N.L. Liberal leadership campaign kicks off again

The two contenders seeking to succeed Dwight Ball as head of the province's Liberal party andpremier of Newfoundland and Labradorrenewed their campaigns Monday, months after the process was postponed March 23 amid a wave of pandemic-related closures.

The resumption of the race between veteran public servant John Abbott and surgeon Andrew Fureycoincided with the start of Alert Level 3 and the province's easing of public health measures.

At 11 a.m. Abbott held a press conference to outlinehis platform, absentthe usual flurry of handshakes that normally accompany such appearances.

He led with an attack on Nalcor Energy, vowing to dismantle the Crown corporation responsible for the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam, which is not yet operationaldespite massive cost and schedule overruns and a public inquiry into its approval process.

"Nalcor has written the darkest chapter in our history. It has lost its right to exist. I will shut it down and put it back in Hydro where it belongs," he said.

While the pandemic has delayed construction work and, therefore a completion date at the Muskrat Falls site, Abbott said he wouldn't let its power flow until a deal is reached with the federal government to ensure its electricity rates don't top 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Those rates are expected to riseto 22.89 cents per kilowatt-hour when the dam comes online, seen as an unmanageable increaseto many households across Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Muskrat Falls costs could climb by $400 million as construction gets back on track

"Muskrat Falls is not in charge of us, we are in charge of Muskrat Falls. So let's take charge, force the issue with Ottawa, and end this nightmare ourselves," Abbott said.

The province has already been in talks with the federal government over the issue of rate mitigation. Despite that, no clear mitigation plan has been revealed nor hinted at by politicians.

Abbott did not outline concrete steps to do so during Monday's announcement, spending the rest of his speech touching on other areas of his platform, expressing support for the province's troubled offshore oil sector and vowing to end bureaucratic red tape.

Furey on oil, Nalcor and green economy

Furey, who held a large press conference on March 3 at the initial start of his leadership bid, did not hold a subsequent public announcement Monday but instead released a press release and then spoke to CBC directly.

• Political staffers invited to support Andrew Furey campaign during daytime shifts

His interviewcame on the same day that CBC News revealed an email that askedministerial aides to make calls in support of Furey's campaign during their working hours. He said he has reiterated to his team that nobody should use worktime hours to volunteer on his campaign.

Fureysaid he looksforward to a "healthy and respectful" competition over the next several weeks for the job of Liberal leader.

When asked if he has an economic recovery plan, Furey said he would be revealing that over the next several weeks.

When pressed on Nalcor, and its future, Furey said finishing Muskrat Falls is the priority.

"The future of Nalcor beyond that needs to be examined," he said, adding thatkeeping electricity rates low is a priority.

"I plan to work with the federal governmentto leverage my relationships with the federal government to ensure that we keep rates as low as possible," he said Monday, but did not providespecific details.

On the oil industry, Fureysaid, "Oil is an important part of who we are, right here and right now," but added there needs to be a move toward a green economy and an investment into green energy technology.

Ball announced in February that he planned to step down,triggering the leadership race.

People wishing to vote in therace can register to do so with the party until noon on June 28.The new leader will be named Aug. 3, during a virtual party convention.

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