The so-called Group of 9, which includes former politicians and lawyers, believes that Newfoundland and Labrador is repeating the 1969 giveaway that was the Lower Churchill contract.
The group, which is calling for the resignation of the NL Hydro board, is challenging its handling of the December 2024 MOU with Hydro-Quebec.
Last week NL Hydro CEO Jennifer Williams re-iterated that the price set out in the MOU is not the final price.
The Group of 9 claims that NL Hydro refused to seek independent advice on the long-term deal, something its members – including Danny Williams, Ches Crosbie and Jack Harris – believe represents “a profound failure of governance.”
Former member of the Oversight Panel, Michael Wilson, resigned from the panel in May citing “impaired independence,” and warning that its reports would not meet public expectations.
The group says locking the province into a 50-year agreement now, would “repeat the catastrophic imbalance of the 1969 contract.”
Members of the Group of 9 include:
Bernard Coffey, KC – Lawyer; Former Clerk of the NL Executive Council
Ches Crosbie, KC – Former Leader, NL Progressive Conservative Party; Former MHA
Jack Harris, KC – Former Leader, NL New Democratic Party; Former MP and MHA
Roland Martin – Former Deputy Minister of Finance; Longest-serving Director, NL Hydro
Bob Noseworthy, P Eng – Former President, Pennecon; Executive Director Canadian Construction Association; President, Provincial SPCA
Roger Simmons – Former Federal Cabinet Minister; Former Liberal MP and MHA
Walter Tucker, P Eng – Former Senior Vice-President (Atlantic Canada), SNCLavalin Lorne Wheeler – Former Deputy Minister; Policy Advisor
Danny Williams, KC – Former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Among the points listed by the group and highlighted for NL Hydro’s Board of Directors are:
- Secretive Process: Government-appointed panels that formed the basis of the MOU worked largely in secret, bound by NDAs, with little information made public.
- Quebec Can’t “Walk Away”: Quebec’s own media and officials admit that time weakens Quebec’s position – “time is not Quebec’s friend” (former HQ CEO Michael Sabia). Critics say NL has unprecedented leverage, not weakness.
- Show Your Work: Hydro dismissed the August 26 letter as inaccurate. The group asks Hydro to identify specific errors.
- Governance Gap: Hydro’s Board did not seek independent legal, financial, or utility advice for a multibillion-dollar, 50+ year deal. Critics say this breaches basic governance practice.
- Independent Panel’s “Impaired Independence”: Michael Wilson resigned from the Independent Oversight Panel, citing compromised independence — reinforcing the group’s call for scrutiny.
