Dear Editor,
There are quite a few ideas that come to mind when thinking about Muskrat Falls and Hydro Electric production in Eastern Canada.
In your Editorial “What I know about Muskrat Falls,” you were asking about negotiating with Quebec. We know what kind of a deal we got the last time in 1969. Do you think Quebec will give us a better deal from the kindness of their heart? It would be like a boy with a peashooter trying to deal with a man with a slingshot. We may have control of the Churchill Project but if we don’t own a power line what do we do?
I have two theories about Hydro Power in Eastern Canada:
First, I think it is easy to see that Quebec Hydro would like to control all hydro production in the Eastern Provinces. We know they almost had control when they decided to come on board with Nalcor. If they had succeeded, that would have sealed the fate for hydro production in Eastern Canada and it wouldn’t be long before they would own all of Nalcor also.
My second theory is far reached but is something to think about all the same.
We all know Quebec has been talking about independence for 40 years. They have just voted in a minority separatist government in this last election, with their main platform being separation from Canada. The main reason Quebecers are voting against separation is because they can’t afford it.
However, if they controlled hydroelectric production in all of Eastern Canada, then what?
With the American market in high demand today, what about in 50 years from now? Muskrat Falls is not about today or tomorrow, it’s about 2041 – it’s about 50-75 years from now. It’s about our slice of a promising market and about protecting our economy for the future. It’s about that little boy putting down his peashooter when her grows up and defending himself.
David Hatch
Springdale
