Prime minister pushes idea of hydro loop connecting Quebec, Atlantic region
Trudeau also made stops in Hammonds Plains, N.S., Monday to thank firefighters
But the promise was quickly criticized by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who said Ottawa hasn't put enough money into the idea to make it work.
During a speech to delegates at the Atlantic Economic Forum, Trudeau pointed to Volkswagen's decision to create an electric-vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont., saying the firm was attracted by the availability of low-carbon emission electricity.
"We want to see investment like this coming to Atlantic Canada, too. That's what our commitment to building the Atlantic Loop is all about," Trudeau told several hundred people gathered to discuss economic development at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.
Trudeau was speaking after an introduction from former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who emphasized national leaders need to be capable of seeing the long-term impact of their policies.
Before the speech, the former Progressive Conservative leader gave the prime minister a tour of Mulroney Hall on the campus, showing him a replica of his centre-block desk.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, right, is offered a seat at the desk by former
prime minister Brian Mulroney. The men were touring a replica of
Mulroney's former parliamentary office in Mulroney Hall at St. Francis
Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
During their meeting, Trudeau recalled how Mulroney had established the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency in the 1980s in an effort to lift the region's struggling economy.
Trudeau said that creating a loop of hydro power bringing electricity from Quebec and Labrador into Nova Scotia, mainland Newfoundland and New Brunswick would become a similar investment in the region's economic prosperity.
"Just think of it, the East Coast should and could be a clean-energy powerhouse and this federal government will be there to help make it happen," said Trudeau.
"Not only is (the Atlantic Loop) the fastest and most cost-efficient way to get off coal, it will also make sure the Atlantic region has power to meet growing electricity demands."
However, after meeting with Trudeau and hearing the speech, Houston responded that the federal Liberal government's offers aren't sufficient.
"I don't know where it lands but we'll have a discussion and we'll continue to exchange information ... but at the moment what the federal government is talking about, it's just not an economically feasible project for Nova Scotians," said the premier.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, centre, walks with Halifax Regional Fire and
Emergency Chief Ken Stuebing, right, while visiting Fire Station 50 in
Hammonds Plains, N.S. before meeting with firefighters who battled the
wildfires in Nova Scotia. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
Documents released to The Canadian Press and CBC News last week indicated Ottawa has ambitious goals to hammer out an Atlantic Loop agreement in principle this summer and complete the project by 2030.
The source, who communicated on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Ottawa has also offered to invest $4.5 billion to help the project along.
The documents show the energy project would involve two interprovincial power lines connecting power from Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The line between Quebec and New Brunswick is estimated to cost $6.1 billion, while the other would cost $700 million, according to the notes, which are dated last month.
Houston's office has said the federal proposal is for a long-term loan, and it would involve Nova Scotia's electricity ratepayers helping pay for infrastructure in Quebec.
"Nova Scotia ratepayers paying for new infrastructure to be built ... in another part of the country is just not something I'm interested in," the premier told reporters on Monday.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, centre, meets with firefighters who battled
the wildfires in Nova Scotia. Trudeau was visiting Fire Station 50 with,
top second from right, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and
Sean Fraser, top right, minister of Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship, in Hammonds Plains, N.S. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
The prime minister also noted during his speech that climate change issues are becoming a greater concern for the region's economy, noting the recent wildfires and the damage created by hurricane Fiona last fall.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau visited a fire station in Hammond Plains, just a few hundred metres from where a wildfire burned a few weeks ago, destroying 151 residences.
A "Nova Scotia Strong" flag waved on the roadside.
Trudeau met with dozens of volunteer and full-time firefighters, as well as the fire department's management and union representation, posing for photos.
He then addressed the group, thanking them for stepping up for their community.
"I also thank you for all the things we don't know about, the things you don't tell your partners or families about," Trudeau added.
"I know you are all going into very scary situations regularly, and Canadians rely on you so deeply for everything you do."
It needs to be dedicated to rail and bus mass transportation and not EV’s for the rich.
