Latest / DEEP INSIGHT / N.L. premier-designate wants expert review, referendum on Churchill Falls deal

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N.L. premier-designate wants expert review, referendum on Churchill Falls deal · DEEP INSIGHT

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, joining us now to talk about his victory is
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Tony Wakem. He joins us this morning from Newfoundland and Labrador. Sir, welcome,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: congratulations and thank you for stopping by to chat with
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: us the morning after your victory.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Well, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: So this election meant many people are saying that this
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: was about change. I'm wondering here what your first order
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  Speaker 1: of business will be because I know in your victory
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: speech last night you went through some of your priorities
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  Speaker 1: and you also made this promise to give it everything
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  Speaker 1: you've got. So tell us what's sort of first up
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  Speaker 1: for you?
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  Speaker 2: Well, this whole election, then, even prior to the election,
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  Speaker 2: as I've traveled across this great province of ours, I've
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  Speaker 2: heard the stories of people in their communities and what
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: was important to them, And those were the things that
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: we talked about in our campaign, about access to healthcare,
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  Speaker 2: about cost of living, and about safer communities and all
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: of those things. When you and you talk to people
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: individually and hear their stories and it becomes consistent around
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  Speaker 2: the entire problems. Those are the things that, as I
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  Speaker 2: have outlined in our platform, that I intend to focus
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  Speaker 2: on immediately.
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  Speaker 1: One of the other things that I know you have
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  Speaker 1: spoken about throughout this election campaign is that any deal
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  Speaker 1: on the Churchill River. Part of me that voters need
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  Speaker 1: to give it the green light in a referendum in
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  Speaker 1: order for it to move forward. So, of course, talking
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  Speaker 1: here about that MoU, that memorandum of understanding that's been
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  Speaker 1: signed with Quebec. Does this further delay? Does this endanger
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  Speaker 1: this essential project altogether? What do you foresee, sir, in
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  Speaker 1: terms of how this is going to plan?
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  Speaker 2: Well, this is an opportunity, a generational opportunity for Newfouland
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  Speaker 2: and Larbrador. We've been tied into a contract now for
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  Speaker 2: more than fifty years. We know the value of hydro electricity.
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  Speaker 2: Now we know what the value of it will be
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  Speaker 2: in the future. The need for power it's only going
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  Speaker 2: to increase. We have an opportunity here to look after
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  Speaker 2: the best interests of Newfouland and Larbrador, not just for
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  Speaker 2: the next four years, but for the next generation. So
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  Speaker 2: I will not rush into signing any long term deal
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  Speaker 2: until it has an independent analysis, an independent review, which
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  Speaker 2: is something I've been calling for since it was first
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  Speaker 2: announced back in January. That will be the first step
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  Speaker 2: I want to take this out of the political arena
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  Speaker 2: and put it back into the hands of experts that
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  Speaker 2: take a look at to make sure that in fact
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  Speaker 2: Newfouland and Larbrador is going to benefit from this deal,
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  Speaker 2: not just simply the short term, but in the long term.
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  Speaker 2: So before I sign off on any more fifty year
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  Speaker 2: deals or beyond, I'm going to make sure that we
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  Speaker 2: get it right. And once we get that final negotiation done,
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  Speaker 2: however long it takes, then yes, we will bring it
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  Speaker 2: to the people in Newfoland and Larbrad or the habit say,
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  Speaker 2: but I will not be rushed into something that is
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  Speaker 2: so important to the future of New Finlanders and Arboragorians
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  Speaker 2: for the next generations.
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  Speaker 1: For the next generation, like you say, also promising to
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  Speaker 1: hold a referendum on that at some point as well.
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  Speaker 1: Why is that, sir? Why do you feel that they
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: should be returned to the people? Talk to us about
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  Speaker 1: that for too long.
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  Speaker 2: We've had experiences in the past where you know, when
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  Speaker 2: we look back over seventy five years of confederation and
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  Speaker 2: I think about our province in terms of our fishery.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we joined Canada, we had the richest fishing
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  Speaker 2: ground in the world. We had our mining resources, our
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  Speaker 2: forestry resources, our oil resources and now hydro electricity. So
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  Speaker 2: we're resource rich. But at the same time, you know,
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  Speaker 2: when we think about where we are today financially, we're
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  Speaker 2: not in a position that we ought to be in.
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  Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, we're very much in a
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  Speaker 2: position where our finances need to be seriously looked at,
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  Speaker 2: which I will do. But one of the things that
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  Speaker 2: we had to be careful of is to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that if we're going to develop our resources, we will
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  Speaker 2: develop it for the Province of Newfland and Labrador as
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  Speaker 2: the primary beneficiary. That doesn't mean we won't partner with anyone,
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  Speaker 2: absolutely we will, but we will make sure that we
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  Speaker 2: are the principal beneficiary of our resources and we will
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  Speaker 2: develop them with our workers for our communities.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned there the province's fiscal situation, and it certainly
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  Speaker 1: seems that it has deteriorated since that spring budget. How
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  Speaker 1: exactly do you plan to correct that?
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  Speaker 2: Well, we have a you know, this is not something
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  Speaker 2: that can be turned around in one year. It takes
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  Speaker 2: a strategy, it takes a long term plan, and that's
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  Speaker 2: what we'll be looking to do. You know, you can't
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  Speaker 2: build a budget and turn around and even put in
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  Speaker 2: revenue that the previous Liberal government did that they're not
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  Speaker 2: going to get for a number of years. I think
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  Speaker 2: is very important for us to be open and transparent,
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  Speaker 2: and that's one of the things I've promised the people
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  Speaker 2: in Newfland and Labrador simply that what I know, they
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  Speaker 2: will know. I think that's the first step is to
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  Speaker 2: get in and take a close look, but let the
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  Speaker 2: people in Newfoundland and Labrador and let them understand exactly
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  Speaker 2: where we're to but develop a long term plan and
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  Speaker 2: how we're dealing with But my first priority right now
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  Speaker 2: is to help the people in Newfouland larby balance their budgets,
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  Speaker 2: and then I will balance ours.
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  Speaker 1: And just finally, here sir, I'm wondering if there's anything
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  Speaker 1: in particular you plan to do, maybe with your family
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  Speaker 1: to celebrate this win.
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  Speaker 2: We took a little time last night after we had
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  Speaker 2: been announced as having a majority government, but today I'm
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  Speaker 2: actually getting on a flight this afternoon to fly into
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  Speaker 2: Saint John's and to start to get down to work.
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  Speaker 2: We have a lot of work to do and I
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  Speaker 2: intend to get started immediately.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we will let you do that We will leave
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  Speaker 1: this conversation here, but we do appreciate your time. Thank
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: you so much for coming and speaking with us this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Premier Designate of Newfoundland and Labrador Tony wakem FO