Liberal leaders at both the provincial and federal levels are defending their stance on the Atlantic Loop as it comes under scrutiny from the opposition.
The federal government’s budget line about the Atlantic Loop only mentions Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It did not make mention of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Opposition Leader David Brazil and Premier Andrew Furey sparred over the issue in the House of Assembly yesterday.
David Brazil says being excluded from the budget speech weakens the province’s power at the negotiating table to say to Quebec that a wrong was done with Churchill Falls, and a partnership needs to be built that is beneficial to Newfoundland and Labrador. But, he argues that leaving NL out of the speech shows favoritism.
Premier Andrew Furey doesn’t see things that way. He believes the omission was “benign,” noting that this province has been at the table and the federal government understands how important the province is to the loop.
Furey says Quebec doesn’t have enough capacity on its own to meet the needs of the Atlantic provinces. He says there is no loop without generation, “and the generation is Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was in the province yesterday highlighting some initiatives in the federal budget, says the line about the Loop is moreso about the stages each province is at.
Right now, she says the conversation is about Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia constructing their plans.