Muskrat Falls debate warranted, Skinner says

A former natural resources minister in the Newfoundland and Labrador government says a special debate on the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaproject should be held in the house of assembly.

The governing Tories plan to debate the $6.2-billion megaproject during the regular spring sitting of the legislature.

But Shawn Skinner, who served as natural resources minister until he was defeated in the October general election, said the issue is important enough to warrant a dedicated session in the legislature.

"That would be the perfect thing to do," Skinner said during an appearance on CBC's On Point with David Cochrane.

"I would love to see a special session on Muskrat Falls, and I think that it's something that government could do to build some of the confidence that people need to have in the project," said Skinner, who appears regularly on the program as a political panellist.

"You know, it I were at the table today, I'd suggest that's what we should do."

The spring session of legislature will also deal with the provincial budget, the speech from the throne and new bills brought forward by Premier Kathy Dunderdale's cabinet.

The house of assembly has held special legislative debates in the past, on such issues as the development of the Voisey's Bay nickel mine and the ownership of Fishery Products International.

Dunderdale said last fall that while MHAs will debate the Lower Churchill project, the issue will not be put to a vote in the house.

Public Utilities Board chair Andy Wells raised questions this week about the quality of information that the regulator has been given for its review of Muskrat Falls. Wells said that Crown-owned Nalcor has failed to turn over information in a timely fashion, meaning that the PUB will have to rush to complete its review by a government-imposed deadline.

This week has also seen other developments, with Memorial University economist James Feehan writing that Muskrat Falls should be shelved and that the provincial government should focus instead on energy conservation. 

Meanwhile, two former senior civil servants — David Vardy and Ron Penney — wrote this week in the St. John's Telegram that a full review of the Muskrat Falls proposal is warranted.

Nalcor and its partner, Halifax-based Emera Inc., reached a deal in November 2010 to generate about 824 megawatts of power at Muskrat Falls on the Churchill River in Labrador and then ship the energy to Newfoundland. As much of 40 per cent of the energy would then be directed to Nova Scotia through subsea cables.