KJIPUKTUK (HALIFAX) – National groups are reacting to the announcement made by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball releasing the terms of reference for the inquiry into the “boondoggle” that is the Muskrat Falls project.

The groups support the call from Labrador Land Protectors and Grand Riverkeeper Labrador that the project be suspended until a full inquiry occurs, looking at many aspects of the project including the lack of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, the economics of the project, and the threat to Indigenous peoples of Labrador.

“More than answers, I think the objective here needs to be stopping the damage. The Muskrat Falls project needs to be stopped while the inquiry is under way, and the terms of reference do not specifically address risks to the environment and safety downstream. It also does not require the Commissioner to explore whether or not the rights of Indigenous peoples have been violated,” says Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Program Director with the Sierra Club Canada Foundation. “We encourage the Commissioner, as a first step to consider the true costs of shut down versus continuing with this dangerous and unneeded project.”

“For the Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, living downstream from this mega hydro project is putting their lives, livelihood and culture at risk,” says Angela Giles, Atlantic Regional Organizer with the Council of Canadians. “ ...