PQ would renegotiate Churchill Falls MOU with 1927 ‘injustice’ in mind

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Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham outright dismissed the idea when asked by reporters last week. “This issue was settled a long time ago,” he said.

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Gregory Kelley, natural resources critic for Quebec’s Liberal party, said that while he agrees most Quebec governments have never officially accepted the border with Labrador, picking up a fight with another province should not be a priority.

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“I just sort of see it as the classic Parti Québécois finding ways, on a file that is really between two provinces, to maybe try and bring in a whole question of the history of Canada and the injustices of Canada,” Kelley said in an interview.

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He added it is more important, at the moment, to come to an agreement to help produce more energy that businesses can rely on moving forward in the future.

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Wakeham met on Tuesday with Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette at the Council of the Federation in Charlottetown to discuss the status of negotiations on a new energy deal.

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Representatives of Hydro-Québec and N.L. Hydro were not in attendance at this meeting, according to Wakeham’s press secretary Ashley Jackson-Politi.

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Time is running out for Fréchette to come to a deal, as she will soon be facing an uphill battle in the provincial election slated for Oct. 5. Her party, the Coalition Avenir Québec, is currently in third place in the polls, while the PQ is poised to form government.

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Despite this, her team believes it is possible for Quebec to arrive at a revised MOU with Newfoundland and Labrador that will benefit both parties.

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“Discussions are ongoing; we remain confident to arrive at an agreement,” said Fréchette’s press secretary, Élodie Masson, in a written statement.

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Hydro-Québec echoed that statement, adding: “Our focus is on continuing those discussions, and it would be premature to comment on subsequent steps,” said spokeswoman Lynn St-Laurent in an email.

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Opposition parties in Quebec agree that Fréchette should not rush into an agreement on Churchill Falls with an election fast approaching. Or, if she does, they believe it should be submitted to the National Assembly of Quebec for review.

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“We would ultimately like to see an agreement go through on Churchill Falls, but it’s important also to put things into context that Madame Fréchette doesn’t have carte blanche to sign anything either,” Kelley said.

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“We’re of the view that the original offer made by Hydro-Québec and the government of Quebec was extremely generous,” he added.

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Paradis said Fréchette simply does not have the “legitimacy” to sign an agreement in the dying days of her mandate and fears she might make too many concessions to wrap up the negotiations quickly.

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“The first ones to judge will be Quebecers during the elections in October.”

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National Post
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