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Time for the premier to stop the rhetoric and outline his plans for the Lower Churchill October 19, 2006 |
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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid is asking Premier Danny Williams to clearly
outline his plans for the development of the Lower Churchill and clarify
several issues related to the project.
As reported on CBC Radio today, Premier Williams has now indicated that he wants to negotiate with Quebec regarding the potential development of the Lower Churchill project and apologized for remarks made in September regarding the political instability in that province. "Earlier this year, Premier Williams held a press conference announcing his intentions to go it alone on the development of the Lower Churchill," said Mr. Reid. "There were many unanswered questions related to that proposal and it now appears the premier is backtracking and is opening new dialogue with the Province of Quebec. "The announcement to go it alone was more political rhetoric than actual fact. There were significant gaps as to how the project would be financed, who would buy the power, and how it would be transmitted to market. It certainly appears the premier is now holding out an olive branch to the Province of Quebec because he thinks he needs their help. "Once again, the premier demonstrated his lack of negotiating skills by attacking a potential partner, one with whom is now trying to improve relations. I question whether the premier will now have to go cap in hand to the Province of Quebec in search of a deal. We have already lost the Abitibi mill in Stephenville and the Hebron/Ben Nevis project because of this approach, and I wonder whether the Lower Churchill project will be another lost opportunity because of this premier’s confrontational style."
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