Let’s not give away the inheritance for a bowl of soup

Dear Editor:
The MOU re Churchill Falls is lauded by its proponents as balanced and just, while dismissed by its critics as inadequate. What does it look like to the rest of us?
I have a feeling of unease and a sense of foreboding, given our track record in negotiating deals. Basically, I don’t trust the parties doing the negotiations to make the best deal for the people of the province. There are already red flags we need to heed: the secrecy surrounding it, the lack of public consultation, the haste to get it done, plus the personal and political agendas in the mix.

Ever since the Smallwood governments began building factories and Joey told fishers to burn their boats, we have been counting on industrialization and resource extraction as the way to a promised land. Meanwhile we have misused or neglected our renewal resources, such as fish and forests.

It seems Quebec is satisfied with the terms outlined in the MOU and wants the deal implemented in a hurry. The Newfoundland and Labrador Government has also praised the proposed arrangement. Who is in charge? We may feel pressured to make any deal because we need to pay off our enormous debt. Is this one of the factors behind the MOU? If we make a deal under duress, it will be a bad one. Quebec will be in charge – again.

We need to pause. Quebec needs the hydro-power badly. Let us bargain from that position. Please, Newfoundland government and NL Hydro, do not bait us into another trap.

For too long we’ve been beholden to outsiders telling us what to do, interfering in our affairs, and managing our lives. It goes back to the original settlement of this place by European nations. Eventually the British took over and those living here were treated as colonists. Over the centuries the inhabitants struggled to achieve self-government and some control over their destiny. It came reluctantly, slowly, little by little, and by 1854 we were granted responsible government, and in 1907 declared to be a Dominion. As a result of the Great War and the Great Depression, Newfoundland became bankrupt, resulting in Commission of Government in 1934. With post WW2 prosperity and the coming of Confederation, our lot improved, giving people more financial security and a higher standard of living.
Still the legacy of imperial oversight and dependency on the merchants continues to haunt us, unsure about controlling our own affairs. We seem to have a fixation on saviours and their bloated promises. Let’s not be fooled again.

There is a biblical story about two brothers, Esau and Jacob. One day Esau came home famished and begged his brother for a meal. Jacob would only do so if Esau gave him his birthright. In his desperation (he felt he was starving), Esau gave away his possessions for a bowl of soup. A timely lesson.
Everett Hobbs,
CBS