NDP Leader Jim Dinn is responding to leaked news that a deal will be announced soon by La Presse:
We are concerned to hear this news leaked to Quebec media and not from our own government. There is not a lot of details available, but the point made in La Presse that the Premier is making a U-turn on his promised referendum in order to get the deal signed before the Quebec Election is a very important note.
There are many questions: What makes this deal in “the best long-term interest of the people of the province” as per the benchmark set by the government’s own Independent Review Committee in April?
Will the premier open the House of Assembly if he foregoes the referendum that he promised the people of the province during last October’s election campaign?
Has the government consulted with the Innu Nation on the new iteration of the deal?
The seemingly new addition of wind projects for more power and the federal government’s 15% repayable credit may be just fig leaves to make the project look a bit different. There are many unanswered questions, and the Premier must be transparent. This deal will affect people for many years to come.