(Quebec) The Prime Minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, Andrew Furey, says he is open to negotiating with Quebec, as long as we “show him the money”.
“Show us the money!” » launched Mr. Furey in the press scrum Monday morning, upon his arrival at the 44e Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Prime Ministers held at the Château Frontenac, in Quebec.
Last February, during an official visit to Saint-Jean, the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, said he understood “the frustration and anger” of Newfoundlanders regarding the Churchill Falls electricity supply contract.
The contract on this dam located in Labrador would have brought in more than 28 billion in Quebec since its signature in 1969, compared to only 2 billion in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Legault had mentioned the idea of offering financial compensation to the neighboring province before the end of the agreement in 2041, in order to encourage it to renew it.
Monday, when welcoming his counterparts to the Château Frontenac, Mr. Legault suggested that an agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador was critical for Quebec.
“Obviously, to achieve our carbon neutrality objectives, we will have to build more renewable energy. So, I am counting a lot on Andrew Furey to “upgrade” Churchill Falls, then for Gull Island, we are having excellent discussions and we are very optimistic about being able to move forward on this,” he declared.