Liberal Policy could see Lower Churchill developed the same way as the Upper Churchill

Liberal oil and gas development policy if applied to other energy resources could see the Lower Churchill developed under the same terms as the Upper Churchill.

Here's what I mean - Yesterday Linda Goodyear - Liberal candidate for Conception Bay East Bell Island - repeated what most Liberals MHA's - including Gerry Reid - have already articulated - it's time to get on with Hebron. When asked by host of Open Line Randy Simms what about "no more giveaways" Goodyear explained that Hebron was already discovered and it is not fair to change the rules now.

Let's extrapolate from that policy and insert the same thinking to the Lower Churchill development. Hydro Quebec and Quebec took the original risk on the Upper Churchill - the Lower Churchill is just another "well" already discovered in the 1960's - so why change the rules now?

Here's the deal - everybody says if we had only known that oil prices were going to triple - we might have thought of an escalation clause for the Upper Churchill contract. In other words if the market circumstances changed substantially - we could have reaped billions more for the people of the Province. The Labrador highway would be finished - there would be major infrastructure developed in Labrador - which in turn would have attracted more industry to that region to utilize the power.

The Liberal Party should acknowledge that oil has since tripled again - and this time we are not locked into a permanent contract with no ability to improve our lot - so this time we are invoking our "escalation" clause.

The Party's inability to see this tells me and should tell the voter that giveaways would continue for the sake of quick development and long-term agony.

Just a note to Linda Goodyear - as she talked about the possibility of getting some post-secondary trades training on Bell Island - I remembered the bitter fight we had when Roger Grimes - Brian Tobin - and Vince Withers made the decision to close the campus on the Island. I stood with the people of Bell Island but we lost the fight. She needs to ask the incumbent Liberal MHA's what they think about her idea.