This afternoon, the PC Government voted against bringing any final agreements related to Churchill Falls and Gull Island back to the House of Assembly for debate and a vote before they are signed or become binding.
The Official Opposition is calling on the PC Government to bring all final agreements back to the House of Assembly so Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can ask questions, provide input, and have their voices heard before any agreements are signed. The agreements would commit Newfoundland and Labrador to a 50-year deal with consequences for generations to come. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve to understand the terms, risks, and long-term benefits before the province is locked into any final agreement.
The DCIA is not the final deal, and support for it should not be treated as approval of the final agreements. The DCIA is a non-binding framework agreement, while the final agreements will consist of 17 detailed, legally binding contracts that will commit the province for 50 years.
When the House of Assembly debated the DCIA, not one of the 17 final agreements had been negotiated. Significant details remained to be determined and assessed. Moreover, the Premier hid that a key legal advisor left on the eve of the debate, so the public and MHAs only found out weeks after the vote.
Premier Wakeham claims the House has already supported the final agreements. He is trying to convince Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that the House has already voted on agreements that do not yet exist. The documents and details that will ultimately bind our province to Quebec for 50 years have not yet been negotiated, presented, debated, or voted on.
The Deputy Premier acknowledged this today in the House, saying, “The sign-off will happen and they’ll come back to the House.” This runs contrary to the PCs’ promises of transparency and accountability and shows they intend to force the final agreements on Newfoundlanders and Labradorians without any discussion or debate.
“The Premier has been asked numerous times whether the final agreements will come before the House of Assembly for debate and a vote before they are signed. He confirmed they would come back, but now we know he was being disingenuous because it will be too late,” says Leader of the Official Opposition John Hogan, KC. “This decision will affect generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. People deserve transparency, their elected representatives deserve the opportunity to scrutinize the final agreements, and the public deserves a say before these deals are finalized, especially when so many people are clearly unhappy with the PCs’ plan.”
The PC Government has already broken its promise to hold a referendum before the final agreements are signed.
“The PCs broke their promise on a referendum, and now the Premier refuses to commit to bringing the final agreements to the House before they are signed,” says Hogan.
“Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve better than being asked to trust the government and accept a 50-year deal.”
The Official Opposition will continue to ask questions on behalf of concerned Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and will continue to press the Premier and his Minister to bring all proposed final agreements back to the House of Assembly for debate and vote before they are signed.
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