Premier's sale of NB Power sells out NBers
Published Saturday October 31st, 2009
There is a saying that claims politicians will promise anything to get elected. The Shawn Graham government has certainly proven this true over its first mandate.
In his 2006 Charter for Change, Shawn Graham promised not to sell NB Power.
In that same year he said: "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 is a far cry from what he announced two days ago.
By now most of us have gotten used to this kind of behaviour from the Graham government and are becoming numb to the Graham Liberals' way of doing politics. They have let New Brunswickers down on multiple occasions; their record proves this. But we cannot stand back and accept this.
Shawn Graham is handing over the control of our public utility to another province as a fix for his out of control spending. He believes that for the next 10 months he can use millions of dollars to sell this to New Brunswick. What he doesn't know is that New Brunswickers do not support this 'deal.'
We have been screaming for lower power rates for years but the Graham Government could have given us what we needed if they had the political will. An NB Power sale is not the answer to our need for lower rates. But, in typical Shawn Graham fashion, if we can't solve our problem, let's just get rid of it.
When talks began in June, Graham said the sessions would focus on securing cheaper hydroelectric power from Quebec, perhaps in exchange for the use of New Brunswick's electrical grid.
Two days ago he gave Quebec complete ownership of our entire electrical grid, including our international power lines running into the United States.
Now and for months to come, Shawn Graham will try to sell this with flashy ads and a website where you can give your opinion, ironically called "Lower Rates for New Brunswickers." I need not remind you that residential New Brunswickers will not see lower rates.
How can we believe that our voices will be heard when under the tab 'Win Win' we read in glowing terms what amounts to propaganda of how this is a great deal, ignoring its obvious and not-so-obvious shortcomings.
Why have a site where you can 'be part of the conversation' if the outcome is already determined? The premier should give us some dignity and not take us for fools.
If this is such a great deal, then why are we only entitled to a rate freeze? Why do Quebecers pay seven cents, while New Brunswickers pay 11 cents? This is not logical.
On another note, it seems rather odd that the Province of Quebec would be ready to increase its already crippling $4.7-billion deficit by almost another $5 billion if this 'deal' was not worth it to them in the long run. What opportunity has Shawn Graham given away to our neighbours?
As Progressive-Conservative Leader, David Alward, said: "This deal is wrong on so many levels. It is not balanced in that it does not treat New Brunswickers 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."
I will echo Mr. Alward in saying that Shawn Graham has no mandate to do this, and it cannot be allowed without the approval of the owners of NB Power, every single resident of New Brunswick.
The fundamental problem with this deal is our province will be giving up sovereignty over a very important aspect of our jurisdiction, not to mention that in the long run, and forever, we will pay through the nose.
The Shawn Graham government is selling our constitutional rights and giving them away to another province.
Amongst our provincial powers is the right to regulate the sale of energy and electricity. By selling NB Power, we lose this constitutional right.
Also, subject to federal jurisdiction, authority over how land is used in New Brunswick is a constitutional right. Power lines across any county in this province were under the control of our legislature, but no more. Shawn Graham has sold away our rights.
The Graham government has given up the authority to govern its own territory. We will no longer be a fully independent province that stands equal with others, we are for sale.
We are a founding province of Canada and all of the sudden we are becoming now a lesser semi-province, a colony that will depend on the will of others for it to move forward. People fought to get autonomy, some paid with their lives, now we simply dismantle New Brunswick one piece at a time for 'lower' electricity rates that in the long run will undoubtedly be higher than if we maintained control. And we are supposed to believe this is a "win-win." Yeah, right.
* Marie-Claude Blais, of Moncton, is a lawyer and is the executive-director of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party. Her column appears in this space every second Saturday.
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Comments (7)
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Last year NBPower profit was $90,000,000 million; achieved by an inept Management Team. Can you imagine what NBPower's profit could have been if it was led by a Management Team that knew what it was doing?
Sure the short-term gain of ridding ourselves of the $4.7 billion debt is beneficial - one can't argue that. But giving our utility away forever is not wise; there is & will be money made; NBers will never see it as the years go by.
Lower rates for NBers!!! Graham reiterated that for 2 days leading to the announcement, we get a 'freeze' when NBers need lower rates now!! The leeches of the province like Irvings get a decent break. Graham lied to us to sell the deal, PLUS sold PNB out to HQ. Unacceptable!!
How can PNB sit at the table with Atlantic Canada knowing we shafted a fellow neighbor!! PNB is not trustworthy to them now!!
Privatizing could have been set up to ensure NBPower would not leave the hands of NBers over a period of time. This deal means NBPower is gone, bye-bye, for ever!!
Most Liberals I know (plenty I must add) are just shaking their head in disbelief at this happening!! This is not a political thing to those who can think!! This is giving away our future (if it was correctly managed) in so many ways!!
Just look at the 'nays' already posted to your comment!! Unbelievable.
Perhaps you make a point that an election should be called on the issue. But I ask, for all the anti-Quebec fear mongering and "for the people" rhetoric (as though any Conservative is ever truly for the people who earn less then six figure incomes), what would the Conservatives propose. There has been no alternative offered, only rhetoric.
Secondly, I'm not sure about any one else but "giving up authority to govern its own territory." Please Marie, stop it. The majority of those powerlines run over wild hinterland where no one lives or does business. And further more, we are talking about land that is not useable for anything now as there are power lines on it!!!
Marie-Claude, just stop it.
We are giving up the ability to manage our future by allowing Quebec access to the US market at a very cheap price. Furthermore, we have nothing to say about anyone else that may wish to use those lines for access to the US market, only Quebec. The land that the lines run accross mean nothing, it is the loss on the user fees that we could have collected from Quebec Hydro, N&L and anyone else that wanted access to the US market.
However, the fact is, you can't have both low power rates and low taxes. A public utility needs to get money from somewhere. In Quebec it was subsidized by government.
As for land, it doesn't just include land but water. NBPower owns all the land surrounding the Mactaquac headpond. It will be interesting to see how Quebec develops that land.