The opposition Tories walked out of the House of Assembly Thursday night before the final vote on the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding.

The final vote was 25-0 in favour with the NDP and independents joining with the governing Liberals. The Liberals won the support of the New Democrats and independents after promising the consumer advocate would lead an independent review of the MOU, but the Progressive Conservatives said that didn’t go far enough.

The vote capped a four-day special debate on Churchill Falls in which the negotiating team and outside experts were allowed to testify in the House.

The Tories posted a statement on X explaining their actions after the vote: “Before politicians sign on to an exclusive deal with Quebec for another 51 years, we need to make sure this is the best deal for NL. PC MHAs cannot vote for this agreement with so many questions unanswered. Why is Premier Andrew Furey rushing this process, and refusing an independent review?”