As much as anything else, it is also a simple love song to a people and to their place. It is deficient in the language of inclusion, yes, sexist by the standards of today, too, but only those who misunderstanding the language of respect ascribe to it offense whether to aboriginal, to gender, or to religious belief.
In the current geopolitical climate, Europe cut off from Russia’s Nord Stream Pipelines, an engaged Premier and Minister might have been expected to call together offshore operators with reserves of natural gas on a commercial scale.
With respect to the proposed World Energy GH2 west coast wind/hydrogen/ammonia project and the province’s role in it, will the province’s due diligence (as with the Muskrat Falls fiasco) again be ‘unique in its absence’?
Having survived in spite of themselves, in Opposition the Tories have been lazy and uninspiring. The fact that it is summer, and the House of Assembly is closed, admittedly makes their job tougher, except that the Party’s manifest weakness is not a seasonal problem.
I must say that after the Muskrat Falls fiasco, I thought our government had finally learnt its lesson and would not to rush into another such scheme where calling it “green” was enough to suspend all critical analysis.
This province has a big leg up on virtually all other places around the world seeking to develop green hydrogen production; many have lfewer resource strengths than we have, and are making big plans to participate in what may be a very profitable new industry.
An international agreement is one thing, but doing it in Stephenville before the assessment process has even begun begs the question - How much integrity will this process have if these powers already agree that it will happen? How should one respond?
Given that over 11 TWh of energy production from the full World Energy development, a notional fee of 1 c/KWh as a form of land rent, would generate $110M. Should the operation be turning profits as high as $2B USD, this level of rent should not be the least bit objectionable.