ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion insisted Monday he would respect offshore revenue deals with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland even though, as the New Democrats pointed out, he strongly opposed such agreements when he was a cabinet minister.
Dion, in Halifax for economic roundtable meetings, maintained that a Liberal government would respect the 2005 offshore accords and said the real issue is about which leader can be trusted to keep his promises.
The Liberal leader has been trying to capitalize on anger in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland over the most recent federal budget, which both provinces argue breaks agreements to exclude offshore oil revenues from equalization calculations.
But as Dion tries to cast himself as a leader who will fight for Atlantic Canada, federal NDP Leader Jack Layton noted Dion once strongly opposed giving the two Atlantic province's such an exemption.
When he was intergovernmental affairs minister, Dion insisted excluding offshore revenues from equalization calculations would be unfair to other provinces. In 2004, he voted against an opposition motion calling on the Liberal government to adopt such an arrangement.
"Mr. Dion's record is very clear on this whole issue,'' Layton, who was in Montreal on Monday for an NDP caucus meeting, said in an interview.
"The ferocity of Mr. Dion's opposition to this whole approach to federalism from Day 1 should leave everybody with a significant measure of mistrust when it comes to whatever he says today.''
Layton described Dion's apparent change of opinion as "opportunistic,'' and said he wouldn't be surprised if Dion found some way to "weasel out of it'' should he ever become prime minister.
But Dion said he would completely honour the deals, adding the federal government has an obligation to respect signed agreements with the provinces.
He said Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a responsibility to do the same.
"It's true that I have said things very, very clearly and with a lot of conviction, but the prime minister broke his word to Atlantic Canadians, and this is unacceptable,'' said Dion.
"I will be a fair prime minister ... I will have a very strong team to help me in Atlantic Canada, in Ontario, everywhere, to be fair for every region of the country.''
The federal government has insisted it hasn't broken any deals or promises because the provinces can opt out of the revised equalization formula and keep their offshore deals.
But that explanation has been flatly rejected by the premiers of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, who continue to feud with Ottawa.
Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams, a Conservative, has by far been the most vocal, pledging to campaign against the Tories in the next federal election. It's reminiscent of the fight Williams mounted against Paul Martin's Liberal government before Martin reversed course and signed a deal in early 2005.
The agreement came several weeks after Williams made national headlines by ordering all provincial government offices to remove their Canadian flags.
Williams and Dion have been aligned in their desire to unseat the prime minister. The pair will meet Tuesday in St. John's, N.L., as Dion attends a Liberal caucus meeting.
"I want to hear from the premier what he would like to suggest as a good strategy for the province that will work,'' Dion said late Monday after arriving in St. John's.
After an earlier meeting in April, Williams hailed Dion as an "honest'' man of "integrity.''
A spokeswoman for Williams didn't specifically address Dion's conflicting statements when asked Monday, but said the premier is always happy to discuss issues important to the province.
"Premier Williams is well aware of Mr. Dion's position and will continue to press all federal leaders on issues of importance to Newfoundland and Labrador,'' Elizabeth Matthews said in an e-mail.
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald appeared ready to give Dion the benefit of the doubt.
"I was very disappointed when he was intergovernmental affairs minister and was not supportive of our position,'' MacDonald said in an interview.
"That being said, he has indicated that he is supportive of our position now. ... One would hope that when any politician makes a commitment that they'll stand by the commitment, so we'll certainly be holding him to that.''
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