Both provincial opposition leaders are making requests of the government ahead of a debate, scheduled to begin on January 6th, on the Churchill Falls MOU.

PC leader Tony Wakeham has three specific requests he wants the premier to act on ahead of the debate.

The first is for the Public Utilities Board to review all aspects of the MOU. Wakeham says those findings should be made public, in line with recommendations from the Leblanc inquiry.

The second request is for the complete report from the 2023 Churchill River Management Expert Panel to be made public. Wakeham notes that that panel was tasked with making recommendations to maximize the value of the Churchill River.

Finally, Wakeham wants expert panels established to review each of the individual projects in the agreement.

Meanwhile, NDP leader Jim Dinn is asking that the debate date be pushed back.

He states that while the debate is necessary for transparency, there is not enough time for politicians to do “diligent consultation and outreach.”

Dinn is asking for the debate to be pushed to March 3rd, ahead of the spring sitting of the legislature, or later in January to allow all members time to digest the MOU’s contents and do consultation.