NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) wrote to Premier Wakeham yesterday asking him to clarify his commitments on the Churchill Falls agreement to the public to ensure transparency going forward.
During the debate in the House of Assembly, the NDP was clear in its three conditions for support: bringing a final vote to the House of Assembly, PUB involvement in the oversight process, and approval from the Innu Nation. While two of these conditions were discussed over the week, they were not met in full, which meant no support from the NDP. However, Dinn asked the Premier to confirm his governments exact stance on these three points for public transparency going forward.
“I personally appreciated the opportunity to discuss these concerns with you during the week of debate and your commitment to address those concerns. In the days during and after the special sitting, your government has made statements regarding all three points. I respectfully ask you to clarify your position on these matters,” Dinn wrote.
The letter highlights that throughout the week of the debate, Premier Wakeham’s language around bringing the agreement back for a final vote in the House of Assembly changed, seemingly weakening the stance. Dinn says that this is why it is so important to get the Premier’s clear stance on how the deal will move forward.
“I also seek a firm commitment to bring the final deal back to the House of Assembly for a debate and vote. I note that in the scrum after the vote on the DCIA on September 17, you stated that once a final deal is reached, “the House Leaders will get together and figure out what we do in the House of Assembly.” In the House that evening, you also stated that “we will bring the definitive agreements back into the House.” However, I note that neither statement mentions a final vote. I ask that you confirm that any arrangement for debating a final agreement in the HOA includes a vote on the deal by the Members.”
A full copy of the letter is attached.