Statement made on 15 June 2011 by Senator Elizabeth Hubley
Hon. Elizabeth Hubley:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
In March 2011, over 20,000 Prince Edward Island homes were left without power and subjected to rolling blackouts when one of the Island's two power transmission cables to the mainland failed.
This massive power outage was a wake-up call for Islanders. Our cables are rapidly aging, making a new power cable to the mainland an absolute necessity for Prince Edward Island.
Furthermore, this third cable also presents a tremendous opportunity for the province. A new power cable would connect Prince Edward Island to the Atlantic Energy Gateway, not only as a consumer of electricity but also as a provider of green wind energy. The province has approached the federal government about this issue on numerous occasions and has applied for funding under the green energy fund.
Can the leader tell honourable senators whether there are any updates as to the result of that application and whether the government has any other plans to work with the province on funding this power cable?
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