Day three of Churchill Falls debate gets underway in the House of Assembly
Day three of the special sitting of the House of Assembly will get underway on Wednesday morning. Over the last two days MHA’s have been debating the Definitive Cooperation and Implementation Agreement for Churchill Falls and Gull Island, and the Government of Canada’s commitments associated with the agreement.
On Tuesday, Premier Tony Wakeham argued that the time for a deal is now, with the federal governments backing. However, members of the Opposition parties say they still don’t know if they will vote in favour of the deal.
As with the first Churchill Falls MOU from 2024, some of the core questions in this debate remain the same. Are we finally getting proper value for our resource? Do we control our own assets? And, why now? Why not wait till closer to 2041 when the old deal – the one that gives power to Quebec essentially for free – comes to an end.
Liberal Leader John Hogan doesn’t know if he supports the deal or not. He does know he’s concerned about pricing, without market based pricing in the new deal, something that was in the first MOU. Hogan says he’s worried the deal they’re debating is a repeat of the dreaded 1969 contract.
NDP Leader Jim Dinn has long said his vote of support for this deal is contingent on a few things. He requires approval from the Innu Nation, an independent review of the deal, and a final vote on definitive agreements. So far only the last condition has been accepted.
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