Posted: Friday, 27 August 2010

As published in the National Post, Saturday, August 28, 2010

Is it Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams who has irrational tantrums, as alleged in “From Newfoundland, another Tantrum” (August 26), or does the National Post have temper tantrums about Danny Williams? I think the latter.

Workers across Canada applauded the Newfoundland and Labrador premier when he stepped in to take over the timber and water rights which the province had given to predecessor companies to support the operation of a paper mill in the small community of Grand Falls Windsor.

If the company saw fit to shut down the mill, lay off the workers, and destroy the local economy, just why should they have retained those valuable crown rights?

At long last, we saw a political leader who believes that our natural resources should be used to build strong community economies, and that corporate obligations to Canadians trump rights under so-called "free trade" agreements.

The provincial legislation provided appropriate compensation for costs incurred by the company, just not for the re-allocation of crown rights. The fact that there may or may not have been a case for compensation for expropriation under the widely criticized investor right provisions of NAFTA says absolutely nothing about the domestic legality of the actions by Premier Williams.

The fact that the federal government settled rather than fight this bogus case speaks volumes about whose side they are on. As for Premier Williams, workers know where he stands.

Ken Georgetti
President, Canadian Labour Congress