Marvellous that is, unless you happen to be the one whose words in the past are coming back to haunt you.
Like in these examples of politicians who said one thing at one time and then did another later on.
In 2000, to begin with Ed Byrne was leader of the opposition and a fellow highly critical of a contract between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro Quebec. The Guaranteed Winter Availability Contract (GWAC) was the only positive result of Brian Tobin's giant election scam in 1998 in which he announced simultaneous development of the Lower Churchill and an expansion of the Upper while he was at it.
The full text of this NTV broadcast is at the end of the post, but just take a look at this bit:
As for the shareholder's agreement and the GWAC, Mr. Byrne believes that the GWAC will bring no revenue to the province and will instead be used to keep the Churchill Falls Labrador Company solvent.He was absolutely right and it was known to quite a few at the time that the GWAC was essentially a plan to key Hydro in the black. Anyone who read the thing could see what was going on: Hydro recalled the maximum amount of power it was legally able to do under the 1969 Churchill Falls contract. Finding that it had no domestic customers for the power - quel surprise - Hydro then offered the power for sale to Hydro Quebec which picked up the same block it had just relinquished but at a substantially higher price than under the 1969 contract.
But the Way Back Machine also revealed another statement by Byrne, this one in 2004 after the fellow was named energy minister. Suddenly, GWAC was a wonderful thing, on the occasion of its renewal. The fundamental premise of the whole thing was the same, but perspectives change when one is making the announcement.
At the end of that same release, though is an even more interesting comment, this time from the Premier:
"This contract is a step in the right direction in helping this government meet its financial obligations," said Premier Williams. "Yet, we know we cannot balance our books on revenue growth alone. This is an important but small part of the solution."Of course that's exactly how the books were balanced, by relying solely on revenue growth resulting almost entirely entirely from high oil prices.
-srbp-
Ed Byrne On Churchill Falls
December 12, 2000
The day after Hydro officials released contracts signed between this province and Quebec over the Churchill Falls agreement. P.C. leader Ed Byrne was quick to respond.
On Monday, Newfoundland Hydro gave the media a briefing of two contracts signed in 1998, the guaranteed winter availability contract and the shareholders agreement. Hydro did not release a third contract, the 130 megawatt recall contract, deeming its contents too commercially sensitive. That strikes Ed Byrne as curious, since Hydro had no difficulty releasing the fact that it made $65 million profit from the three year contract - for Mr. Byrne, given that revelation, the 'commercially sensitive' excuse rings hollow. He says if Hydro won`t release the contract, it should be subject to a review by the Auditor General.
As for the shareholder's agreement and the GWAC, Mr. Byrne believes that the GWAC will bring no revenue to the province and will instead be used to keep the Churchill Falls Labrador Company solvent. And further still the shareholders agreement gives Quebec the run of CFLCO, by granting the minority shareholder the power of veto.
Ed Byrne says its time to stop the piecemeal revelations of details of the Churchill Falls contracts, details the province and Hydro defend vigorously, and he condemns as another historical resource giveaway.
The P.C.s will now push a motion in the legislature to have the contracts referred to the public accounts committee, where they can be subject to still closer scrutiny.