PC
Leader Blaine Higgs addresses supporters on election night on Sept. 24,
2018, before he became premier. The Higgs government just wrapped up
its first legislative session, with a mix of successes and setbacks. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)
When the new Progressive Conservative minority government
opened its first session of the legislature last November, it had one
overriding priority: survival.
The session adjourned Friday for
the summer, and the PCs have done more than just survive: they've
implemented major parts of their agenda while gaining in popularity.
With
only 22 of 49 seats and just 32 per cent of the popular vote in the
Sept. 28 election, Premier Blaine Higgs has often joked that he can't
count on being in office for long and can't make promises beyond next
spring.
Yet his government has managed to
repeal the Liberal carbon tax, reform WorkSafeNB and stand its ground in
a dispute with unionized nursing home workers.
It
also cancelled $200 million in planned infrastructure spending and
passed a balanced budget that pays down debt for the first time in a
decade.
Government house leader Glen Savoie said Friday it's the result of constant consultation with other parties.
"When
a bill has to come forward, we want to make sure all of the other
parties are aware of them, that they understand the intent of each bill,
and make sure they have the opportunity to ask questions in a
briefing," he said.
Glen Savoie,
government house leader, said consultation with other parties has
played a big role in some of the PC government's successes so far. (Radio-Canada)
"When they come into the legislature we have a sense of how the debate is going to go, to the benefit of New Brunswickers."
Voters
seem to like the result. A series of polls have put the PCs above the
40 per cent mark, well ahead of the Liberal Opposition and in a position
to win a majority in an early election.
Despite the successes,
there have been setbacks. MLAs from the three other parties passed a
symbolic motion calling for binding arbitration with the nursing home
workers.
And the PCs had to withdraw a fiscal transparency bill because of objections from the three other parties.
Struggling with constitutional rights
The Tories have also struggled to navigate the terrain of constitutional rights.
They
announced in December they would relax bilingual hiring requirements
for paramedics in some areas of the province — a move that would violate
both the Official Languages Act and the Charter of Rights.
They
backtracked a month later, acknowledging the government's legal
obligations. But Higgs seldom talks about why those obligations matter
to francophones.
Instead he focuses on how French immersion has failed to produce anglophone graduates who can land bilingual jobs.
That
may explain why a poll this week by Narrative Research shows the PCs
still lagging behind the Liberals among francophone voters.
Higgs has also articulated his vision of Indigenous rights.
Jake
Stewart, minister of Aboriginal affairs, acknowledged Aboriginal rights
in the legislature, declaring 'we are all treaty people.' (CBC)
Indigenous
leaders criticized the government for not consulting them before
exempting the Sussex area from the provincial moratorium on shale gas
development.
While Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jake Stewart has
made a point of acknowledging aboriginal rights in the legislature,
declaring "we are all treaty people," Higgs hasn't used the same kind of
language. And he called the duty to consult on resource issues "vague"
and "undefined."
The
Tories' closest collaborators in the legislature, the People's
Alliance, declared their first session of the legislature a success. The
party elected its first three MLAs ever last September.
On
Friday the Alliance released a list of their purported accomplishments,
taking credit for helping the PCs pass their balanced budget and citing
partial victories on small-scale pocketbook issues.
A bill
introduced by Alliance Leader Kris Austin to require car inspections
every two years, instead of every year, passed this week and received
royal assent Friday. But he compromised and let the PCs remove a section
to eliminate the need for annual registration renewals.
People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin has been able to pass pieces of his party's platforms under the Higgs government. (CBC)
"People
think that because it's a minority situation that you're able to
accomplish everything, and that's just not realistic," he said.
"It's
like we have a nuclear button. There's no in-between. You either
collapse government, or you work with government to get as much done as
you can. And I feel we've accomplished that in our roles."
Austin revives language issue
Austin
also pushed the Tories and Medavie to come up with a mechanism for
hiring more unilingual paramedics for permanent, full-time jobs.
