Today, the Premier confirmed that Mr. Barry Perry is leaving his role as lead negotiator while negotiations on the final Churchill Falls agreements are ongoing. This contradicts the Deputy Premier’s statement earlier this week that the government does not announce when people leave their roles on the Churchill Falls file, a claim he used to defend why they hid Mr. Coffey’s departure on the eve of the debate.
In Question Period, the PCs offered no explanation for why they announced Mr. Perry’s move to another role but hid the fact that Mr. Coffey had terminated his own contract.
The Premier also confirmed that the only oversight panel will consist of the same people that were handpicked by him. This means there will be no independent oversight as negotiators finalize agreements that will bind Newfoundland and Labrador for 50 years.
The oversight panel established after the original 2025 MOU was chaired by the Consumer Advocate, a Statutory Officer selected with the agreement of members on both sides of the House. The Consumer Advocate then selected the other panel members.
Premier Wakeham has refused to allow any independent input into his handpicked panel and continues to reject an independent review of his deal.
Finally, and of greatest concern, the Premier has confirmed his plans. The debate last month was about a single, non-binding framework agreement. They are now negotiating, with a brand-new negotiator, at least fourteen new agreements that will be binding for 50 years.
Premier Wakeham claims the House has already supported the final agreements. He is trying to convince Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that the House has voted on agreements that do not yet exist.
“During the election, the Premier promised he would not sign any Churchill Falls agreements without an election. He broke that promise. He said he would bring the final agreements back to the House. Now he is refusing to do so until, incredibly, after they are signed. How can the public possibly trust anything he says or trust the process on the biggest decision facing our province?” says Opposition Leader, John Hogan, KC.
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