Premier Andrew Furey’s relationship with John Risley, one of the directors at World Energy GH2 and proponent for a hydrogen project on the west coast, was question in the House of Assembly today.

Questions from Opposition Leader Barry Petten stem from an allNewfoundlandLabrador article that says Premier Furey and his father stayed at a luxury fishing lodge in Labrador owned by Risley in July 2021.

Petten questioned whether that stay and interactions between the two while there was the impetus for Risley later saying that he has no question that the project would be approved.

Later while speaking with reporters, Furey says that what he does on his dime is his own business and that there were no conversations about any such projects during that trip.

Industry, Energy and Technology Minister Andrew Parsons would also take on some of the questions in the House and things became testy after a comment from Petten alleging that government is “covering their tracks.”

Parsons says such allegations suggest that their integrity has been compromised, and are “baseless and without fact.” Things would then fire up in Petten’s response, with him saying that his job is to ask questions that matter to people in the province, and he’s no stopping for Parsons or anyone else.