Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Tony Wakeham (MHA, Stephenville – Port au Port) says Premier Furey’s secrecy about talks on the Upper and Lower Churchill and a hydrogen pipeline through Labrador is concerning to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“You lead by telling people what you plan to do and making sure they are onside, not by keeping them in the dark and letting them be blindsided when the news leaks,” said Wakeham.
Wakeham criticized Premier Furey’s secrecy and Premier Legault’s sudden eagerness in February 2023, questioning their motives in Churchill power negotiations. Now, there’s more evidence of secret dealings. According to reporting today (September 14) by allNewfoundlandLabrador, Quebec’s Premier Legault is boasting of ongoing talks with this province about Gull Island development and Upper Churchill expansion ahead of 2041 – issues on which the Liberal government has chosen to keep Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the dark.
According to reporting September 11 by The Independent, the Liberal government has gone into international meetings with documents showing it has embraced an Energy Super Basin concept and is considering the potential for a hydrogen pipeline across Labrador’s Indigenous lands, to the shock of the public and Indigenous communities.
Wakeham said, “Premier Furey thinks it’s okay to barter away Newfoundland and Labrador’s resources and opportunities in his silo, out of the spotlight, without informing or consulting the public, without respecting Indigenous territory and rights, and without either a plan or a mandate.”
“Why are we yet again getting more information from the Premier of Quebec and investigative journalists than from this Premier himself? Why does he insist on wheeling and dealing in the dark? Any government I lead will do things differently, with the full participation of the people of this province and full transparency and accountability,” said Wakeham.