Still,
in recent weeks Austin has revived complaints about the bilingual
requirement for paramedics. He said he'll try to amend the Official
Languages Act next session to eliminate it.
That
coincides with polls showing the Alliance losing a lot of the support
it won on election day.
Narrative's latest poll had the party at six per
cent, less than half of what it received on election day.
Austin said the polls don't worry him because the Alliance was at the same level six months before its election breakthrough.
Liberals struggling
The
Liberals have also taken a tumble. Though they won the popular vote
last Sept. 24, they've trailed the PCs in polling since then.
The
party has taken a beating on some of its actions while it was in
government, including a $22.8 million bailout for the City of Saint John
and a bid to host the Francophonie Games that turned out to be far more
expensive than predicted.
The Liberals have also struggled to
articulate clear positions on some issues. On Friday, Moncton South MLA
Cathy Rogers said she was against glyphosate spraying but said her party
did not want to move too fast in calling for a ban.
'Mr. Vickers, where are you?'
The
party has a new leader, Kevin Vickers, who has yet to appear at the
legislature and is not giving any apparent direction to Liberal MLAs
there.
"Mr. Vickers, where are you?" Alliance MLA Rick DeSaulniers asked in a tongue-in-cheek statement. "Come out of hiding."
Dieppe
Liberal MLA Roger Melanson said Friday the party is operating on two
parallel tracks, with MLAs opposing the government in the house while
Vickers travels the province to listen to citizens.
Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers announced his vision for the province at a May rally in Miramichi. (Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC)
"In
due course, when eventually there will be an election, we will have a
platform that will represent New Brunswick's ideas and New Brunswick's
aspirations," Melanson said.
Green surge
Polling suggests
the Liberals have been losing support to the Green Party. The two
parties are tied among anglophone respondents in Narrative's new poll,
and overall the Greens were at 18 percent.
Green Leader David Coon said both the Liberals and the PCs are nervous about "the surge of Greens" in the polls.
Green
Party Leader David Coon has said the provincial election result shows a
desire of the voters for collaboration among political parties,
something Premier Blaine Higgs previously said as well. (CBC)
The PCs have called the Liberals and the Greens "the Red Green Show," lumping them together.
But
Coon said that despite the rhetoric — and despite his party's
opposition to Higgs's position on oil pipelines and shale gas — his
party is being listened to by the government.
"We've found cabinet
ministers to be very open so we've had frequent meetings with ministers
about issues that are important to New Brunswickers," he said.
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.
Methinks
now that Mr Higgs and his many cohorts have left the building all we
will hear is crickets all summer long just like in his blogging buddy's
video last night N'esy Pas?
Paul Bourgoin
Higgs government survives 1st session of house with mix of successes and setbacks!
Was Higgs Leadership what New Brunswick tax payers needed or did it benefit his political sponsor?
David Amos
Reply to @Paul Bourgoin: Methinks folks have all summer to consider the obvious N'esy Pas?
David Amos
"The PCs have called the Liberals and the Greens "the Red Green Show," lumping them together."
Methinks they are just like a certain sort of melon Green on the outside and red inside N'esy Pas?
Dan Lee
Reply to @David Amos:
Should we ccall Higgs....Higgs or Irving 2
Danny Devo
Reply to @Dan Lee: A senile vandal?
David Amos
Reply to @Dan Lee:
Methinks what would be appropriate in a court of law is for Mr Higgs to
be known as a Sept of the Irving Clan N'esy Pas?
David Amos
"On
Friday, Moncton South MLA Cathy Rogers said she was against glyphosate
spraying but said her party did not want to move too fast in calling for
a ban."
Methinks that was Pure D BS N'esy Pas?
Richard
Dunn
Reply to @David Amos:
Cathy Rogers had 4 years to speak up and chose to simply support Brian
Gallant in wasting money and being involved in scandals. Time for Cathy,
and Brian, to resign.
