A10

David Alward
Leader of the Official Opposition

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The following remarks were made by Opposition Leader David Alward in response to Thursday's announcement regarding the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Québec.

Enlarge Photo

Kâté Braydon/Telegraph-Journal

A thicket of wires and insulators stands out at the generating station at Courtney Bay.

This deal is outrageous. What the government is on the verge of giving up compared to what it feels it is getting should be a concern to every New Brunswicker. We weren't sure what the details were going to be, but I can tell you we expected a lot more. And we certainly didn't expect Shawn Graham to be handing over control of our public utility to another province. He's selling our soul. It's a far worse deal than we ever expected. And not just a bad deal, but the whole process is a sham. Right from the very big issue that NB Power isn't Shawn Graham's to sell in the first place, to the terrible deal itself.

And despite what the government spin machine would have you believe, it's not a $10 billion deal, it's a $4.7 billion deal. But that aside, it's just plain bad.

If you are an ordinary New Brunswicker, you're being sold down the river. In all honesty we expected a substantial rate reduction. But no reduction at all, especially while big industry gets a break of 30 to 35 per cent, is totally, totally unacceptable. We know the Shawn Graham government always puts big business ahead of people, but usually it's not as blatant as this. This is outrageous.

And while there will be no residential rate change for five years, five years isn't that long, and after that - look out! Notice there are no restrictions on how high Hydro-Québec will be able to raise rates. And control over our electrical energy will no longer be made at the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly - those decisions will be made at the Assemblee Nationale.

This deal is wrong on so many levels.

*It is not balanced in that it does not treat the little guy equally;

*The process is seriously flawed because it was done without consultation, and

*NB Power belongs to the people of the province. Shawn Graham doesn't have the moral authority or a mandate to sell it, especially when he campaigned saying that under his watch NB Power would remain in the hands of New Brunswickers.

It may be just another broken promise to him, but there's a principle here that should not be ignored. Our public utility has given us control over our energy supply since NB Power was incorporated 90 years ago. It meant we had control over our destiny. To surrender this to another jurisdiction should never be allowed without the consent of the owners - the people of New Brunswick. What this amounts to is giving up our basic constitutional rights.

But even leaving that aside for the moment, this deal is not near good enough for New Brunswickers. It is small business being hit again. It's the rural areas again coming out on the short end, and it amounts to giving up on northern New Brunswick and on the energy hub concept. The energy hub will be moved from Saint John New Brunswick to Ste. Jacques, Quebec. With this deal we would be going from self-sufficiency to self-destruction. And why? Because this government has driven us so far into debt that it sees selling our assets as the only option. Well, Shawn Graham may be for sale, but New Brunswick isn't.

As one of the many people who contacted us since yesterday to express their frustration put it - Shawn Graham: we can't trust what he says... we can't afford what he does.

This is a desperation move by the same premier who said, and I quote "Our position, the position of the opposition and the Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is very clear: NB Power will remain in the hands of New Brunswickers. It is our most valuable utility, and we will allow it to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to all New Brunswickers, residential and commercial."

This isn't only a bad deal, it is a terrible deal. As Danny Williams says, "I caution you based on our experience with Hydro-Québec that a short-term opportunity can turn into a long-term loss of significant magnitude, as they will most definitely find ways to recoup their investment and more from New Brunswickers who no longer control their energy destiny."

Given how Newfoundland has been treated by Hydro-Québec, and given that the Shawn Graham government has had to backtrack on every major decision it has ever made, and understanding that in this case he doesn't get a mulligan or a do-over, does anybody really believe that if this is signed that it won't come back and haunt us starting five years from the day it is signed, and continuing forever?

The bottom line - Shawn Graham has no mandate to do this, and it cannot be allowed without the approval of the people.

Today, my message to the Premier is, "Delay this deal until after the next fixed election date next September; if not, then go to the people now."

David Alward is leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.