Former Premier Danny Williams has now admitted he personally donated more than $56,000 to Tony Wakeham and the Conservatives during last year’s election, all to stop the Churchill Falls MOU.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians already knew Williams opposed any deal he didn’t control. Now, he has confirmed he also tried to influence the outcome of a provincial election with tens of thousands of dollars, on top of spending thousands more on billboard campaigns attacking the deal.
This is the same Danny Williams whose legacy includes the Muskrat Falls boondoggle, a project that has cost Newfoundlanders and Labradorians billions. And now, one of the architects who worked with Williams on that project is helping lead Wakeham’s so-called “independent” review of the Churchill Falls MOU.
In his own words, Williams said he “felt compelled to do my part to both support Premier Wakeham and to ensure the [draft deal] was stopped.” The question must be asked: does the current Premier now owe it to the former Premier to cancel the MOU? It appears Premier Wakeham is prepared to put a $225 billion opportunity, and our province’s future, at risk for his own political gain.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve transparency, not backroom influence. They deserve leadership that puts people first, not political insiders and past mistakes.
Who is really calling the shots? We cannot afford to let Danny Williams sell our future again.
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