Member leaves N.L. panel overseeing Quebec energy deal, citing independence concerns

The inside of the powerhouse at the Churchill Falls hydroelectric station in Churchill Falls, N.L. is shown on Nov. 20, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett

ST. JOHN’S — An accountant appointed to a panel reviewing a draft energy deal between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec says he resigned in May because he felt the panel’s independence was impaired.

In a letter first reported by allNewfoundlandLabrador.com, Michael Wilson criticized the Churchill River Oversight Panel for doing a detailed review of the energy deal without releasing its findings.

The panel was established by Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberal government earlier this year after opposition parties called for an independent third-party review of the memorandum of understanding for the new energy deal.

The former EY executive says he no longer believes the panel’s reports would meet the public’s expectations for analysis informed by full and frank commentary.

An emailed statement from the panel’s three remaining members says it does not release details of its findings because of the commercial confidentiality of the ongoing negotiations toward final agreements.

News about Wilson’s comments comes days after Quebec Premier François Legault met with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan to discuss the proposed arrangement, which would see Hydro-Québec pay more for power from the Churchill Falls plant in Labrador, and develop new hydro projects in the region.

Jim Dinn, the leader of the provincial New Democratic Party, agreed in January to vote in favour of beginning negotiations for final agreements if the Liberal government established an independent oversight panel.

He says Wilson’s comments have called the panel’s independence into question.

Dinn says the Liberal government must release Wilson’s resignation letter without redactions so the public can know exactly what led to Wilson’s concerns.

In an interview, he said he would like the panel’s quarterly public reports to provide more detail, adding that he is not looking for a “play-by-play” of the ongoing negotiations.

The provincial Progressive Conservatives have criticized the panel, saying its chair, Dennis Browne, the province’s consumer advocate, is a Liberal supporter who has previously expressed his approval of the deal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025

The Canadian Press