Sue's Blog

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Minister Skinner does not know what he's talking about!!

Minister Skinner was unable to answer the question I asked him today on Open Line - as such I can conclude is not capable of touching the Lower Churchill deal.

I asked the Minister about nationalizing Newfoundland Power in order to reduce rates to our people.

He said it would have to be studied. I advised him the report was already in his Departmental office.

After I hung up - the Minister speculated that the report must have been from the Clyde Wells era when privatization was discussed.

In fact the financial review of the potential takeover was completed in 2003 and released by then PC Minister Ed Byrne in 2004.

The fact that the Minister did not know that demonstrates his knowledge is not sufficient to do the Muskrat deal.

I will scan and paste the report on thIs site next week as it demonstrates that the takeover is not only a real option but would save money for the ratepayers. 

Further over time those savIngs would continue to mount - thereby controlling rates for the consumer.

Further - when hydro privatization was discussed the only valid argument was the elimination of duplication. The problem was the corporates not the people would reap the benefits.

Minister Skinner had no problem relating assets for debt on Muskrat yet did not use the same logic regarding the takeover of Newfoundland Power assets. The cost to purchase Newfoundland Power is only relative to the costs we are paying now and would net itself off.

The savings to the consumer would be achieved through the reduction of tax that a crown corporation would not pay, the rate of return required to us as shareholders is less than the rate of return required by private shareholders, and the elimination of duplication at the management and infrastructure levels.

If the government is really interested in delivering the lowest cost power - this would have been their first move. There is a reason that Manitoba Hydro, BC Hydro, Hydro-Quebec, and NB Power all Crown Corporations - own generation, transmission, and distribution. That reason is because it's cheaper.

I can only conclude the ultimate desire of the Dunderdale government is to deliver to private interests the wealth of these resources - you and I own.

This deal must be stopped! Sign the Petition Press Here

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sue, we need someone with your intellect, knowledge and great oratorial ability to run for the Premiership of this province.

I don't know how you are going to go about getting a foothold into the system given the ruling parties, no matter what their idealogy, once they become the ruling party become so UNDEMOCRATIC and then control everything including, who puts their name up for nomination.

But you Ms. Dyer would be the perfect fit for this province as Premier. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have now observed your great ability for more than 20years and we are yearning for you to applied it for the betterment of our province.

Anonymous said...

Sue nobody since Confederation with Canada ever happened on the scene in Newfoundland and Labrador with as much intellectual ability, and is more fit to serve our province as Premier than you possess .

You are the perfit fit to deal with Ottawa on our resources, and I am sure you would never toe the line for Ottawa and give away our natural resources for the primary benefit of any entity other than your province. Of course, that is the type of Premier Ottawa wants in the Premier's seat in this province, because it wants control over where our natural resources are dealt out.

Every natural resource over the past 62 years has been passed over for the benefit of some other province and for Ottawa itself, even the proposed Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Project is contracted out to benefit Nova Scotia and New Brunswick more than it will benfit our province.

You would think our present politicians should have known that isn't the way Newfoundlanders and Labradorians wanted it, we talked and complained about how our resources have been given away for far too long for them not to understand.

For God's Sake Sue, please put your name forward for the Premiership position of our province. We want someone who is going to toe the line for us Newfoundlanders and Labradorians or we will never dig ourselves out of the mess we are in. There are a lot of demographics that are looming that will impact on us negatively if we don't change direction. You know what they are Sue, and we need you to alter the course of destruction that we are on at the moment. We need to be knocked out of that oribt.