Andrew John Furey says he wants to be able to look his children in the eyes and tell them he did everything he could to help Newfoundland and Labrador navigate through troubled waters.

Furey is one of two people who could become the fourteenth premier of Newfoundland and Labrador should he win the leadership race for the Liberal Party.

Furey was born in St. Johns and resides in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's with his wife Allison and their three children.

The Furey name is well-known in Newfoundland and Labrador political circles. George Furey, his father, is the Speaker of the Senate of Canada, while his uncle Chuck Furey was an MHA and provincial cabinet minister, serving from 1985 to 2000.

Furey says he looks up to his father, but adds his grandmother Mary Furey had a profound impact on his life.

She left a relationship with eight children under her arm in the middle of the night, figuratively, and took ... the boys to Mount Cashel, the girls to Belvedere. Family was so important to her, she managed to keep that unit cohesive, said Furey.

Were talking about a single mom in the '50s in Newfoundland and Labrador; it couldnt have been easy. Somehow, she managed to keep the unit together as best she could and raise. I certainly stand on her shoulders every single day.

Furey says his familys good fortune and close connection to power gave him reason to want to give back to the province.

Ive been fortunate to grow up in a loving, nurturing family. My parents instilled in me from an early age the benefit of a solid education and the responsibility to use good fortunes to give back, said Furey.

Ive really taken example from my father, who as some may know grew up in Mount Cashel and fought his way to get an education, become a teacher, then return to law school, build a career for himself there, then enter public service. My family is filled with examples of people giving back to the community in large and small ways. Its really instilled in me that value to use the fortunes youve been provided to help others.

Furey has a bachelor of science and medical degree from Memorial University, where he is the director of orthopedic research. In 2015, he completed a diploma in organizational leadership from Oxford University.

"I dont intend to be a career politician for my entire life. Im parking my career right now and coming in to try and make a difference." Andrew Furey

Furey has been part of the board of directors of a number of companies both in and outside the province.

In 2010, Furey founded Team Broken Earth, a charity started after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010.

He joined the board of Sequence Bio in 2016, a bio-technology company seeking to collect genetic data in Newfoundland and Labrador, recently leaving the position.

Furey has a number of former board memberships for mining companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, including Alderon Iron Ore. Furey has also been on the board of Canada Fluorspar, which operates a mine in St. Lawrence.

Furey co-founded the Dollar a Day foundation with current Nalcor board of directors chair Brendan Paddick and musician Alan Doyle.

Furey says he would give up all existing board memberships should he be successful in the leadership race.

If Im successful, Ill leave those immediately, (although)theyre near and dear to my heart. said Furey, who also is on the board of directors of Medishare, a health-care volunteer provider group in the United States.

Furey says he recognizes how intertwined the business and political life of Newfoundland and Labrador can be, and says introducing an ethics officer is one step to ensure conflicts of interest are avoided.

Id also like to introduce an ethics officer to the executive and executive council. Newfoundland and Labrador is a small place. Everybody knows somebody whos involved in businesses along the way, said Furey.

We need that extra layer, that extra screen to ensure were making decisions, whether senior bureaucratic decisions or political decisions based on the right information thats being provided, in the most ethical and responsible way in the interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

The Telegram offered a series of rapid-fire policy questions to determine where Furey stands on some of our provinces greatest issues, beginning with the challenge to distinguish himself from the politician he seeks to replace.

Here are his replies.

Premier Ball has done a remarkable job, given the circumstances. I think I bring a different approach. Were Liberals, we share the same ideology. Hes done a great job and I guess being different, um, I bring a different lens. Im not a career politician, I dont intend to be a career politician for my entire life. Im parking my career right now and coming in to try and make a difference. I guess were a little different in that respect.

I do recognize the fiscal challenges we face and how government has expanded over the years. I do realize we have to correct that. That correction needs to be done so that government is providing the services to the communities around our province in a responsible and balanced way. I recognize that theres tough decisions in there. But thats something were going to have to face collectively together moving forward.

Furey says the current attrition model for reducing the amount of public servants may not be his only approach.

I understand attrition has its limits. Of course, we still need the basic services and we need to look at the distribution throughout government programs. Im more interested in looking at a program triage to see- do a full, healthy review of what programs were delivering and what returns on investments were getting whether social or economic to see if were spending money on those programs in a responsible way.

