Premier Tony Wakeham announced Wednesday that the provincial government will not commit to a final legislative vote on the Churchill Falls power agreements. While the government plans to table the final contracts and propose a special debate in the House of Assembly, the move has drawn criticism from opposition parties concerned about transparency and the lack of a guaranteed vote.
Legislative Debate Without a Final Vote
Premier Tony Wakeham confirmed that while his government intends to bring the definitive Churchill Falls agreements back to the House of Assembly for technical briefings and debate, he is not offering a guarantee of a final vote. The Premier stated that the House already “endorsed” the agreement during the special session held in September, which saw the agreement pass 21-18. Despite repeated inquiries from opposition politicians and the media, Wakeham remained unwilling to confirm that the contracts would be subject to a formal vote before they are signed.
Leadership Transition in the Negotiating Team
The uncertainty regarding the legislative process coincides with a change in the province’s lead negotiator. Former Fortis CEO Barry Perry has stepped down from his role leading the team, a decision he says was made months ago to prioritize family commitments. Perry is moving into the role of special adviser,
assisting his successor, Gary Smith. Premier Wakeham described the personnel change, announced on October 28, as a planned and amicable transition,
noting that Perry’s initial involvement was limited by his prior professional obligations.
Smith, a former executive vice president of operations and technology at Fortis Inc. and former president and CEO of Newfoundland Power, was selected last week to guide the province through the final stages of the agreement. Perry, who noted that Smith possesses immense experience,
will remain through a transition period. Wakeham noted that he is not open to any attempts to renegotiate the tentative agreement, expressing his continued confidence in the value of the deal and the government’s ability to work with Quebec and the government of Canada to reach completion.
Shortly after the signing of the new deal, I informed the premier of my intent to move on from my role as the lead negotiator over the course of the fall. Having set aside many family and professional commitments during the negotiation of the deal, the time was right for me to transition back to private life.
Status of the Definitive Agreements
The province is currently working to convert the non-binding Definitive Cooperation and Implementation Agreement, which was signed in August during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Mark Carney and then-Quebec premier Christine Fréchette, into 17 separate binding contracts. These documents will cover the existing power sales to Hydro-Québec, future power upgrades, and the potential development at Gull Island. Wakeham has stated he is not open to renegotiating the terms already agreed upon, maintaining that the objective is to ensure the final contracts align with the framework endorsed by the House in September.