Tories have secret plan to sell NB Power: NDP

New Democrat Party Leader Roger Duguay is sharpening his attack on the Progressive Conservatives, accusing them of concealing a secret plan to sell NB Power.

Duguay said Tory Leader David Alward must have a hidden agenda to sell NB Power if they win the Sept. 27 election and that's why they haven't yet said what they'd do with the utility.

"They did not present a plan. And as leader of the NDP, when I look at that, I won't let the traditional parties in New Brunswick have an easy ride like that without solutions," Duguay said.

Duguay released his party's energy platform on the CBC New Brunswick political panel on Thursday.

The NDP has committed that the party would never sell the utility.

Duguay said Alward used the energy controversy to make a lot of "small politics" but he now had to start putting forward his own ideas.

"You will have to put your plan on the table because you have had an easy ride since Oct. 29," Duguay said.

"But now, after the decision the government has took [Wednesday], you will have to put your plan on the table and now until the election I will continue as a NDP leader to ask you questions."

Alward's Tories have long criticized the Liberal government's former plan to sell parts of NB Power to Hydro-Québec but the NDP leader said they have not offered an alternative energy plan.

Alward has said the Tories will consult with the public on any energy plans.

Duguay's new criticism came a day after the New Brunswick and Quebec governments halted negotiations on the massive $3.2-billion energy deal that would have sold a majority of NB Power's assets to the neighbouring utility.

The deal would have made a substantial payment on NB Power's debt, frozen residential electricity rates for five years and offered a 23 per cent cut to large industrial customers.

New Brunswick would have retained control over NB Power's transmission and distribution companies under the proposed agreement.

Premier Shawn Graham and Quebec Premier Jean Charest first announced the proposed power pact on Oct. 29. The Graham government had faced five months of protests over the deal.

Graham was also forced to stare down a caucus revolt where three cabinet ministers and two MLAs said they would not vote for the original power deal and Tourism and Parks Minister Stuart Jamieson was forced to resign from cabinet over his insistence that the deal be put to a referendum.

New Brunswick voters will be heading to the polls on Sept. 27 under the province's fixed-election date law.

With the deal's death, neither the Liberals nor the Progressive Conservatives have a clear energy policy on dealing with NB Power's debt and how to deal with increasing power rates

The NDP and the Green parties, meanwhile, have released more detailed plans.