David Amos
Reply to @Richard
Dunn: Methinks you must have heard of my encounter with one of Irving
Clan's former General Counsels in Federal Court by now Everybody knows
the lawyer Brian Gallant certainly has N'esy Pas?
David Amos
"Green Leader David **** said both the Liberals and the PCs are nervous about "the surge of Greens" in the polls."
Too Too Funny
Matthew Locke
Great job Premier Higgs! Awesome province NB.
David Amos
Reply to @Matthew Locke: Methinks Premier Higgs forgot to give three little devils their due N'esy Pas?
"The Tories' closest collaborators in the legislature, the People's
Alliance, declared their first session of the legislature a success"
Danny Devo
Reply to @Matthew Locke: Are you out of your mind?
Brian
Robertson
This
is what responsible government looks like, especially when faced with a
demographic that uniformly votes Liberal unless made an offer in the
form of a giveaway they can't refuse.
Such was the case with Richard Hatfield who was even more liberal than the Liberals.
English New Brunswickers, for the sake of their childrens futures,
simply must vote Tory, or we will be knee deep in lobster cocktails,
champaign and superficial gestures for photo=ops.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Brian
Robertson: I have been told that the Elite had leverage against Hatfield
and that he complied with their demands so that the " leverage " would
not be made public...
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: Methinks everybody knew anyway N'esy Pas?
Mack Leigh
Reply to @David Amos: Ah, but some seem to have very, very short memories otherwise they would not keep voting Liberal..
Lewis Taylor
Reply to @Brian Robertson:
responsible govt?? saying no to everything and killing NB may get us to
balanced budget quickly but there will nothing and nobody to stay
around to move forward. NB will be home to the provincial bureaucrats
and recipients of social support...professionals, entrepreneurs and
innovators will be long gone. we can then put up a for sale sign.
Great strategy!
Matt Steele
At
least Higgs managed to cut spending , balance the budget , and pay down
the debt some . Austin seems to have managed to get motor vehicle
inspections moved to every two years instead of every year....so that
should save the motoring public a few bucks . Quite an improvement over
Brian Gallant wanting to spend 130 MILLION bucks on some Francophonie
games that were only going to last TWO WEEKS !
Dianne
MacPherson
Reply to @Matt Steele:
Mr. Austin hasn't quite managed that two-year MVI;
I just got mine and it expires 2020 !!!
David Amos
Reply to @Dianne
MacPherson: Methinks if the PANB expires in 2020 the MVI will go back to
the yearly scam it always was N'esy Pas?
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Dianne
MacPherson: All of the government paperwork has not been completed
yet.. Give it a month or two to be implemented.
Rosco Holt
Reply to @Matt Steele:
You do realize some of the cuts were scheduled maintenance/ upgrades that will cost us more when completion will be done.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Rosco holt:
Only if the libs get back in and start them up again, most of the projects weren’t essential and don’t need done at all.
David Raymond Amos@DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos@alllibertynews and 49 others Methinks many would agree paper voting is the only way to go That way
we have Hard Copy that is not so easy to make go "Poof" like unpopular
comments often do N'esy Pas?
An air of co-operation has suddenly blown through the New Brunswick legislature
124 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David
Peters Imo, with internet connectivity like it is, we could vote directly on the issues.
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David
Peters: Methinks many would agree paper voting is the only way to go That way
we have Hard Copy that is not so easy to make go "Poof" like unpopular
comments often do N'esy Pas?
David Amos Methinks desperate politicians do desperate things N'esy Pas?