Kinda like all new gadgets…
It's interesting, that no one is talking about all the private property owners, that will be affected by their Atlantic Loop agreements. To say that they all have true environment concerns at heart. Is truly one of the biggest CON Jobs in history. Watch over the next few months, as the Eco Guards IES in NB, will show much of those truths. Our facility location is right in their way. And after all the current damages that NB Power and the Memramcook Municipality has already done, all will be made public SOON.
Reply to Jeffrey McCluskey
Brian Mulroney defends Trudeau, says Parliament Hill gripped by 'trash, rumours, gossip'
'History is only concerned with the big ticket items that have shaped the future of Canada,' Mulroney says
Speaking at the Atlantic Economic Forum, a symposium at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., the former Progressive Conservative prime minister said the Liberal Trudeau has had a good run in office. He praised the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, its renegotiation of NAFTA and its ongoing support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
"I have learned over the years that history is unconcerned with the trivia and the trash of rumours and gossip floating around Parliament Hill. History is only concerned with the big ticket items that have shaped the future of Canada," Mulroney said.
He said Trudeau and the premiers "conducted themselves as well as anybody else in the world" in dealing with COVID, something Mulroney called "the greatest challenge that any prime minister has dealt with in Canada in 156 years."
On NAFTA, Mulroney said he saw first-hand how Trudeau made "big decisions at crucial moments" and won "a significant victory for Canada."
"It's due to the leadership that we saw from the government of Canada," Mulroney said. "This was secured despite (then U.S. president Donald Trump's) opposition. This was secured by Prime Minister Trudeau and his colleagues. Trump was out to sabotage Canada in many important ways and it took vision and a steady hand."
Mulroney's government first negotiated a free trade deal with the U.S. and then later a trilateral trade deal with Mexico.
Trudeau also leaned on Mulroney's expertise when going toe-to-toe with Trump in the 2017-20 period when the deal was restructured.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, right, is offered a seat at the desk by former
prime minister Brian Mulroney while touring a replica of Mr. Mulroney's
former parliamentary office in Mulroney Hall at St. Francis Xavier
University in Antigonish, N.S. on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
Mulroney said his government was the first to recognize Ukraine's independence from Russia as the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early 1990s.
It's important that Canada, a country with a large Ukrainian diaspora, supports Ukraine's fight against Russian tyranny, Mulroney said.
"Trump says, 'Well, I don't care who wins,'" Mulroney said. "I care who wins and the prime minister cares. And it has to be Ukrainians."
He also praised Trudeau's efforts to stimulate economic growth in Atlantic Canada. The region is richer and more populous than it has been in a long time, Mulroney said.
Mulroney said historians won't dwell on the "nonsense" he said is emanating from Parliament right now.
Mulroney didn't specify what he regarded as "nonsense."
In recent days, Trudeau has faced questions about his government's handling of Chinese election meddling, the state of the economy amid high inflation and the transfer of murderer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison. The prime minister also has been accused by the opposition Conservatives of pushing "woke nonsense."
Former
prime minister Brian Mulroney in Mulroney Hall at St. Francis Xavier
University in Antigonish, N.S. on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
Mulroney's praise comes after he readily endorsed former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole in the last federal election.
In 2021, Mulroney said O'Toole was "steady and strong" and a "visionary" who could be trusted to lead the country.
O'Toole, like Mulroney, pushed a more moderate vision of conservatism in his bid for the top job.
During a speech accepting Mulroney's endorsement, O'Toole said he wanted to build a party where "every Canadian can feel at home," a party that is "inclusive, diverse, forward-looking, progressive and worker-friendly."
Mulroney did not mention the party's current leader, Pierre Poilievre, in his Monday speech.
Trudeau took the podium after Mulroney's speech, joking that he doesn't like to speak after a respected orator like Mulroney. "It's a little more embarrassing when you're speaking about me in such glowing terms," he said.
At the end of his own remarks at the event, Trudeau took a thinly veiled shot at Poilievre.
"You know Brian, there seem to be two kinds of politicians today — those who want to burn things down, and those more like you were, constantly wanting to build things up," he said.
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Deja Vu Anyone?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/the-investigations-2007-2009-1.844125
April 7, 2008: David Johnston releases his report recommending that the public inquiry should be limited
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