Saturday, 4 June 2022

Nominations close for two Miramichi area by-elections

 ---------- Original message ----------
From: "Higgs, Premier Blaine (PO/CPM)" <Blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca>
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 16:49:24 +0000
Subject: RE: Hey Higgy Methinks David Coon and your buddy Chucky
Leblanc should agree that the by-elections and procedural maneuvering
are just more of the same old circus N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>

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Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 16:49:22 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Hey Higgy Methinks David Coon and your buddy
Chucky Leblanc should agree that the by-elections and procedural
maneuvering are just more of the same old circus N'esy Pas?
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From: Premier of Ontario | Premier ministre de l’Ontario <Premier@ontario.ca>
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 16:49:18 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Hey Higgy Methinks David Coon and your buddy
Chucky Leblanc should agree that the by-elections and procedural
maneuvering are just more of the same old circus N'esy Pas?
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---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 13:48:59 -0300
Subject: Hey Higgy Methinks David Coon and your buddy Chucky Leblanc
should agree that the by-elections and procedural maneuvering are just
more of the same old circus N'esy Pas?
To: "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, premier <premier@gnb.ca>,
Ross.Wetmore@gnb.ca, megan.mitton@gnb.ca, "David.Coon"
<David.Coon@gnb.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)"
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"Holland, Mike (LEG)" <mike.holland@gnb.ca>, Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca,
"jeff.carr" <jeff.carr@gnb.ca>, oldmaison@yahoo.com, andre
<andre@jafaust.com>, "Ginette.PetitpasTaylor"
<Ginette.PetitpasTaylor@parl.gc.ca>, "Sherry.Wilson"
<Sherry.Wilson@gnb.ca>, roger.l.melanson@gnb.ca,
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wedgett11@hotmail.com, mommajackson.dj@gmail.com,
marilyncrossman@yahoo.com, lisamariegodin@gmail.com,
terrylsisson3@gmail.com, ggillholdings@gmail.com,
keelirun@nbnet.nb.ca, bigshine92@gmail.com, sharmark@nb.sympatico.ca,
shawn.soucoup@outlook.com, panb.aaron.r@gmail.com,
boater5432@yahoo.com, "Bill.Hogan" <Bill.Hogan@gnb.ca>,
"hugh.flemming" <hugh.flemming@gnb.ca>, "michelle.conroy"
<michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>, "kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>,
"Davidc.Coon" <Davidc.Coon@gmail.com>, larry@miramichionline.com,
jim@miramichionline.com, info@miramichionline.com, premier
<premier@ontario.ca>
Cc: "Brenda.Lucki" <Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Mark.Blakely"
<Mark.Blakely@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Marco.Mendicino"
<Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, "Roger.Brown"
<Roger.Brown@fredericton.ca>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGZRTsuR5s&ab_channel=GlobalNews

 


New Brunswick’s six party leaders come together on debate stage ahead of provincial election

2,252 views
Sep 3, 2020
 3.14M subscribers
The leaders of New Brunswick’s six political parties came together on the debate stage Thursday as they prepare to go head-to-head in the province’s upcoming provincial election. Topics discussed at Thursday’s debate ranged from the election, to healthcare and the environment. Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs is hoping his party will become the first in New Brunswick to win re-election. Bernard Lord led the Tories to victory in 2003. The Tory leader called for a vote three days after the Liberals pulled out of negotiations on a Progressive Conservative proposal that would have eliminated the possibility of an election until October 2022 or until the end of the pandemic. Voting day is slated for September 14.
 
 
 
 

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nominations-close-miramichi-by-elections-1.6476757

 

Nominations close for two Miramichi area by-elections

People's Alliance party fields two candidates, NDP fields none

The by-elections will be held in Miramichi Bay-Neguac and Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin on June 20.