John Smith just
last week i announced something i feel i have to eat crow ion said
this was the best gov nb has had and the they went full on
authoritarian it is crazy to think they are setting up to be able to
mandate injections of whatever crazy concoction they have and it will be
forced upon the populace with gov track records of abusing its people
medically is a step beyond taxing and collecting debt forcing a serfdom
its really quite alarming
David Amos
Reply to @john smith:
Methinks the leader of the Green Party must want to eat his words about
getting the governments we deserve now that he is sitting in the
kingmaker seat N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell LIberals
//SANB are coming to the realization that there comes a point where
when one group dominates for their own good and that of no one else
there will be repercussions. They saw it in the last election and it's
not gonna get any better. A Language Commissioner to serve one group of
people and one group only, have developed years of mistrust and
rightfully so. When a member of the SANB suggests ALL immigrants should
be French speaking and they could learn the language of the majority ,
then one comes to realize how radical this group can be. To suggest
that with the addition of all the new immigrants coming in has affected
only the Francophones and not Anglophones is absurd and suggests how
far the sense of entitlement has gone since McKenna sold out all
Anglophones in NB SOLELY FOR VOTES . When politicians develop enough
backbone to acknowledge there are two groups of people entrenched in NB
they were elected to represent and not just one , nothing will change.
The threats and backdoor politics will continue.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Lou Bell: Amen,,,Amen,,, Amen.
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: Methinks its kinda comical how much old Louie hates me N'esy Pas?
Joseph Vacher
Reply to @Lou Bell: well said
Lou Bell
Reply to @David Amos:
You have some good opinions when you stop making every one of them
about you ! We really don't care about your battles with whomever over
whatever. Your opinion does matter , just let the other stuff rest.
David Amos
Reply to @Lou Bell: Yea Right Tell me another one
Joseph Vacher great, now we can have a whole army of language commissionaires
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Joseph
Vacher: Smoke and mirrors while in the background the Elite make more
changes to the benefit of one minority and one minority only... Only in
NB , where the Majority are marginalized and treated like second class
citizens.
David Amos
Reply to @Joseph Vacher: "Everybody wants to see a circus so ya give them a circus"
Methinks old P.T. Barnum understood the wicked game N'esy Pas?
Mack Leigh What
an absolute farce it is... Who in their right mind would even think
that setting up a standing committee on language is going to solve
anything ?? Especially if that committee is comprised completely of
Francophone MLA's .. That is like putting the fox in charge of the hen
house. That along with reviewing the annual reports from the extremely
biased Official Language Commissioner is just further whitewashing of a
severe issue with language in this province that must be dealt with..
Giving the perception of actually giving a damn and being willing to
make the necessary changes that will benefit all of the people of this
province and not....not just the chosen few , solves absolutely nothing.
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: "What an absolute farce it is"
Methniks you must have noticed me welcome other folks to the circus N'esy Pas?
Michel
Jones
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
If an air of cooperation hangs in the air of the New Brunswick
legislature why would anybody be against that?
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Michel
Jones: This article was written by Jacques Poitras , a staunch Liberal
and SANB supporter... Controlling the dialogue at every opportunity...
Suggest that you look past this smoke and mirror tactic.
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
Methinks you must be aware of the agenda of Mr Jones the spelling of
his first name should speak volumes N'esy Pas?
David Amos Methinks
everybody knows why I have no respect for whatever Roger Ouellette and
J.P. Lewis, have to say about anything N'esy Pas?
Michel
Jones
Reply to @David Amos: Your humor devaluates you when you don't explain why you have no respect.
David Amos
Reply to @Michel
Jones: Methinks you should Google Fundy Royal Debate in order to keep up
the devaluation of me for the benefit of Mr Lewis and his fellow
political scientists N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Reply to @Michel
Jones: Methinks Mr Higgs and his cohorts are well aware as to why I
emailed Roger Ouellette and J.P. Lewis this statement that offends you
immediately after I posted it N'esy Pas?
David Amos Methinks Minister Gauvin doesn't give two hoots about what a former preacher thinks about anything N'esy Pas?
"The PCs may be warming up to Green proposals for co-operation, but
Alliance Leader Kris Austin told reporters he's not interested in the
standing committee on bilingualism."
Les Cooper
Reply to @David Amos: bilingualism is like beating a dead horse.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Les Cooper: No, it is beating a serious issue in this province that has never....never been addressed.
