Research and writing

Joan Forsey, her bio tells us, is "a Newfoundlander living in Toronto, is a former journalist who has been researching and writing about Canadian economic and political affairs for more than 30 years, including seven years as a writer on the staff of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau."

Which makes it surprising that she should write:

The federal government could, if it were serious about wanting to “lead,” facilitate the development of the lower Churchill’s clean, renewable energy and help make it available to those, like Ontario, seeking to protect the environment.

But that would annoy Quebec. And for the federal government, winning House of Commons seats in Quebec is obviously more important than fighting climate change.

Perhaps Ms. Forsey can call upon her research skills, or her more than 30 years writing about economic and political affairs, or, especially, her seven years in the Trudeau PMO to remind us all: when the Trudeau government introduced the Energy Security Act in 1981-82, how did Brian Peckford react?

And how did René Lévesque?

And why?

It's easy enough for Newfoundland nationalists to trot out the old canard, as Forsey does, about how "There are 75 federal seats in Quebec"; this, when compared with the seven seats in the House of Commons for Newfoundland and Labrador, is supposedly, the root of all Churchill Falls evils, or at least the favoured root-of-all-evils of convenience.

So how did the political math go back in 1982?

Oh, that there were still another Forsey with Newfoundland roots, a penchant for writing, and an appreciation of the power of truth over myth, around to join this fray.