Voters in a St. John's district will decide Wednesday whether the New Democratic Party keeps or loses a seat it has controlled for most of the last two decades.

Lorraine Michael, a former Roman Catholic nun who took over the party's leadership this spring, is hoping NDP support is strong enough to secure a byelection win in Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi. 

Former NDP leader Jack Harris (left) has helped Lorraine Michael with her campaign to hold Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
(CBC)

Michael is up against only one other candidate: Progressive Conservative Jerome Kennedy, a high-profile criminal defence lawyer who was lured into politics by Premier Danny Williams.

With two candidates promoting an agenda focused on social justice — and rarely clashing with each other — the campaign has had more to do with personalities than politics.

Liberals didn't run a candidate

The Liberals decided not to contest the election and some Young Liberals have actively been campaigning on Michael's behalf.

Kennedy said he sees his campaign as an extension of his legal practice, especially for speaking up for those on the margins. He also dismisses the NDP's claims that a Tory win will threaten democracy.

"True democracy means that people are given the right to choose," Kennedy said. 

Conservative candidate Jerome Kennedy says democracy is about giving people a choice.
(CBC)

"The fact that the Liberals didn't run someone, I would suggest to you, simply means that they didn't have a chance in the byelection, and they knew that."

Some New Democrats have criticized Williams and the PCs for even fielding a candidate. Jack Harris, who retired from the seat earlier this year, had asked the Liberals to sit out the byelection and give Michael a bye.

The Tories, though, have called the NDP hypocritical on the issue. In 2001, the New Democrats fielded a candidate against Williams in a byelection in Humber West, soon after he took over the reins of the Progressive Conservatives.

The byelection comes 11 months before a scheduled general election and on the heels of tracking polls that have consistently shown that Williams and the Tories were poised for a landslide win.

The Tories hold 35 of the 48 seats in the house of assembly. The Liberals have 11 seats, while the New Democrats hold one other seat.

Riding crucial for NDP

But the NDP's Randy Collins, member for Labrador West, is under something of a cloud. He is one of the four politicians who are part of a police investigation into spending of constituency allowances, launched by a series of devastating reports prepared by Auditor General John Noseworthy.

NDP officials have acknowledged that holding Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi is crucial for the party's survival.

Michael said Williams and his government need to be held accountable, and that the province has serious economic problems. Although the offshore oil industry has been booming, the province's population has continued to slide.

"The lower salaries here in Newfoundland and Labrador are an issue … it's not just the lack of work," said Michael, a veteran activist in social justice groups.

Kennedy said he backs Williams's often-aggressive tactics — such as shutting down negotiations on the Hebron oilfield because the government could not get an equity stake — as a means of boosting the economy.

"I want my children, when they grow up, I want them to have the choice of whether they're going to remain in the province or leave," Kennedy said.

No major issues

No particular issues have dominated the byelection campaign, with the Tories and NDP both capitalizing on their candidates' personalities.

Voter Jenny Dawson said she believes Kennedy's legal work will translate into votes.

"I really don't know and can't tell you what the NDP has done for this riding. I liken it to a political desert. … I do know, however, what Jerome has done," Dawson said.

However, voter Deatra Walsh said she understands that more is at stake than just local representation.

"It is one seat but it's one very important voice. … It's really important to get a variety of perspectives," Walsh said.

Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi has been a cornerstone of NDP support for years. Harris, who stepped down earlier this year as leader, first won the seat in 1990.

The seat had been considered an unbreakable Tory district — until 1986, when New Democrat Gene Long won an upset byelection. Long lost in the 1989 general election to the Tory candidate, local politician Shannie Duff, who quit provincial politics to run for mayor in St. John's.