Letter of the Day to Premier Graham from Betty Locke

Sent: January-15-10 3:04 AM
To: ' premier@gnb.ca '
Cc: ' shawn.graham3@gnb.ca '
Subject: muzzled

 

Since the announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding for the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec, one thing has been conspicuous by its absence – the lack of a voice from NB Power.

The only individual to make public remarks has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of NB Power who was recruited by the government in its clandestine negotiations with Hydro-Quebec. 

One would assume that competent individuals hold the executive positions at NB Power.  I assume our government would not imply that the executives are not competent as this would reflect badly on the government who appoints them and has the power to replace them if they were not competent to serve in the positions they hold.  Assuming therefore these individuals are competent they must be knowledgeable in the power industry to fulfill the requirements of their positions.  And yet we have heard nothing from these knowledgeable individuals.  Indeed the government did not include these knowledgeable individuals in the negotiations that led to the Memorandum of Understanding.  This choice alone brings into question the competent of a government that has at its disposal a variety of competent, knowledgeable individuals on the power industry employed at NB Power and excludes them from such important negotiations.

These individuals being intelligent and knowledgeable must not only have an opinion on this proposed sale but also because of their expertise in the power industry valuable knowledge that could be shed on this situation.  And still they are silent.  One must then assume there is a reason for their silence.  The government doesn’t want them to speak about this proposed sale.  The government has an agenda and doesn’t want the intelligent individuals who are knowledgeable about the power industry to say anything that may reflect poorly on what the government wants to do.  This has to be the epitome of government interference in our utility, direct and or indirect pressure to be silent to retain their jobs.

The government obviously doesn’t believe these competent intelligent executives at NB Power can examine this proposed sale objectively.  In a bizarre twist this same government believes that individuals with industrial ties, whose companies or employers stand to benefit substantially from this proposed sale, can objectively examine this proposed sale and issue an “independent” opinion on it.  Selective reasoning at its best.

The government either believes that the public isn’t intelligent enough to realize that the executives at NB Power have been muzzled or they don’t care that the public realizes these executives have been muzzled. 

Either way the silence from NB Power is deafening.

Sincerely,

Betty Locke

Quispamsis, NB