There are five candidates in Miramichi Bay-Neguac:

  • Réjean Savoie, Progressive Conservative
  • Shawn Wood, Liberal
  • Chad Duplessie, Green
  • Tom L'Huillier, People's Alliance
  • Richard (Hoss) Sutherland, Independent

There are four candidates in Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin:

  • Mike Dawson, Progressive Conservative 
  • Hannah Fulton Johnston, Liberal
  • Julie Guillemet-Ackerman, Green
  • Larry Lynch, People's Alliance

People's Alliance test

The two by-elections will be the first ones contested by a resurrected People's Alliance party.

The party had been dissolved after former leader Kris Austin crossed the floor to join the governing PCs.

The by-elections mark a first test for new People’s Alliance of New Brunswick's leader Rick DeSaulniers. (Jonathan Colicott/CBC)

The party was later revived with former Fredericton-York MLA Rick DeSaulniers becoming leader.

The provincial New Democratic Party has not fielded candidates in either riding.

The party courted controversy over nominations for the two races, with its leader facing internal turmoil over criticisms of his leadership.

Federal election prompts vote

The by-elections for the two ridings were necessitated after the two previous MLAs, the Progressive Conservative Jake Stewart and Liberal Lisa Harris, both stepped down to run in the federal riding of Miramichi-Grand Lake in the last federal election.

Jake Stewart went on to win the riding in that election.

Elections NB will hold two days of advanced voting on June 11 and 13, and votes can be cast at local returning offices six days a week until election day.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/government-limiting-debate-bills-1.6475284

 

PC government limiting debate on several key bills

Opposition says motion won’t leave enough time to properly scrutinize legislation

The procedural move will limit debate to a total of 50 hours for 12 bills now before the New Brunswick legislature.

The Opposition Liberals denounced the motion and tried to challenge it on procedural grounds.

"It's like putting a gun to your head," Liberal house leader Guy Arseneault told reporters.

Liberal house leader Guy Arseneault compared the move to limit debate to "putting a gun to your head." (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

He complained that time allocation is normally invoked for individual bills, not for everything before the house.

History of use

But in the legislature, Progressive Conservative house leader Glen Savoie said Arseneault's own party had used the same tactic.

"From 2014 to 2018 under the Gallant government, this form of motion was used exactly in that form," he said.

Arseneault brushed that off. 

"I wasn't there when it was done, but we don't live in the past. At one time women weren't allowed to vote. Do we live in the past? No, we have to be progressive."

In fact, governments of both parties have used various procedures to limit debate time over the years, provoking howls of protest from their opponents who promptly do the same thing when they return to power.

Government house leader Glen Savoie said previous Liberal governments have also limited debate in the legislature. (CBC)

The PC motion, which MLAs will vote on next Wednesday, would ensure all bills go through all stages of debate in time for royal assent scheduled for June 10, the day the legislature adjourns for the summer.

"This is just simply a legislative tool that I've put in place just to make sure, all things being equal, that government business gets done in the time that's being allocated," Savoie said.

The 50-hour limit applies retroactively to all debate and committee study of the bills going back to May 10. The PCs and Liberals have different calculations of how many hours have already been used up, but both say it's more than 20.

Devil in the details

Green house leader Kevin Arseneau said the decision could mean flaws in some bills will slip through.

During one committee study of a bill Wednesday night, Green MLA Megan Mitton spotted a one-word error in a local government bill that caused the section to say the opposite of what the government intended. 

Arseneau said the motion is in keeping with Premier Blaine Higgs's impatience with the legislative process.

"It's no secret that the premier doesn't like sitting through question period," Arseneau said. "He sees it as a waste of time. This legislator stuff is a waste of time. He'd rather be CEO of something than in a democratic institution.

The bill that would give municipalities the power to set property tax rates on heavy industry, within limits, was introduced Tuesday.

Green house leader Kevin Arseneau said Higgs would "rather be CEO of something than in a democratic institution." (Jacques Poitras/CBC News)

Now MLAs will be forced to rush discussion of that legislation and several others. 

"If those bills were that important, why did they wait so long to present them?" Arseneault said.

The Liberal house leader singled out the 117-page Child and Youth Well-Being Act, introduced May 18, that would overhaul the child protection system. 

Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate Kelly Lamrock called for that bill to get special scrutiny to address any flaws before passage, given its potential impact on the lives of children.

