A version of this letter has been sent to the prime minister of Canada.
Recently there was a lot of controversy regarding the oil pipeline that transports oil from Alberta to Ebbtide, B.C.
There are protests from indigenous people and the premier of British Columbia was not in favour of this, as well.
You, sir, said that is a constitutional right for any province to send their products through another province and that it would be done.
Recently you stated that the federal government would buy the pipeline at a cost of $4.5 billion. Having said that I now go back to 1965 when one of the biggest projects in the world was completed in Churchill Falls, Labrador.
This project produced over 5000 MW of power and Joey Smallwood, premier of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador at the time, wanted to transport the power through transmission lines through Quebec to Ontario and the United States.
He was denied the grid through Quebec by the Quebec government. The prime minister at the time was Lester Pearson. He convinced Joey Smallwood to back down from the project and, in return, he would fund the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway through island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundland is losing billions of dollars that continues to be taken by Quebec and we have been left with a lop-sided contract for the past 60 years. What happened to Newfoundland’s constitutional right to transport power through Quebec since we are part of the great Canadian union?
The federal government of today should finance the infrastructure for the development of the Lower Churchill that would produce 5000 MW of power that can be sold in Ontario and the United States. This could be transported through the Muskrat Falls transmission grid. The money derived from that great construction could be well appreciated by the Newfoundland government to offset some the great cost of providing services to rural areas of Newfoundland. As you know, Newfoundland is geographically bigger than Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick combined. The finances from the Lower Churchill would keep Newfoundland and Labrador in a favourable fiscal financial situation so that they can maintain providing services to the many rural areas of our province.
The cost of hydro is a great concern for many residents of our province and this project could greatly help provided reasonable hydro rates for many years to come.
Thank you for taking your valuable time to review my letter. ;I would kindly expect a reply from you personally.
Robert White
Deer Lake