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: I agree
David Amos "Green MLA Kevin Arseneau proposed a standing committee on the Official Languages Act"
Surprise Surprise Surprise
Mack Leigh
Reply to @David Amos:
Arseneau is more than anxious to control the dialogue around the
Official Languages Act.. especially since all...ALL changes made to date
have been done so behind closed doors with input from francophone
groups only.... Arseneau is only interested in furthering the Elite
agenda of forced frenchification and the marginalization of all
non-francophones, in my opinion.
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
Methinks we should not expect any different a former SANB Prez who was
once barred from the old maison for yapping too much N'esy Pas?
Paul Bourgoin Language
in NB has always been the dividing issue and used to split political
support! New Brunswick is one Province, one government, and many
sensitive dividing issues and is walking on the road of Bankruptcy. Why?
Any elected NB government appears to be steered or directed by a Super
Power outside government. They are the controlling power, of NB
Politics, operating with a Powerful influencing leadership system.
David Amos
Reply to @Paul Bourgoin: YUP
Aaron AllisonLet's deal with the Language ( Bilingualism ) issue now, and Hold a Referendum or have the Question put on the next Ballot.
David Amos
Reply to @Aaron Allison: Good idea but good luck seeing it on any ballot
David Stairs we
need people in government to make decisions based on the needs of New
Brunswickers and not party politics...and we need to hold referendums on
all these issues...but guess what...the people will never get a say
until the proper party is elected...party politics has got to go...
Michel
Jones
Reply to @David Stairs: Referendums are very divisive, be careful what you wish for.. We're better off with cooperation imo.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Michel
Jones: How about we allow a vote and actually allow the people of this
province to have their voice.... How about we actually embrace true
democracy rather than this apartheid-style of governing with one
minority running the province..
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: I agree
Methinks a referendum is way overdue on the language issue The liberal
politicians already made it a very divisve issue during the last
election in an attempt to split the vote on the right. Well they split
the vote alright and lost their mandate in the process. The next ballot
should ask the folks if the next mandate of provincial government should
ask the Feds to reverse what the Conservative Premier Hatfield had
inserted in the Charter in order to solicit the French vote and secure
his reelection N'esy Pas?
Ian Scott What
they need is a transportation minister to drive the main highway at
Grandbay-Westfield and see what he thinks about paving it or at fixing
the thousand 3 inch deep potholes.
David Amos
Reply to @Ian Scott: Dream on
Alexander Forbes Why
I think we should always have a proportional representation. We would
probably never have another majority government again.
John Smith
Reply to @Aaron
Allison: what we need is recal legislation so we can fire these guys
midstream when they start acting like an unreasonable despot
David Amos
Reply to @john smith: YUP
Ronald Parker Good to hear this instead of the circus that usually goes on. Hope they stop spraying poison.
David Amos
Reply to @Ronald Parker: Methinks I should happy that you agree that it is a circus N'esy Pas?
Harold Benson They must be getting ready to give themselves another even bigger raise.
David Amos
Reply to @Harold Benson: Of that I have no doubt
Al Clark This
air of co-operation appears every time the 2 month christmas vacation, 4
month summer vacation, or the chance to give themselves another big fat
raise appears on the horizon. I have to laugh at krissy - doesn't want
to talk about language yet every question he answered during campaign
and since has been twisted around to language. But he's not COR, oh no,
absolutely. LOL
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Al Clark:
Let me help you Al... Kris Austin did not say that he does not want to
talk about language.. What he said and I paraphrase is that this "
Standing Committee " would be a waste of time and an exercise in
futility... More pandering to the Elite while giving lip service and
accomplishing nothing...... Austin wants to get to the heart of the
matter.. Austin wants open, honest discussion that will result in
changes in the OLA that will correct the one sided pandering that has
been going on for decades to one minority and one minority
...only...Heh, we could even do the democratic thing and actually vote
on this Forced Official Bilingualism...
