ProveItNL, an independent volunteer group.
Why, and the facts
This petition does not take a side on the agreements. It asks only that the House hold a recorded vote to approve or reject the final agreements before they are signed. You can sign whether you support the deal, oppose it or haven't made up your mind.
We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to hold a recorded vote to approve or reject the final Churchill Falls and Gull Island Definitive Agreements between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Hydro-Québec and CF(L)Co before they are signed.
Where things stand
- August 17, 2026
- Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Hydro-Québec and Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation Limited (CF(L)Co) signed the Definitive Cooperation and Implementation Agreement. It is mostly non-binding. It commits them to negotiate binding "Definitive Agreements".
- September 17, 2026
- After a special debate from Sept 14 to 17, the House passed, 21 to 18, a resolution to 'endorse' the framework agreement (the Definitive Cooperation and Implementation Agreement, or DCIA) and support the federal commitments. It was not a vote on the final contracts.
- October 28, 2026
- Government said the final contracts will be tabled in the House after they are completed, with technical briefings and a proposed special debate. It said the terms won't be open to edits. It has not committed to another vote.
- End of 2026
- The target date for finishing the final Definitive Agreements. The date is a goal, not a fixed deadline.
- March 31, 2027
- The backstop. The framework agreement ends by this date if final agreements aren't signed, unless the parties extend it in writing.
What the deals would cover
- The current 1969 Churchill Falls contract runs to August 31, 2041.
- Under the agreed terms, a new Churchill Falls power purchase agreement would run from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2077, with no automatic renewal.
- The Gull Island power purchase agreements would run 50 years from commercial operation.
Our timeline
- First batch: planned for presentation before the House rises this fall.
- The rest: early in the spring sitting.
Why a recorded vote matters
In a recorded vote, each MHA's yes or no is written into the official record of the House. A recorded vote before signing would let the people we elect approve or reject the final terms themselves, and let every voter see where their MHA stood. Whatever you think of the deal, you can ask for that vote.
Sources
- The agreement (House of Assembly copy)
- Government of NL, Sept 17, 2026
- Government of NL, Oct 28, 2026
- CBC, Oct 28, 2026
- House of Assembly Hansard, Sept 14, 2026 (resolution text)
- House of Assembly Hansard, Sept 17, 2026 (recorded vote, 21 to 18)
- Parliamentary Calendar 2026 · Parliamentary Calendar 2027
- House of Assembly Standing Orders (SO 8(1))
- House of Assembly: Petitions