when he was Premier of Newfoundland when Crosbie, who had retired from politics, would visit him on the eighth floor of Confederation Building to offer advice and chat about matters facing the province.
He says John Crosbie really was a “one of a kind citizen of Newfoundland and Labrador and of Cadnada…I’m going to miss John.”
A former Prime Minister, political adversary, and close friend has extended his condolences on the passing of John Crosbie.
Former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien has reached out to offer his sympathies on the passing of one of the province’s most iconic political leaders.
Premier Dwight Ball says he spoke with Chretien yesterday.
They shared many great memories about Chretien and Crosbie who were political adversaries, but very good friends. Ball says the former Prime Minister was very complimentary about the work Crosbie did for this province and the country.
Importance to Oil and Gas Industry Remembered
Crosbie was one of the architects of the Atlantic Accord, signed in 1985, a deal that paved the way for the historic Hibernia project.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association says Crosbie leaves behind an “enduring legacy” as a well-respected provincial and federal politician.
Noia calls Crosbie an “unwavering champion of the offshore oil and gas industry” in the province and Canada.
Noia CEO Charlene Johnson says Crosbie’s vision and entrepreneurial mind secured Hibernia, the province’s first offshore oil and gas project.
It was Crosbie, she says, who convinced Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to invest in the project by taking on an 8.5 per cent equity stake, allowing it to proceed. Without that investment, Hibernia would not have been developed and the province’s oil and gas industry would not have been established according to Johnson.