Stephen Blunston
Reply to @Mack Leigh: that about says it all
Al Clark
Reply to @stephen blunston: ....for the 1% haters....
Marc Martin
Reply to @Al Clark: Exactly..Well said !
Dan Lee
Reply to @Mack Leigh
Are we talking about the man who refuse to campain in french ridings?
David Amos
Reply to @Dan Lee: YUP
Roland
Godin Pry
on the lid of this well covered story you may find we prefer choosing
politicians for their plumage flapping political colourful rhétorique,
not necessarily legislators legislating with rationality, insight,
foresight, discernment and accountability, an almost extinct species..et
voilà.
David Amos
Reply to @Roland
Godin: Methinks everybody loves a circus with the plumage of the
turkeys flapping as they spout political colourful rhétorique N'esy Pas?
JJ Carrier As
long as CoR Lite reps are in the house the only thing you will get from
them is, well, only support for CoR Lite policies...The last paragraph
says it all..Nine years ago Kris sold his soul for votes and I can say I
was glad I never had to throw him some coverage on it...To see two
CoR-style parties in my lifetime shows me how deep failed ministers can
go to try to bring back N.B. to 60 years ago...
David Amos
Reply to @JJ Carrier: "I can say I was glad I never had to throw him some coverage on it."
Methinks you just said a mouthful about your journalistic integrity N'esy Pas?
Rod McLeod This
is the beauty of a government that is this well balanced. I really hope
the upcoming federal election produces the same result. Scrap the
committee on language. It will just be a further waste of money on a
current waste of money.
David Amos
Reply to @Rod McLeod: Methinks many folks heard this elsewhere today N'esy Pas?
'If Trudeau isn't going to take the advice of the leadership of 59 per
cent of the population, then at least take the advice of the Senate"
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs
discuss their letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about Bill C-48
and Bill C-69. 8:50
Tom
Simpson This is actually amazing! Hopefully this continues in the foreseeable future especially in regards to NB's healthcare.
David Amos
Reply to @Tom
Simpson: Methinks many would agree that its High Time the "Powers That
Be" in NB finally gives me a Health Care Card N'esy Pas?
Mack Leigh There is definitely an " air " of something however I sincerely doubt that it is lasting cooperation..
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: Methinks many would agree that it smells like BS N'esy Pas?
Dianne MacPherson What is this ???
Coming on the heels of the AG's audit/s..........
wouldn't be trying to 'change the subject' would they ?????
David Amos
Reply to @Dianne MacPherson: Methinks many would agree that you are wiser than your years N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell I would expect all members of the Committee would need to be bilingual. No single language Anglophones would ever be welcome.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Lou Bell:
And that is exactly how they will once again control the dialogue and
the outcome... Majority has been forgotten, marginalized and treated as
second class citizens.
Stephen Blunston
Reply to @Lou Bell: worst part is it all to true
Dianne
MacPherson
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
And so too are voters by them having their little confabs without
the Press present .
Where will OUR voice be ????
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Dianne
MacPherson: Sadly the " Press " in NB is biased at best and seem to have
an agenda of their own.. Liberals appear to have bought some media lock
, stock and barrel.. Control the narrative , control the population...
Marc Martin
Reply to @Lou Bell: Ah poor you....
David Amos
Reply to @Marc Martin: Methinks the same could be said of the SANB union dude in you N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell Was
this idea by Mr. Arseneau presented at the last SANB get together ? I
imagine so. Maybe the same one where the Liberals decided to elect the
Security Guard as their leader in a very transparent attempt to appease
enough Anglophones to get their votes. It's gonna backfire big time come
next election.
David Amos
Reply to @Lou Bell: Methinks it too bad so sad that you don't care about my lawsuit involving Mr Vickers N'esy Pas?
Les Cooper So
why after 50 odd years is language a problem? Maybe if we went back to
one language then NB could bring themselves out of debt and move out of
horse and wagon times!
