Critics slam Newfoundland, Quebec power agreement as MLA leaves party

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-09-14 21:06:40.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, National, Energy, Infrastructure, Governance]

The Newfoundland and Labrador legislature opened a four-day debate on a tentative 50-year framework agreement with Hydro-Québec concerning Churchill Falls energy, valued at over $50 billion with $10 billion in federal financing from Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. The proposed energy arrangement involves divvy-ing up power from the 5,428-megawatt Churchill Falls generating station and developing a new 2,700-megawatt generating station at Gull Island on the Churchill River, targeting an estimated return of $49 billion for Newfoundland and Labrador. Amid heavy public protests outside the Confederation Building and criticism over abandoning a promised referendum, Progressive Conservative MLA Keith Russell left the governing caucus to sit as an Independent for his Labrador district.