Power To Power

Quebec is pathetic. It signed a historical energy deal with Newfoundland decades ago that proved to be costly to Newfoundland, while ensuring that Quebec reaped the benefits. It refused to re-negotiate the pricing that Newfoundland signed on to with Joey Smallwood thinking the was doing something positive for his province, not realizing the shark instincts of Quebec's entitlements.

And there the matter stood, with resentment emanating from Newfoundland over the unfairness of it all, and Quebec feeling complacently entitled to its profits. And then Newfoundland found its own provincial energy source and became a "have" province, much to Quebec's chagrin. And discovered with its own bold determination it was capable of surmounting Quebec's claims to pre-eminence in hydro energy.

"This is a day of great historic significance to Newfoundland and Labrador as we move forward with development of the Lower Churchill project, on our own terms and free of the geographic stranglehold of Quebec which has for too long determined the fate of the most attractive clean energy project in North America," said Premier Williams. "The benefits of this project for our province will be enormous, including thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity. From day one, our government has taken a long-term, strategic approach to developing this project. Our priorities have remained steadfast; that is to achieve maximum benefits for our people, and to secure stable rates and markets with a good return for the people of this province. This agreement achieves these goals and also solidifies a mutually beneficial partnership with Emera Inc. and the Province of Nova Scotia. Today marks the beginning of a new era of Atlantic Canadian cooperation and together we are telling the marketplace both in Canada and the United States that badly needed competition in the hydroelectric marketplace is on the way."

The Lower Churchill hydroelectric project, an agreement between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia for a new energy consortium that would benefit the Atlantic Provinces and cut into Quebec's revenue source quickly became a source of belligerent irritation between the provinces. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia sought backing from the federal government for loan guarantees for the $6.2-billion project, against Quebec's protests.

And finally, on the re-election campaign trail, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has given his support for the project, promising loan guarantees to the Newfoundland government in support of the Lower Churchill. "We will consider financial support to projects that are of national or regional importance, have economic and financial merit and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We will do this in a way that is equitable across every region of Canada."

Well, hurrah!

But this doesn't suit Quebec, its nose is definitely out of joint, anticipating lost revenues from its customers who now have alternate energy-source options. The government of Quebec has issued warning it will impact on the federal election campaign should the federal government dare offer funding for the Lower Churchill. "Our government has always been clear we will not let the federal government interfere to offer financial support for the construction of transmission lines", Premier Jean Charest addressed his legislature.

But it's set to go. The project will, on completion, send power from Labrador's Lower Churchill River to Newfoundland, then on to Nova Scotia through underwater cables across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. And Quebec can go gnash its teeth in frustration. Its attitude is an affront to Confederation.