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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Then-premier Kathy Dunderdale had a dismissive air when she rose in the legislature on Dec. 18, 2012, to answer another opposition question on Muskrat Falls.

Her Progressive Conservative government had just sanctioned the $7.7-billion hydro project, the largest publicly funded venture in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.

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It was a heady time for a province of 530,000 people — about the same as the Toronto suburb of Brampton — which was flush with oil riches and ambition. And a week before Christmas 2012, Dunderdale had little patience for skepticism.

“Mr. Speaker, this is a well-planned project,” she said.

One former provincial economist called Muskrat Falls a high-stakes gamble based on “voodoo economics.” Even Public Utilities Board reviewers said they hadn’t been given enough information to form an opinion about it.