WITLESS BAY, N.L. - Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams shrugged off the sting of a sordid government spending scandal Thursday as his ruling Conservatives swept three byelections with decisive majorities.
The contests in Ferryland, Kilbride and Port au Port were called following three resignations from Williams's caucus, including a cabinet minister who was implicated in the multimillion-dollar scandal and ensuing police investigation.
The Conservatives now have 34 seats in the legislature, while the Liberals remain at 11 and the NDP with two.
Williams said the victories send a strong message that Newfoundlanders support his fight to wrestle more revenue from Ottawa through a revised eqalization formula.
"It's basically saying to Ottawa that the people are supporting this government when it comes to the question of equalization," Williams told 50 supporters at a community centre in Witless Bay, a coastal community in the Ferryland district, a half-hour drive south of St. John's.
"If I had ... my butt whipped here tonight in these three byelections, he (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) would be watching very closely. If he's a good politician, he certainly does take notice."
In St. John's, political science professor Michael Temelini said the lingering scandal had no impact on Tory fortunes.
"Byelections are typically opportunities to send a message to government," he said in an interview. "There's no message here other than: 'Keep on going, Danny!'"
Still, voter turnout was very low Thursday and the radio call-in shows continue to buzz with complaints about the questionable spending practices of some politicians.
Conservative Ed Byrne, who represented the nearby St. John's-area district of Kilbride, resigned Jan. 1 after auditor general John Noseworthy found the former natural resources minister had overspent his constituency allowance by $467,000.
He is one of five politicians -- from all three major parties -- who are accused of exceeding their allowance limits by a total of $1.6 million between 1997 and 2006.
Former finance minister Loyola Sullivan wasn't one of them, but he vacated his seat in Ferryland on Dec. 29 and was appointed Canada's fisheries ambassador less than a month later.
Tory backbencher Jim Hodder, who represented the western constituency of Port au Port, resigned Jan. 12 due to poor health.
In the Tory stronghold of Kilbride, former St. John's city councillor John Dinn crushed school board trustee Bob Clarke, who represented the Liberals, and gay rights activist Gemma Schlamp-Hickey, who ran for the NDP.
With all polls reporting, Dinn picked up 2,744 votes, to Clarke's 508 and Schlamp-Hickey's 229.
Sullivan's former chief of staff, Tory Keith Hutchings, easily won the traditionally Conservative seat in Ferryland with 2,770 votes, beating Liberal businessman Kevin Bennett with 715 and actor Rick Boland, who ran for the NDP, with 183.
In Port au Port, the town's former mayor, Tony Cornect, beat Liberal candidate Mark Felix and NDP hopeful Paul O'Keefe.
The constituency has swung between the Liberals and Tories in the past, but Cornect won by a wide margin, earning 2,701 votes to Felix's 1,521 and O'Keefe's 135.
The parties face another byelection Monday in the western district of Humber Valley.
Tory member Kathy Goudie resigned from her seat after Noseworthy found she had double-billed the legislature $3,818 on donations, personal car insurance and meals.
The police are also investigating those findings.
