Well, well, well.
Just when I thought the Churchill Falls victory lap couldn’t get any more ridiculous, along comes Seamus O’Regan with an Instagram post that has me wondering what political universe this guy is currently living in. Recall “Shameless” has been called the “stupidest” federal minister I’m Canadian history and I believe it!
Here’s the Instagram post. Watch it yourself:
And here’s the Black Sheep post I wrote yesterday, August 17, 2026, about this supposed historic new Churchill Falls deal:
Read that first and then watch Seamus.
Because apparently we’re supposed to believe Newfoundland and Labrador has finally slain the Churchill Falls dragon and everyone can ride happily into the sunset.
😂😂😂
Give me a fucking break.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S BFF HAS SPOKEN
For anyone who has forgotten, Seamus O’Regan wasn’t exactly some detached observer of the Trudeau years.
He was one of Justin Trudeau’s closest political allies and served in Trudeau’s cabinet.
And after watching Canadian energy and natural-resource policy during those years, I’m not exactly inclined to accept another Liberal politician standing in front of a camera telling Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that everything is going to be wonderful.
We’ve heard versions of that story before.
Many times.
Which is exactly why Churchill Falls should have taught Newfoundland one overriding lesson:
READ THE FUCKING FINE PRINT.
And then read it again.
THERE’S ONE LITTLE PROBLEM
The original December 2024 announcement was a Memorandum of Understanding between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Hydro-Québec and Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation.
And here’s a rather important word:
NON-BINDING.
That’s not my description.
That’s how the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador described the MOU.
It established the framework for negotiating the definitive agreements.
That’s an important distinction when politicians start talking as though Moses just came down from Signal Hill carrying the new Churchill Falls agreement carved into stone tablets.
The proposal is enormous.
We’re talking about replacing the infamous 1969 Upper Churchill arrangement, changing the price paid for Churchill Falls electricity, expanding Churchill Falls, developing Gull Island and constructing major new transmission infrastructure.
The government has projected more than $225 billion flowing to Newfoundland and Labrador’s treasury over the life of the proposed arrangements.
Sounds fucking fantastic.
I genuinely hope it happens.
But Newfoundland has heard the words Churchill Falls + Quebec + historic agreement before.
How’d that work out the first time?
AND THEN THERE’S QUEBEC
This is the part I don’t think Newfoundlanders should ignore.
Governments change.
Politics change.
Energy markets change.
Quebec nationalism certainly isn’t disappearing.
And the political landscape in Quebec can change dramatically following an election.
So my question remains exactly what it was yesterday:
What happens when Quebec gets a government that doesn’t like the deal?
What happens when somebody in Quebec looks at the economics ten or twenty years from now and decides Quebec gave away too much?
What happens when political pressure builds to renegotiate, challenge, delay or otherwise attack portions of these arrangements?
Maybe the definitive agreements ultimately become legally bulletproof.
Great.
SHOW US.
That’s what scrutiny is for.
Because Newfoundland and Labrador should be the last province in Canada willing to accept trust us when the words Quebec and Churchill Falls appear in the same sentence.
HISTORY IS SCREAMING AT US
The original Churchill Falls contract wasn’t considered catastrophic when everybody signed it either.
The disaster became apparent as electricity values changed dramatically while Newfoundland remained trapped in the economics of an agreement negotiated decades earlier.
That history should make us skeptical.
Not cynical.
SKEPTICAL.
There’s a difference.
A good agreement survives scrutiny.
A bad agreement requires cheerleaders.
AND THEN THERE’S SEAMUS 😂
Which brings me back to Seamus O’Regan’s Instagram performance.
Jesus Christ, Seamus or “Shameless” as he’s been nic named in Nfld.
Watching this you’d think Newfoundland just repossessed Churchill Falls, Quebec surrendered unconditionally and every Newfoundlander is getting a royalty cheque in the mail next Tuesday.
Somebody perform a political wellness check on this man. 😂
Because this level of celebration before history has had even five minutes to test the arrangement is exactly the kind of political bullshit Newfoundland needs LESS of.
I don’t want another politician telling Newfoundlanders:
Don’t worry. We got this.
I want lawyers.
I want economists.
I want engineers.
I want independent energy experts.
I want every fucking clause examined.
I want Newfoundland’s downside modeled.
I want Quebec’s incentives modeled.
And I especially want to know exactly what happens if a future Quebec government decides it wants out, wants changes, refuses cooperation on future development, or challenges some component of the arrangement.
That’s not negativity.
That’s what you do when your province has already been burned once by arguably the most infamous energy agreement in Canadian history.
MAYBE IT’S A GREAT DEAL
And here’s the part political cheerleaders never seem to understand:
I actually hope they’re right.
I hope this becomes one of the greatest economic agreements Newfoundland and Labrador has ever signed.
I hope Churchill Falls finally generates the enormous wealth for Newfoundland and Labrador that the resource should have generated for generations.
I hope Gull Island gets developed.
I hope Labrador gets investment.
I hope Newfoundland finally gets its fair share.
But I’m sure as hell not popping champagne because politicians tell me to.
Not yet.
Because we’ve seen this movie before.
And Newfoundland paid for the fucking tickets for decades.
So celebrate if you want, Seamus.
I’ll wait.
I’ll read the agreements.
I’ll watch Quebec politics.
I’ll watch the economics.
And I’ll remember the history.
Because when it comes to Churchill Falls and Quebec, Newfoundlanders shouldn’t just remember what happened.
WE SHOULD HAVE LEARNED FROM IT.
— Black Sheep Whistleblower
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