Written by
David Vardy
The new
government of Premier Ball ran on a reform platform of “openness, transparency
and accountability”. It is time for them to show strong and decisive leadership
and assert immediate control over all aspects of energy policy, including
Nalcor and Muskrat Falls. By failing to do so, they have fallen into a
quicksand which is not of their making. The sordid severance mess was also the
creation of previous governments.
At the center of the mire is Nalcor Energy, a
crown corporation which has become a law onto itself and which is building the
Muskrat Falls project, behind schedule and over budget. The new government
should be questioning the very existence of Nalcor rather than being held in
thrall by it.
Termination
of the CEO
Instead of
responding to Ed Martin’s request for a meeting in mid-April the government
should instead, and much earlier, have called him in and dismissed him “with
cause”, not “without cause” as the Board of Nalcor is reported to have done.
