How Small Minded?

That unfortunate deal that trusting Joey Smallwood, the first premier of post-Confederation Newfoundland signed with the Province of Quebec saw Newfoundland right royally screwed by a self-entitled, rapacious Quebec which refused to alter a patently unfair deal dreadfully disadvantageous to Newfoundland.

Newfoundland earned a pittance for its energy production at Churchill Falls, routed through Quebec's power cables to their American marketplace, while Quebec did itself proud with its unethical treatment of a sister province.

And now that outgoing Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams signed a historic deal with the Province of Nova Scotia to together build a costly Quebec-skirting undersea cable system to directly route their energy output to their clients in the United States, and thus retain all the resulting profits where it belonged, Quebec has its nose out of joint.

When the project is concluded, Quebec sees itself being embattled in competition by a partner it had done so ill by.

The original deal does not expire until 2041, and Quebec insists that it will not alter one iota of the deal as it originally was signed onto. The toll they exact on Newfoundland for the use of their power lines is dreadful, but their conscience hardly bothers them. In fact, Quebec views this new venture by the Maritime Provinces to enrich themselves directly without having to pay a middleman, as an interference in their own energy future sales.

And to that end, Quebec has expressed its dissatisfaction directly to the federal government which has pledged to advance federal funding to help build the undersea cable to move power from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. Quebec would be fine with the federal government advancing funding for a new NHL arena in Quebec City, but the province is desperately trying to convince the federal government that it is bad business policy to advance funding for the undersea cable.

Quebec's attempts to veto the federal government's plan to be of assistance to Newfoundland transcends arrogant condescension and registers high on the scale of malignant interference. The two provinces' plans to transmit hydroelectric power in a manner that would be ultimately advantageous to them as purveyors of their own assets is obviously highly deserving of federal support.

That the government of Quebec has taken it upon themselves to attempt to squelch that agreement is abhorrent and unworthy. That complaint to Prime Minister Harper regarding Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador's Crown-owned energy corporation's application really shows Quebec for what it is. And that is not a pretty picture, for a province whose grasping greediness is legendary.

Not surprising that Quebec chafes at the prospect of competition potentially eating into their own prospects and bottom line. But that federal infrastructure funding to help with the cost of building the power line undersea is a worthy initiative and it will go through. The Lower Churchill hydroelectric megaproject in central Labrador is a breakthrough for the province, and Quebec can bust a gut over it.

We can only hope they do, and it's painful.