First, we need to diversify the economy so that were not subject to massive commodity fluctuations. I think we can do that in a healthy and visionary way. Youve heard me talk before about the technology space and the arts and entertainment space and how we can grow those into thriving industries so we can provide a pipeline with respect to technology for young people so they know if they do their targeted education which well have to invest in (that) therell be an ecosystem to support them on the other end. Technology is geography independent, which is one of the challenges of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The second piece to deal with the demographic issue is immigration. We need a more robust, healthy immigration target. We need to capitalize on immigrants wanting to come to Canada and stay and live here in N.L.

I think systemic racism is prevalent throughout our society and institutions. Its unfortunate, but I think it would be wrong to ignore that it exists. It doesnt just exist south of the border, it does exist here. I would never pretend to fully understand all the issues of racially suppressed people and Id like to listen to them, understand what their issues are. Itss the job of any leader to understand the barriers they face and try to have a better understanding of the issues and the feelings they have, and to use every tool available in the office to change that, to ensure that we have a public service and a legislature that reflects the diversity that exists in Newfoundland and Labrador.

My primary focus is going to be ensure (the Muskrat Falls project) gets done in the most timely fashion, with the least amount of further cost overruns so that we can return the value of that project and that asset to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to the best of our ability. With respect to Phase Two (Gull Island), the province is not in a fiscal or financial position right now to develop that project. Thats not to say it wont be done in the future or is totally off the table, but right now we need to get the first project done ... get it done in an efficient and effective manner so we can stabilize the ship with respect to the debt.

I think that the minimum wage should be tied to the CPI (Consumer Price Index). I think its important to have regular evaluations of the minimum wage. But I also realize that its a political football. I dont think it should be. I think this independent evaluation needs to do their job and take politics out of the minimum wage. I recognize even the regional politics involved in that. No one wants to be the last with respect to the minimum wage. One of the possible solutions is to work towards a harmonized approach with the (other) Atlantic provinces so that no one is last and were using all the tools available to us to provide a living wage and to help people rise out of poverty.

I think that donations to political parties need to be fully reviewed. That would be the first thing I would instruct the Liberal party president to do under my watch. Reviewed with action, of course.

I think taxes right now, as a general statement, are high enough. I think we can be doing better in insuring we review the metrics around the thresholds for some of the taxes with respect to small businesses. Ensuring that were providing an environment that allows them to grow and develop, Id have to get in and look at the books, but right now, my intent is not to make any drastic changes to income tax. I think were taxed high enough.

I think weve all learned the lesson that this province is big and diverse, but you can reach out fairly quickly and quasi in-person with Zoom and other means. I think thats a way that we can apply that technology, whether it be virtual care with medicine or in meetings, more regular meetings with the premier or executive throughout the province without having to assume the cost of travel. Its not going to replace everything altogether, but its a way (of using technology) to do more with less.

I think were positioned well for ocean-based aquaculture in Newfoundland and Labrador. There have been hiccups, theres no question, but were developing it. Its part of who we are. Ive seen firsthand how it can reinvigorate some of our rural communities in particular and lead to sustainable lives for families there. We just came from Harbour Breton and Bay DEspoir and to see the economic return to these communities is quite remarkable.

Frankly, patronage is never acceptable. Im committed to ensuring the best person for the job gets the job regardless of political stripe. I think Premier Ball made good moves in that direction with respect to the independent appointments process. I look forward to working with the clerk of the council to ensure that its a competence-based approach, not a political one, so were getting the best advice from the best people to make the best decisions.

We need to work with the framework thats there now and increase it with respect to ATIPP (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy). Thats up for renewal and Im committed to ensuring its the most open and transparent process available. Its a bit of a cultural shift occurring and its going to take time and I recognize that. People can expect an open, transparent and just government from me. One of the concrete examples would be the chief economic recovery officer who would provide regular updates on the economy from a non-political view, to give the hard goods on where the economy is,and where its going.

We need to change the culture of the House of Assembly so we can have healthy debate. There are bigger issues we all need to collectively face and debate in an open and respectful manner so we can come to the best conclusions for the people of the province. That involves a cultural shift in the House of Assembly and legislature. Premier Ball has done some good work, for example the all-party committee on the public health crisis. Symbolically building on those types of working groups can be beneficial in changing the culture and decorum of the House of Assembly.

Twitter: @DavidMaherNL

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Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal leadership hopeful Andrew Furey's vision for the future, plus a glimpse at his past - The Telegram