For Pig
Y’know, the Premier has gone to Quebec, and gone to Premier Charest, and, y’know, we’ve had NALCO(R) visit y’know Hydro-Quebec, I’ve been meeting with Ministers and so on. And we say to them, okay, y’know, we’ll set the Upper Churchill to one side, but, y’know, let’s sit down and have a talk about this Lower Churchill piece. Y’know, we know that we have to have a win-win situation here. Because we, as I’ve said earlier this week, we know that if you don’t have win-win you have win and poison pill. Because that’s what we’ve got with the Upper Churchill. So we can have a win-win situation. We know that if you come in here as an equity player that you have to have a good return on your investment. And we want you to have a good return on your investment. But it also has to be a good deal for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Now we have been with that message back and forth [i.e. to Hydro-Quebec] for five years. No, sir. No, sir. There is no takeup on that proposal.
- Kathy Dunderdale on VOCM Open Line with Randy Simms, September 4, 2009
Labels: Lowered Churchill expectations
posted by WJM @ 5:17 PM
7 Comments:
I still think you and bondpapers are comparing apples and oranges when you say that the PCs willingness to take in HQ as an equity partner is equivalent to NBs selling NB Power lock stock and barrel. The only equivalent act would be the sale of Nalcor and all of its assets - which isn't what the PCs were suggesting here.
An equity partner in the Lower Churchill, and one that could facilitate transfer of power, could take any form at all. This quote tells us that the PCs would consider HQ as an equity in the Lower Churchill, without redress on the Upper Churchill (and contradicting other statements by government ministers), but beyond that there is no detail as to what kind of arrangement could have been made. Your smoking gun isn't much of one at all.
I still think you and bondpapers are comparing apples and oranges when you say that the PCs willingness to take in HQ as an equity partner is equivalent to NBs selling NB Power lock stock and barrel.
Can you point out where I said that? Your logic processor is faulty.
No, NB's selling NB power is equivalent to Danny selling off components of Our Dear Energy Corporation.
The begging-HQ-to-take-an-equity-stake thing rather goes to the utter hypocrisy and total disconnect from reality that is the Premier running around two different countries, badmouthing Hydro-Quebec as a business partner... when for five years he was begging them to be, um, a business partner.
Logic processor is faulty? You're the one who thinks NB will be a "business partner" when it no longer has any ownership stake, at all, in NB Power. Equity partner is not the same as not having any equity. How exactly would NB, with zero ownership stake, be a business partner? It wouldn't even have true legislative capacity if it had to conform its regulations to Quebecs, which it would have to do according to this MOU. Your comparison makes no sense whatsoever.
I'm also not convinced that the PCs were "begging." If the Liberals were able to negotiate a deal with HQ under Tobin surely the PCs, who you claim were desperate, could have "begged" for that deal at the worst? The point is they reached no deal so they must have reached some limit of what HQ was willing to give/take and decided it wasn't good enough. Negotiating, trying to hard to reach a deal maybe but begging doesn't make sense. Beggars can't be choosers.
You're the one who thinks NB will be a "business partner" when it no longer has any ownership stake, at all, in NB Power.
And you're telling me I think that... based on what?
The NB government seems to want out of the energy business.
Equity partner is not the same as not having any equity. How exactly would NB, with zero ownership stake, be a business partner?
Maybe you ought to ask someone who has said that they would be, at least beyond the close of the agreement.
I'm also not convinced that the PCs were "begging."
It's in Blunderdale's voice.
The point is they reached no deal so they must have reached some limit of what HQ was willing to give/take and decided it wasn't good enough.
Read Blunderdale's words. Carefully.
"Read Blunderdale's words. Carefully."
Apart from all the "y'knows" I don't see what I'm missing. They tried to compromise, but Quebec wanted more. Or Quebec wanted the whole shooting match? I don't know. There's little detail. But KD is exasperated. Judging from her admission they were even willing to forget Upper Churchill, can you blame her?
PJ
Where does she say Quebec wanted more?
Read, PJ, read:
No, sir. No, sir. There is no takeup on that proposal.
"There is no takeup on that proposal."
Dannystan proposed.
Hydro-Quebec disposed. "There is no takeup."
What Pig is conveniently chosing to ignore is all the other evidence I cited just last week about the full policy on selling bits and pieces. It is much more than this one clip, much more.
However, since he can't argue with what they actually said he tries to pretend as much of it doesn't exist as he needs to imagine out of existance in order to make it fit his argument.
Then Peter chimes in with the fiction about "compromise" and "wanting more" even though there is absolutely no sign of any of that anywhere other than in Peter's imagination.
Frankly, Peter, you should send Danny a bill for your services. I doubt very much that any of his political staff could rationalise, explain away or otherwise torque his comments with such a combination of imagination and zeal.
Bravo.
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