Will Newfoundland energy deal be finalized? ‘Good question,’ says Hydro-Québec chief

By Canadian Press on November 19, 2025.

Hydro-Québec’s chief executive says she is confident a draft energy deal with Newfoundland and Labrador will be finalized, despite political moves in the eastern province that leave the agreement on shaky ground.

When reporters first asked Claudine Bouchard if the deal would proceed, she chuckled and said it was a “good question.”

The new head of Quebec’s hydro utility says the proposed agreement is commercial, not political, and it serves both provinces very well.

She says there are key elements in the proposal that would make Newfoundland and Labrador see it a win-win.

The fate of the deal between the provinces’ hydro utilities has been up in the air since Tony Wakeham’s Progressive Conservatives toppled the Liberals in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Oct. 14 election.

Wakeham has promised to have the draft deal reviewed by an independent third party and subject any final agreements to a public referendum.