Shortly after Arseneault spoke to reporters, Savoie said the three parties in the legislature had negotiated a separate agreement on that bill that will allow the committee on economic policy to hear from witnesses on the legislation, something it normally can't do.

That special session will count as part of the 50 hours allocated for debate. 

Arseneault acknowledged to reporters that the procedural battle would not be a top-of-mind issue for New Brunswickers.

"I know that's boring procedure and this and that, but there has to be some rules in the house and we need to follow them."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacques Poitras

Provincial Affairs reporter

Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. Raised in Moncton, he also produces the CBC political podcast Spin Reduxit.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-ndp-mackenzie-thomason-resigns-1.6488246 

 

New Brunswick NDP leader reluctantly resigns

Resignation of Mackenzie Thomason will be effective June 28

At a news conference in Fredericton, Thomason said he still believes he is the best person to lead the New Democratic Party in the province.

Thomason said he made the decision to quit because of internal comments among executive members.

He said some members thought that at 24, he was too young for the job, and he felt others were taking positions that didn't align with traditional NDP values.

"I am incredibly saddened," said Thomas, whose resignation is effective June 28. 

CBC has tried to reach party president Cyprien Okana and other party officials for comment. 

Headed for leadership review

Thomason's leadership status was going to be up for automatic review anyway at the NDP convention in July, but he said he didn't want the governing council of the NDP to be left scrambling to find a new interim leader.

"I want the work of replacing me to start tomorrow," said Thomason, who led the party in the last provincial election, when it won no seats.

"I want the boots to be able to be on the ground to make sure that this next leadership race is a success, to make sure it is contested and to make sure that it is done in the fullest amount of transparency possible."

Thomason was interim leader of the party from 2019 until he resigned in December 2020 to seek the leadership. He has served as full-time leader since September 2021.

Council lost confidence

As leader, Thomason faced criticism from members of the governing council and, at an April 30, 2022, meeting, members passed a motion of no confidence in Thomason, but it wasn't binding. 

The party failed to nominate any candidates for the two byelections next week in Miramichi Bay-Neguac and Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin. 

A New Democrat hasn't been elected since 2003, when then-leader Elizabeth Weir won her seat.

Thomason said that before deciding to resign, he sent a letter to Okana, the party president, requesting that council members elect an interim leader at an already-scheduled council meeting on June 25.

He said this would give him three days to transition his duties to the interim leader. 

Not giving up on party

Thomason said the party is important to him, and he urged New Democrats to stay with the party.

"I do want to stress to any and all supporters of the party that it is not over," he said. "We have the ability to get through to the 2024 campaign."

Thomason does not have any plans at this time to run under another political banner because, he said, he does not believe in the policies of any other political party. 

Thomason said the decision to step down was not easy. Still, he believes that the NDP, provincially and federally, is the only party that can bring results for New Brunswickers. 

Thomason said he urges New Democrats in New Brunswick to stay with the NDP. (CBC News)

"I was looking at the party and realizing nothing was going to get done with me as leader," he said. "With an interim leader, with a new leader, hopefully, that person will be able to be on the same side as the group that we have.

Thomason said he intends to make his preference for the next leader known during the leadership race. 

He wants the NDP to be known as a pro-worker progressive party. 

Thomason said he can't say now whether he'll run for another position within the party. 

"I want this party to move forward, I want it to be the best option for New Brunswickers," he said. "And right now that can't happen with me at the helm."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Rudderham is a journalist with CBC New Brunswick. She grew up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and moved to Fredericton to go to St. Thomas University in 2018. She recently graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism. You can send story tips to hannah.rudderham@cbc.ca.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/provincial-ndp-leadership-turmoil-1.6466940 

 

New Brunswick NDP faces more leadership turmoil

Leader MacKenzie Thomason faces leadership review amidst several controversies

The unhappy members say Thomason has acted arrogantly, making decisions that go against the will of the NDP provincial council. 

"He is on a power high," said Karla Manning, a member of the council. "He just wants to run it like a club, not an actual party."

