Giving up

Here are some more good questions for the unquestioningly loyal Dean MacDonald.

Back in 2002, one of his ostensible reasons for breaking with the former Grimes government, and resigning from the Hydro board over the tentative deal on the so-called Lower Churchill, was given, again according to a November 26, 2002, Telegram report by Moira Baird, in the following terms:

MacDonald's concerns about the proposed Lower Churchill deal with Quebec include:

Marginalizing Labrador when it comes to future economic development.

"I think by signing this deal we're* giving up on Labrador, in terms of their* abilities to develop and have power available to them* — particularly in light of a Voisey's Bay discovery. One can assume that there'll be other Voisey's Bays up there.*"

...

Bill Kelly, the third board member to oppose the deal, decided to remain on the board — something MacDonald says he strongly encouraged him to do.

"I said, 'Somebody's got to fight for Labrador, and if you walk away with the knowledge you have now and the experience and the forthrightness you've brought to the table,' I said, 'I think it would be a loss for Labrador,'" said MacDonald.

And so, the questions for Deano:

In your opinion, the Danny Williams-Government plan for developing the so-called Lower Churchill — the plan which would have almost all the power transmitted over a series of submarine transmission cables, of dubious technical and economic feasibility, to everywhere else in the province, and in Atlantic Canada, except for Labrador — does that plan, Dean MacDonald, "give up" on Labrador?

Should somebody be fighting for Labrador, even against Danny Williams, on this issue?

If so, do you have any thoughts as to who?

And on this narrow question of the Danny Williams-Government plan for developing the so-called Lower Churchill, which of your deeply-held personal convictions prevails? the one that says "we" shouldn't give up on Labrador? or the one that says "whoever is the premier always has my support"?

Perhaps the next time Deano addresses the Junior Anti-Sex League, someone should ask him.




* Interesting choice of terminology, there, too. "We". "Their". "Them". "Up there".