The unfolding of the Muskrat Falls issue, as it has, demands that we pause for a moment. The government and its proxy, Nalcor, has managed how we view the project by parcelling out selected information, steadfastly refusing the release of critical data, subverting the public review process and pummelling legitimate critics.
As members of a democratic society, we need to consider how such behaviours have impacted our rightful participation in this major public policy initiative. Equally, we need to consider what we have willfully acceded to the state given that many people have denied their responsibility to assess the project and its risk to themselves and to our economy; we also need to consider how we have enabled this process.
From the
very beginning, government was careful about the information it released,
ensuring that it was minimal. When it
was forced to send the issue for review, after opposition protest, it framed a
very narrow reference question, and gave the PUB little time to conduct its enquiry.
