Mumbo Jumbo and Fuddle Duddle – as synonyms go, here comes trouble! A column not in defense of the Muskrat Falls protesters in Lake Melville but in defense of decent dissent in politics – “I might not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll fight to the death your right to say it”
“The most interesting news from the spate of provincial election campaigns underway comes from Newfoundland and Labrador, which could be about to take a leap forward for the cause of women in politics.” The Globe and Mail writes today about the probability that Newfoundland and Labrador will elect its first woman Premier, and also that her opposition may also be led by a woman. Source: The Globe and Mail
Yesterday the provincial government committed a significant amount of funding for a variety of projects across the province. Supported projects include upgrades to the St. John’s Convention Centre, more money for the refurbishment of the COlonial Building, hockey arenas in Harbour Grace, Conception Bay, and Paradise, and a new swimming centre in Marystown. The announcements yesterday alone totalled more than $100 million. Electioneering? Buying votes? “If I were spending outside of the budget, then I could understand that kind of a criticism,” Dunderdale said Wednesday. “But telling people how their money is going to be spent, how that offends people given that the money was announced in April, I’m at a loss to understand.” Source: CBC
I write this letter as a concerned citizen of Newfoundland and Labrador and for no other reason.
Despite the fact that a recent joint review panel report said that Nalcor’s assessment of the project was “inadequate”, and that it failed to justify the need for the project as a whole, the province’s Minister of Natural Resources says the time has never been better to develop hydro power at Muskrat Falls. The panel report also outlined a number of environmental concerns about the project, including flooded land, water quality and habitat loss, and questioned whether it would be the best alternative to meet domestic energy demands. It said Nalcor failed to justify the project in both energy and economic terms, and that there are outstanding questions regarding both Muskrat Falls and Gull Island developments. Premier Dunderdale isn’t fazed by the report, questioning the panel’s methodology in drawing its conclusions. Source: VOCM
A visually compelling read about the political career of our former premier
