For Immediate Release
January 3, 2025
Following a well-attended town hall on the recently announced Churchill Falls Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (MHA for St. John’s Centre) is highlighting the deep concerns and frustrations expressed by constituents.
Residents voiced strong criticism about the rushed nature of the announcement and the lack of transparency in sharing details of the agreement with the public. There were also concerns about the refusal from government to commit to independent oversight.
“The question every speaker at the Town Hall had to ask was, ‘Why is this happening so fast?’ The public are clearly seeing government pushing this MOU along at break-neck speed and are concerned,” said Dinn. There’s a lot of mistrust, and the government’s refusal to allow independent oversight on this MOU is only fueling that. We’ve seen what happens when decisions are rushed, and oversight is sidelined. People want assurances that this deal won’t become another costly misstep. They want transparency, accountability, and for their voices to be heard.”
Beyond the MOU, many attendees voiced frustration over the government’s perceived focus on this agreement at the expense of addressing pressing day-to-day issues. Many attendees voiced how they felt government is using this deal as an excuse for their lack of a plan to address the struggle people are feeling across the province.
“People want to know what governments plans are to help them now, not years down the road when we start to see some money from this deal,” said Dinn. “Again, we see this Liberal government doesn’t understand the realities people are facing. People worry about their power bills, they worry about the future. Many called out the ‘trust us’ nature of this government around this MOU, but many people can’t trust this government to make a decision that is best for the people.
“I want the best possible deal for this province. I want a deal that will ensure a bright future for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. If this is the deal, then that’s what I will support. But government has done nothing but rush this process, sending opposition members scrambling to hold consultations and research on the MOU ahead of a debate that did not have to happen so soon. The public sees this behaviour, and it only makes them hesitate more. Government should want to be as transparent as possible on a deal that will impact us for years to come.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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