The critics narrowly passed a motion of no confidence in Thomason at a meeting April 30, but it wasn't binding. Thomason faces an automatic leadership review vote at the party's provincial convention in July. 

Former candidate ready to quit

Josh Floyd, a former candidate, said another cycle of conflict over the leadership may prompt them to cut their ties to the provincial party. 

"I've seen this occur not once with Dominic Cardy, not twice with Jennifer McKenzie but three times with Mackenzie Thomason," said Floyd, who ran for the provincial NDP in 2018 and 2020 and for the federal party in 2021.

"I'm at the point where I'm almost ready to bow out."

The NDP won just 1.6 percent of the popular vote in the last provincial election and has not elected an MLA to the legislature since 2003.

The party recently lost its executive director, Jennifer Stairs.

Byelection blues

Ken Chartrand, another member of the party's executive council, says Stairs quit after Thomason blocked her from running in the Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin byelection scheduled for June 20.

"She decided, 'I've had enough, I'm out of here,'" said Chartrand, who was involved with the Ontario NDP before moving to New Brunswick a year and a half ago.

"The situation's become extremely volatile at times. I've been extremely shocked at how the meetings have taken place over the last year. A lot of people are upset. … I've never seen such turmoil in my life."

After Stairs left, the party executive chose Floyd to run in Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin. But Thomason overruled that and chose former candidate Glenna Hanley instead.

Floyd identifies as gender-fluid and has accused Thomason of misgendering them in opting for Hanley in the interest of gender parity in the party's candidates in two byelections.

Thomason said Floyd had offered to run "if no one else wanted to," so he opted for Hanley because she ran in the riding before and lives in Fredericton, closer to the constituency than Floyd, who lives in Saint John.

"I didn't know Josh was gender-fluid," Thomason added. "It is recent news that has come to my attention." 

Political wilderness

Thomason led the NDP into the last provincial election as interim leader after the party was forced to delay its leadership vote twice. He was acclaimed as party leader last September.

The party has been plagued by low support and a bare-bones organization for most of the last two decades, and since 2018 the provincial Green Party's three elected MLAs have been the leading voice on the political left.

Thomason confirmed the NDP has not yet filed its last two political financing reports with Elections New Brunswick, a legal requirement.

"We are making sure that we are communicating with them to make sure we get things done," he said.

But Rebecca Rogers, another member of the provincial council, said the missed deadlines could have consequences.

"Based on what's going on right now, there's a good chance that the party could be decertified."

Thomason said the complaints about his leadership stem from the party's weak position.

"I think it's growing pains. I think we've got a lot of work to do in terms of getting where we want to be and making sure we are doing what we need to do, and we're just not all on the same page with that right now." 

Proving progressive bona fides

Council member Saly Davis said Thomason used the mute button on a video meeting last year to shut down a report from the party's visible-minority caucus, which she chairs.

She said the party is dominated by white privileged men who have "no sweet clue" about what other New Brunswickers have to deal with.

NDP governing council member Saly Davis criticized the racial makeup of the party's leadership. (Submitted by Saly Davis)

But Thomason said he wasn't trying to silence anyone during the meeting last fall.

He said two people were "screaming at each other," and he asked them to resolve their differences offline. When they said they couldn't, he got the council to table the report until a later meeting "in the interest of keeping the meeting going."

He also defended his progressive credentials. 

"That is who I am. Anybody who is saying anything else about me is just simply lying." 

Thomason said he'll respect the outcome of the July review vote, which is automatic at every party convention. It asks members whether they want a leadership race. 

But he said another change at the top will hurt the party's chances of returning to the legislature. The party hasn't had the same leader for two consecutive elections since 2003.

"It hampers the public's ability to get to know us," Thomason said. "It hampers the public's ability to trust us." 

The party has yet to find a candidate for the second byelection, which is being held June 20 in Miramichi Bay-Neguac. The deadline to nominate one is June 3.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacques Poitras

Provincial Affairs reporter

Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. Raised in Moncton, he also produces the CBC political podcast Spin Reduxit.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

 

 

 

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