Premier Dwight Ball says stopping the Muskrat Falls project was not an option at the time he took over government.
Ball was on the stand today at the Muskrat Falls Inquiry.
The premier was responding to questions from Geoff Budden, counsel for the Concerned Citizen’s Coalition. He says once they got past the Federal Loan Guarantee, they were too far gone to turn back.
He says even Stan Marshall indicated that the project was too far gone when he took over in 2016.
He says there were billions of dollars at stake that they could not walk away from. There were commitments to Nova Scotia on power, and ongoing issues surrounding reliability in the wake of #DarkNL.
Ball Tells Inquiry Nalcor 2016 Board Resignation Came as a Surprise to Government
Premier Dwight Ball says he was surprised that Nalcor’s Board of Directors resigned en masse amid concerns that government did not support Nalcor or the board.
Ball, who called the Muskrat Falls Inquiry in November of 2017, took the stand this morning. He was responding to questions from Inquiry Co-council Barry Learmonth.
Nalcor’s entire Board of Directors resigned in 2016 after Ed Martin stepped down, indicating they felt they no longer had government’s confidence following critical comments from then-Finance Minister Cathy Bennett.
Premier Ball told the Inquiry he was surprised with the mass resignation on April 20th of 2016, but indicated that he had reached out to Stan Marshall for a meeting on April 18th. He calls the timing coincidental.
He says he took the opportunity to talk to Marshall in light of a meeting with Martin the night before, and if they needed a new CEO, whether he knew of anyone with the interest or expertise who could fill the role – if necessary.
Ball asserts that no decisions had been made regarding Martin’s future at that time. He asked Marshall would he be interested if they needed a new CEO, knowing another meeting with Martin was coming, and Marshall said yes.
Ball has described the megaproject as, “the greatest fiscal mistake in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.”