The average Joe deserves a say on Churchill deal

Work in Progress by Ivan Morgan

“I will not sign any deal that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do not approve in a referendum.” Tony Wakeham, October 14, 2025.

There must be a referendum on the Churchill Falls deal.

The Premier has gone back on his promise – made the day he launched his election campaign – to have a referendum on any new Churchill Falls deal with Quebec. Instead, he says, there will be a special session of the House of Assembly.

Is it déjà vu all over again? Am I the only one who gets an uneasy feeling about this?

A debate in the House? The House is controlled by his government. This is not a decision that should be in the hands of the people who negotiated the deal. This is a very big decision which we should all make together. A debate in the House means it’s a done deal. It should not be.

I have been involved in several referendums, but the one we didn’t have is the one I regret the most. That was also about a deal so fabulous it didn’t need a referendum.

There should have been a referendum on Muskrat Falls. I believe a referendum on that project would have saved us all billions and billions of bucks. 

I worked in the House of Assembly at the time, and the arrogance of the government side was something to see. They had nothing but dripping contempt for us in the opposition, and disdain for the few who questioned the project publicly. They were certain they were right; it was a great project, and nothing could go wrong. They were not interested in opposition, they were not in interested in debate, they mocked the idea of a referendum.

They told the public not to worry. It was a brilliant project. In fact, they said it was the most studied project in history! ‘A referendum? All the experts say it’s a great project, who cares what some Joe on the street thinks?’

I did. I have faith in the Joes on the street.

Government did not. Instead, government relied on a slick communications campaign to convince a trusting, unsuspecting public. We got to scream into the wind.

We all know what happened.

This can’t happen again. I am not saying this is another Muskrat Falls. Maybe this is a terrific deal. I am saying we must have a say. We were promised a say. 

The Premier promised. Democracy is important. This deal is important. What you and I think – despite what the “experts” and the government think – is important. I have been told recently that this new deal is “too complex” for average folks to understand. We’ve heard that one before.

If it’s as good as they say it is, then what’s the worry? If they are confident it’s a winner, a referendum shouldn’t faze them.

How many centuries, how many more generations are going to have to pass before Newfoundlanders stop being told to abide by the decisions of their “betters.” 

We didn’t get to decide whether to join Canada. Not really. That was decided by our “betters.” We didn’t get to decide on Muskrat Falls, (a project obviously doomed from the get-go) and it ended up costing us $13.5 billion to date and counting. Now again we will have no say? It’s enough to make you weep.

A referendum does pose problems. Will opponents try to use sleazy tactics to win? Sure. But we are smarter than that. Besides, it looks like government has already started, bribing us with a 15 percent rebate of our own money. Makes my head spin.

The details of this deal need to be debated in public and then voted on by all of us. That’s why we voted for the Tories. We will have our say, which is the way it should be, and we will live with the consequences.

I have nothing but faith in the people of this province to chose what they think is right for their future. Clearly government does not. This broken promise shows us all what faith this government has in us. Perhaps we should reassess our faith in them.

Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com