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Les Cooper:
Not really about language.. All about Power and Control for the
Francophone Elite with language being their weapon of choice.. Just
imagine what would happen if First Nations were given all of the
preferential treatment and funding current awarded to Francophones in
this country... Now take that even further and just picture if
every...every person in Canada who speaks a different languages demanded
all of those " Rights" , " Concessions " and " Distinction ".... What
is currently happening is eroding Canada at its' very foundation and
there is no way we will ever be a united country ..
Marc
Martin
Reply to @Les Cooper: We should go back to French ?
Miles Gahan
Reply to @Marc
Martin: No, after spending billions upon billions trying to save it, it
is still dying. The tiny little grope at SANB is still pushing for
billions more to be wasted though.
Roland Godin
Reply to @Miles Gahan:
The sorry part of a dying language is English now mostly replaced by the
U$ lower common English dialect, however good at least to order a hot
dog...eh!
Roland Godin
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
Maybe we could imagine that we are ahead of our times, we must have been
send here as sleeper cells a couple of centuries ago, it just took us
to long to wake up...eh!...et voilà.
Harold Benson
Reply to @Les Cooper: What is the problem with people speaking their own language anyway?
David Amos
Reply to @Les Cooper:
Methinks it would not be a bad place to start. Whereas New Brunswick
has yet to have a Constitution of its own and Quebec questions whether
the Charter is a valid document because nothing was settled in Meech
Lake and Charlottetown Accords it should be a hot topic within a
minority government with four political parties bickering about language
issues N'esy Pas?
Michel Jones
Reply to @Les Cooper:
To move out of horse and wagon time would mean showing interest in the
languages afforded to you by the Constitution under which you live.
Stephen Blunston IT IS ABOUT time they started to work and do what is right for the province
Harold Benson
Reply to @stephen blunston: Tell me when that happens.
David Amos
Reply to @Harold Benson: Methinks we are way past the High Time to do the right but better late than never N'esy Pas?
Marc Martin *"I
don't see how a committee's going to solve that," he said. "I don't see
any further benefit to talking about this more."* Of course he want to
remove all language rights no surprise there.
David Amos
Reply to @Marc Martin: Cry me ariver
Harold Benson We're goona have to put up with these guys aren't we. They are all in cahoots.
David Amos
Reply to @Harold Benson: Nay Not i
Buford
Wilson Blaine is showing the way.
Be in this place.
David Amos
Reply to @Buford
Wilson: Methinks Mr Higgs and his cohorts are uncomfortable with the
fact that I ran against them all in the last election in the "Place To
Be" N'esy Pas?
An air of co-operation has suddenly blown through the New Brunswick legislature
MLAs of different stripes pleased to set up all-party committees on issues like health care, language
An
air of co-operation has suddenly fallen over the New Brunswick
legislature, with MLAs from all four political parties collaborating on
various fronts. (CBC)
Maybe it's the arrival of summer
weather. Maybe it's the Raptors. But there seems to be a new spirit of
togetherness and cross-party co-operation at the New Brunswick
legislature.
As the session winds down and MLAs prepare to adjourn
for the summer, there's suddenly talk of setting up several all-party
committees and caucuses so that members from the four political parties
can work together on complicated issues.
One caucus is already up
and running, with members from the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals,
Greens and People's Alliance meeting informally last week to discuss the
spraying of glyphosate.
A
similar discussion may soon take place on health-care reform after what
Health Minister Ted Flemming called "a sincere offer of collaboration"
from Green Party Leader David Coon.
Green Party Leader David Coon speaks to reporters at the New Brunswick legislature. (CBC)
And Premier Blaine Higgs said he's open to a proposal for a permanent committee of the legislature on official languages.
After
last year's provincial election failed to give any party a majority,
all four parties talked about the need to work together across party
lines.
Instead, the dynamic in the legislature evolved into two
competing camps, with the PC government and the Alliance lining up on
most issues against the Liberals and the Greens.
