ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- As leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador's political parties warmed up for their first debates this week, one of the province's biggest unions launched an ad against cuts and privatization.
The ad from the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees hit social media Monday, opening with the warm, gravelly voice of actor Gordon Pinsent saying, "We called them heroes."
As he speaks, a woman stands outside in the snow, banging a pot with a spoon, just as people across the country did to support front-line workers when the COVID-19 pandemic surged last spring.
The ad mentions widespread fears about cuts to services that could affect front-line health workers and calls on the public to show its support for the public sector once again.
The union's ad provoked a statement from Liberal Leader and incumbent Premier Andrew Furey on Monday, in which he insisted there would be no mass layoffs and said austerity was not the way to address the province's financial problems.
Incumbent Liberal deputy premier Siobhan Coady will likely face questions about those issues as she squares off tonight against Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie and NDP Leader Alison Coffin in a debate hosted by the Federation of Labour.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2021.
