Premier Tony Wakeham’s independent review of the MOU is underway, and that means almost all negotiations related to the document have ground to a halt.
Energy Minister Lloyd Parrott says only technical negotiations will proceed while the review is happening.
He says that will include things like pre-engineering studies and any seismic work. He says all of that work is very high level and technical, but non-binding.
Liberal Leader John Hogan and Opposition energy critic, Fred Hutton (VOCM News)
Liberals question government’s interpretation of ‘independent’
The Opposition Leader is questioning what the government means by ‘independent’ in forming an independent review committee to examine the Churchill Falls MOU.
John Hogan says the premier keeps circling back to the term in reinforcing the need for greater oversight, however he questions what that means.
“These were three individuals who were hand-picked by the Premier’s Office, being paid by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“When we debated the MOU in the House of Assembly back in early January of this year…a couple of the (current) ministers specifically said ‘if you pay a consultant, if you pay an individual then by definition they are no longer independent,’ So they continue to go back on things that they’ve said, they continue to go back on things they’ve promised.”
