Brian Tobin, the former Newfoundland and Labrador premier and federal cabinet minister who once criticized the Fraser Institute as a "right-wing, Looney Tune" organization, is joining the think-tank.

Tobin has been appointed as a senior fellow to help develop an energy strategy for North America.

'Michael Walker and the Fraser Institute are the most right-wing, Looney Tune institute [or] think-tank that has ever set foot on the soil of Canada.'—Brian Tobin in 1999

"As a nation, Canada is well-positioned to be a leader across many sectors of the global economy, in particular the energy sector," Tobin said in a news release Friday.

"That is why we need to create an environment that encourages investment and rewards entrepreneurial spirit, something long advocated by the Fraser Institute."

He joins other ex-politicians at the institute, including former federal Reform leader Preston Manning and Former Ontario Conservative premier Mike Harris

Tobin has had tangles over the years with the think-tank, which in 1999 strongly criticized Tobin for his insistence on a benefits agreement on the Voisey's Bay nickel mine.

Tobin responded with harsh criticism of his own for the institute and its now-retired executive director, Michael Walker.

"Michael Walker and the Fraser Institute are the most right-wing, Looney Tune institute [or] think-tank that has ever set foot on the soil of Canada," Tobin told reporters in 1999.

The institute recently opened its Centre for Energy Policy Studies in Calgary to research national energy issues.

Brian Tobin came in for strong criticism from the Fraser Institute while he was premier.
(CBC)

"During my time as premier of Newfoundland, I saw how the proper development of energy resources can bring tremendous economic benefits to our communities," Tobin said in the news release.

He said Canada has the "resources and expertise to become a world energy power." 

Currently, Tobin is a senior business adviser at the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. He also sits on a number of company boards.

Tobin was elected to the House of Commons in 1980 and appointed fisheries minister after Jean Chrétien became prime minister in 1993.

In 1996, Tobin resigned from federal politics to become leader of the Newfoundland Liberal Party and subsequently was elected premier.

He stepped down as premier and ran for a seat in Ottawa in the 2000 federal election. Once elected, he became industry minister, but retired from politics in 2002.

The Fraser Institute has offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

With files from the Canadian Press