British politician and author Enoch Powell wrote that, “All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.”
Unusually, the premiers of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador have chosen to debark from their political voyages midstream, seemingly at happy junctures.
P.E.I.’s premier, Dennis King, announced his resignation on Feb. 20. Five days later, Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier, Dr. Andrew Furey, did the same.
King, 53, has since been appointed Canada’s ambassador to Ireland. Furey, 49, says he plans to return to the operating room as a surgeon.
“It’s a complete and total coincidence,” Furey told Canadian Affairs in an interview, when asked if his and King’s decisions were related.
“It’s Occam’s razor. Oftentimes, the simplest explanation is the right one.”
Both premiers enjoyed majority governments, favourable polling numbers and promising electoral prospects. Yet both chose to leave on their own terms.
In their tellings, politics on Canada’s eastern shores is hyper-local and takes a toll on those involved.
“There’s no question that being a provincial politician and provincial premier in a smaller jurisdiction is more demanding,” said Furey, who has been premier since 2020.
“In a smaller jurisdiction, provincial politicians are felt to be responsible for everything … they’re readily available. Ottawa is a long ways away from Charlottetown or St. John’s.”
King, who has served as premier since 2019, struck a similar chord.
“If you help 75 per cent of the people, it’s an amazing feat. But there’s 25 per cent that don’t get helped,” he told the CBC in an interview on the day of his resignation.
“And in P.E.I., you know who they are. They’re probably your neighbour; they’re probably your friend. And that brings with it a tremendous toll of responsibility and burden.”
Newfoundland and Labrador’s population is about 550,000, while P.E.I.’s is just 175,000.
Still popular
Both premiers are leaving while they and their parties are still popular. King leads the Progressive Conservatives, while Furey leads the Liberal Party.Â
“In our over 25-year history of tracking on the Island, we see King having enjoyed the highest level of government satisfaction recorded,” said Margaret Brigley of Narrative Research, a market research company, in November.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Narrative Research found that, “The Liberals lead in voting intentions, and Furey is most preferred as premier.”
With such strong support, departure is an especially unusual choice.
“There’s something odd going on in Atlantic Canada,” said Alex Marland, a professor of political science at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.
“I think the difference is that when you’re in a smaller place there’s more intimate connections … it would be a stranger coming up to [Ontario Premier] Doug Ford, whereas in the Atlantic provinces it would be somebody that you actually know.”
Each premier has had rough seas to navigate.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Fiona and the pandemic have put them to the test. A looming trade war with the U.S. may have been a bridge too far.
“There are some leaders who love the limelight, some who don’t, and obviously these particular premiers decided it wasn’t for them,” Marland offers.
In their resignation announcements, both King and Furey cited the daunting challenge of engaging in a trade war with the U.S., as well as the burdens of political life on family.
The dark side
Former Nova Scotia cabinet minister Graham Steele has written books on the history and ins-and-outs of politics in the region.
In an appendix to his 2021 book Nova Scotia Politics: 1945-2020, he shed light on the private challenges of a public life.
These include tolls on family, mental health and personal relationships, isolation, and a loss of control over one’s personal identity.
These themes were present in the premiers’ reasoning.
“People in P.E.I. hold the premier with reverence. They own a piece of you,” King said in his CBC interview.
Furey agrees. “As soon as you step outside of your home you are playing the role of premier.”
It might be different elsewhere.
“In a place like Toronto … you can get a bit lost with a baseball cap and a t-shirt. You can’t really do that in St. John’s or Deere Lake or any other smaller areas in Atlantic Canada.”
Asked whether his responsibilities in the operating room will be as demanding as his current role, Furey said, “Not even close. I was an orthopedic trauma surgeon who did a very intense surgical training program in Baltimore. The difference between the two is you are always on as premier; you are never off. It never stops.”
King jokingly identified some smaller mercies.
“I hope people will stop caring if my garbage bin is out three days longer than it should be,” he said.
