Division of powers

Building the People's Fibre-Optic Cable to the Island of The Province? A provincial responsibility, and a point of Our Dear Pride.

But telecommunications in Labrador? Why, according to Trevor Taylor, that magically becomes a joint federal responsibility:

The Newfoundland and Labrador government is mulling over a plan to provide a fibre optic connection to Labrador.

[...]

"We believe that building infrastructure from the Northern Peninsula through Labrador and into Labrador West is absolutely essential."

[...]

The system could cost as much as $80 million. The government may seek financial assistance from Ottawa to help pay for a fibre optic link to Labrador.

And now, the opposition makes this constitutional curiousity all but unanimous:

The leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador wants both the federal and provincial governments to help with providing cellphone service for southern Labrador.

Such strange, strange behaviour in a province where, we are told, there is such a strong "desire among Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to cultivate greater ... financial ... autonomy vis-à-vis Ottawa", so irrestible, like the waters of certain rivers, that Danny Williams-Government wants to "harness" it.

Yip. In all things, financial autonomy. Unless they are expensive, or are located in Labrador, and above all, if they are both.


Instant-update: That "plan to provide a fibre optic connection to Labrador" that Danny Williams-Government was "mulling over" in 2006 — that's three years and an election ago — something that Trevor Taylor described as "absolutely essential"... what became of that plan, anyway?