From premier to published author: Andrew Furey releases book about work in Haiti

Before Andrew Furey became premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, he was a busy orthopedic surgeon and founder ofTeam Broken Earth, a medical relief non-profit group.

Now, he's added another line to his resum: published author.

Hope in the Balance: A Newfoundland Doctor Meets a World in Crisistells the stories behind Furey's work in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake, which killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced a million others.

"This book was part of a pilgrimage for me, I guess," Furey told CBC Radio'sAs It Happens.

"Finding out who I was, and frankly just releasing some of my emotions about some of what I had seen."

Watching the aftermath of the earthquake from his home in Newfoundland 10 years ago, Furey said, he was stunned by what he saw and knew he needed to do something to help.

"Seeing these images and these hardships come live into my living room, I knew that from a medical perspective that Haitians in the earthquake would die of their head injuries or theirabdominal injuries, but they wouldn't necessarily die of their broken bones," he said.

"That's what I do for a living.I felt compelled to help."

Furey setabout organizing Team Broken Earth, gathering together colleagues inhealth care and heading to Haiti to provide medical services. There were six such missions in the first two years of the earthquake alone, with doctors and nurses delivering babies, performing surgeriesand treating hundreds of patients each time.

Yet Furey said his book reveals someself-doubt he dealt with in the midst of the effort's early days.

"I think we all feel that when we're tackling new challenges. I felt like I wanted to contribute, and I felt like that self-doubt was a bit of a hurdle to overcome," he said.

"But I feel like we did a great job down there, and built a great foundation that we could build on further."

Team Broken Earth has continued its missions to Haiti as well as a few other countries, and expanded to include health-care professionals from across Canada.

Island connections

While Haiti and Newfoundland have vastly different climates and histories,Furey said he has been able to draw connections between the two islands in his book.

"There is something about an island mentality that draws people together a little closer a tighter sense of community, because you're forced to, with the isolation. And I see that reflected in the communities reflected around Haiti as well," he said.

Experiences in Haitialso connected Furey to his family back in Newfoundland, as he recounteda trip he took to an orphanage following the earthquake.

"The second orphanage I went to, there was children in cages for their own protection, supposedly. It really struck me in the guts pretty hard," he said.

"There was a couple of children, five, six years old, in a room by themselves. And that was the age that my dad was when he was taken to Mount Cashel, and put in a dormitory with other children."

Mount Cashel was an orphanage for boys in St. John'swhere boys were abused at the hands of the Christian Brothers for decades.

Furey's father, George Furey, went on to become a teacher and lawyer, and has been a senator since 1999.

"To see his journey play out on a different stage, there was a sense of loss of hope for those orphans that were abandoned in that orphanage, that they would not be afforded the same opportunities that my father was or my children were. That day changed me, for sure." said Furey.

Career shift

Fureyhas become a newly published author on the heels of his first foray into politics. He won the Newfoundland and LabradorLiberal leadership race in August, becoming premier in the process, and won a byelectionOct. 6 to gain a seat in the provincial legislature.

• N.L. Premier Andrew Furey wins byelection, seat in House of Assembly

Furey said he is drawing from his experiences as a doctor as he shifts into his new career, particularly the teamwork aspect of surgery.

"You can't know everything about everything, but surrounding yourself with good people with a common goal can accomplish far more than you can imagine," he said.

The behind-the-scenes organizing of surgical and educational teams involved in Team Broken Earth is also coming in handy, he said.

"Those skills and decision-making are transferable, I think, and can be transformative when you take those skills into political life. That's what I'm planning to do," he said.

A province's diagnosis

Furey has come to the helm of Newfoundland and Labrador at a troubled time, as the province grapples with a near-record deficit, turmoil in its offshore oil sector, andthe continued upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Furey said the province's diagnosis is"critical, but stable."

"The patient is going to survive. We'll get through this on the other side," he said. "The patient is not going to perish, I guarantee you."

Furey said there is "hope and optimism" for the future of the province, which he says has barely scratched the surface ofindustries like green energy and technology.

"We'll always be relying on our natural resources, whether it be fish or forestry or beyond. But technology can help all of those industries and can diversify our economy in a more robust way."

However, Furey added there is no question Newfoundland and Labrador will need federal government support in the future.

"We've contributed to Canada. We've contributed with our resources, we've contributed with our culture, we've contributed in terms of finances. This is how a federation works, and I'm happy, and I think all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are, that we're part of this federation."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador