Cry me a River

It seems like forever or at least the past few decades that I have been an adult - that tears have fallen slowly down the collective cheek of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Drop by drop our future has been sucked away by this like a case of liposuction gone wrong. This - being the Upper Churchill contract. A deed done in a time when we were told the legal brilliance of our community somehow sucked their thumbs while attached to the teat of Joey Smallwood. Who was around in the sixties and seventies? Who were our leaders?

This is a partial list:

Smallwood, Joseph Newfoundland, Premier, 1949-1971
Barry, Leo D. Newfoundland, Mines and Energy, 1972-1975 and 1979-1981
Callahan, William Newfoundland, Minister of Mines, Agriculture and Resources 1968-1971
Crosby, John Newfoundland, Minister of Finance and Economic Development
Curtis, Leslie Roy Newfoundland, Attorney General,lMinister of Justice, 1969-1971
Doody, William Newfoundland, Minister of Mines, Agriculture and Resources, 18January-19 April 1972
Gover, Frederick Newfoundland, Deputy Minister of Mines, Agriculture and Resources, 1960s-1970s
Hickrnan, Alec Newfoundland, Justice, Deputy Minister, early 1960s-1966, Minister of Justice, 1966-1969
Lukins, F.1. Newfoundland, Department of Mines, Agriculture and Resources, Chief Engineer, 1960s
Martin, Cabot Newfoundland, Department of Mines, Agriculture and Resources, legal counsel, 1972-1979 and legal counsel to Premier Brian Peckford, 1979-1985
Moores, Frank D. Newfoundland, Premier, 1971-1979
Bill Rowe Elected 1966 at 24 and became one of Canada's youngest Minister 2 years later
Clyde Wells 1966 - to you know the story Hydro once - twice - three times

Sure the whole deal is complicated - and the deal was between Hydro Quebec and Brinco - but these people were aware and were involved at some level in allowing the project to go through or reach fruition.

The one thing that is not complicated is the fact that we have lost billions in revenue for apparently not recognizing that the price of oil might go up over a 70 year period. Clearly Hydro Quebec seen something as they are the party that raised the lions share of the financing. So sure were they that they put the Province of Quebec out on the proverbial limb to the tune of an outrageous amount of money (in sixties terms). The largest external raising of cash of US money.

Now the Churchill deal unfortunately did not only miss escalation - it also seen the decline in prices over the term of the contract. Then there were clauses like if CFLco could not meet its obligations then Hydro Quebec would have the right to pay the monies and receive common shares for the value. In short as CFLco went broke and the minority partner paid the bills the minority partner (Hydro Quebec) would end up owning it all.

Remember though that at the time that partner was Brinco not Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the next few months leading up to the election Sue's Blog will detail every little piece of this failure - but for now let's stick to the Reader's Digest version. So we've summed up the mess the Liberals made - now let's take it to the Tories and the introduction of a new group of geniuses. Who were the leaders then?

Leo Barry was initially elected as a Progressive Conservative in 1972. He served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly before being appointed to the Cabinet of Frank Moores as Minister of Mines and Energy In 1979, Barry returned to Newfoundland and contested the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party placing second to Brian Peckford. He won a seat in 1979 and was appointed energy minister in Peckford's cabinet. Barry resigned from cabinet in 1981 due to a disagreement with Peckford over negotiations with the federal government over Newfoundland's claim to offshore resources. On Feb. 21, 1984, he crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party and became the party's leader later that year.

In 1969, John Crosbie challenged Smallwood for the Liberal party leadership and lost. He crossed the floor to join the opposition Progressive Conservatives led by Frank Moores. Crosbie helped the Tories defeat Smallwood and come to power in 1972 and held several senior portfolios in Moores's cabinet.

C. William Doody was active in provincial politics and was first elected to the Newfoundland House of Assembly in 1971 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. He became minister of mines, agriculture and resources when Frank Moores formed his government in 1972. In 1975, Doody became the province's finance minister and when Brian Peckford became Premier of the province, Doody was made Minister of Mines and Energy. In October, 1979, Doody left provincial politics and was appointed to the Senate by then Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Joe Clark in 1979.

Tom Farrell was a represented the riding of Humber East in the House of Assembly from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the PC's.

Noel Murphy entered politics as a Progressive Conservative and won the seat of Humber East in the 1962 provincial election. In 1966 he became party leader and Leader of the Opposition leading the Tories into the 1966 General Election. The party lost four of its seven seats and Murphy was defeated in by Liberal Clyde Wells, a future premier. Murphy was elected mayor of Corner Brook for three terms and was unexpectedly appointed Minister without Portfolio in 1971 in the final cabinet of Liberal Premier Joey Smallwood however he lost the riding of Humber West in the subsequent 1971 election to Conservative leader Frank Moores.

By now you should start to see a very interesting picture emerge.

The next installment of Sue's Blog will takeover with what Frank and company did with the Churchill. But take your time and read things carefully - think about what has happened and know this - it must not happen now. The Emera deal must be stopped. This is only a continuation and that river will flood the banks of Newfoundland and Labrador with the tears of our children and grandchildren.

From the 60's to now - they still believe they can guide us. Many are still here. Over and over they fail. Not this time.