High winds from Hurricane Igor topple a trees in front of a St. John's home on Spet. 21, 2010.Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
Stephen Harper will tour Newfoundland and Labrador on Friday as the province begins to deal with the destruction wrought by Hurricane Igor.
The Prime Minister is flying to Newfoundland later Thursday after he wraps up his visit to the United Nations in New York. He addressed the General Assembly Thursday afternoon, making his pitch for a seat on the Security Council.
Word began circulating earlier Thursday that the Prime Minister was planning the visit the Rock. During his first government in 2007, Mr. Harper made visted the coastal town of Placentia, which had been hit hard by a tropical storm.
The Prime Minister's Office has been in close contact since with Premier Danny Williams and his staff since Tuesday evening, according to a Conservative insider. Defence Minister Peter MacKay is closely monitoring the situation and keeping in touch with the Newfoundland government.
"Equally all of the Newfoundland diaspora here in Ottawa has been passing on messages about how bad things have been on the island to assorted federal contacts," the insider said, suggesting the visit could result in an improved relationship between Mr. Williams and Mr. Harper.
Dimitri Soudas, the Prime Minister's director of communications, announced the visit on Twitter: "PM Harper to visit affected areas by hurricane Igor. Our government will stand by the people of NL & Labrador." His tweet was followed by a short note from the PMO, but few other details were given.
The Liberals, meanwhile, have called for disaster relief funds to help the hurricane-ravaged province. "We are ready to work with Parliament to ensure Newfoundland receives any disaster assistance that the people of Newfoundland require and know that the strong spirit of Newfoundlanders will see them through this difficult time," Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said in a statement Wednesday.