Now that seems to be changing.
'They have to live together'
University
of Moncton political scientist Roger Ouellette said the simplest
explanation is probably the best one: "Nobody wants an election," he
said. "They have to live together."
J.P. Lewis, associate professor at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, agreed: "They probably want to survive."
The
Liberals and the People's Alliance stand to lose seats if there were a
snap election, Ouellette said. And while the PCs have led in recent
polls and the Greens are showing record-high levels of support, there
are no guarantees that would translate into gains.
Last fall,
Higgs said it was natural to work closely with the Alliance initially
because that party was first to offer its support to keep him in power,
"then you work on the relationships that were more difficult."
The
Blaine Higgs government's willingness to work the Greens could be a
strategic choice to improve how it's viewed by francophones. (CBC)
The PC openness to Green proposals now may be a strategic choice by the Tories to change how they are seen by francophones.
"They may want to detach themselves from Austin" because of his views on language issues, Ouellette said.
The sudden burst of co-operativeness happened in the space of four sitting days last week.
Language, health care and glyphosate
Last
Thursday, Green MLA Kevin Arseneau proposed a standing committee on the
Official Languages Act, pointing out both the House of Commons and
Senate in Ottawa have committees devoted to examining how the federal
legislation is implemented.
He said it would be a way to examine
the issues without the discussion becoming inflamed. The committee could
review whether changes to the act are needed and receive annual reports
from the official languages commissioner.
Green MLA Kevin Arseneau proposed a standing committee on the Official Languages Act. (Radio-Canada)
"Let's have a sincere conversation about where we are and where we're going," he said.
Higgs
said he'll consider the idea, which would require the approval of the
legislature to put in effect. "There may very well be value in doing
that so we'll look at that," he said.
The next day, Coon proposed
another all-party structure: a "caucus" of MLAs from all parties
interested in health care "to help bring about the restructuring we so
badly need."
Flemming immediately endorsed the idea.
"If
there ever was a subject we should get together on, it there ever was a
subject we should together on, it should be our health care," he said.
"If there was a subject we shouldn't politicize, it should be that."
Later
that morning, Energy and Resource Development Minister Mike Holland
revealed to reporters that a similar caucus on natural resources had
already held its first meeting earlier in the week to chat about
glyphosate spraying.
Holland said he wanted to cast as wide a net as possible when formulating policy on everything from shale gas to forestry.
"There's
other parties that have been in power and now there are other parties
in the legislature that have perspectives on it," he said.
'Let's talk about those ideas'
Holding
those discussions in a caucus meeting means they're not seen by the
public — as they would be if they happened in the legislature.
But
Holland said the informal, private nature of the "caucus" allows for a
more candid exchange of views where MLAs could "eat the meat and spit
out the bones" on the issues.
Energy
Minister Mike Holland says the private nature of the caucus would allow
for more open dialogue and idea sharing between MLAs. (CBC)
"I
want to be able to talk to my colleagues and have a chance to sit down
at a table and say, 'Here's what I'm thinking,' bounce ideas around
[and] have a little bit of the freedom outside of the legislature to
say, 'I've got some ideas; you got some ideas? Let's talk about those
ideas.'"
He said Arseneau of the Greens along with Liberals Benoit
Bourque and Andrew Harvey and Alliance MLAs Rick DeSaulniers and
Michelle Conroy attended.
Austin not keen on bilingualism committee
The
PCs may be warming up to Green proposals for co-operation, but Alliance
Leader Kris Austin told reporters he's not interested in the standing
committee on bilingualism.
"I don't see how a committee's going to solve that," he said. "I don't see any further benefit to talking about this more."
Those
objections aside, Ouellette said all the cross-party discussion — even
if strategically driven — could lead to better decisions.
"Everyone can have a partisan motive, but it can still have a positive effect," he said.
Lewis agreed that the strategic interpretation is "kind of cynical" and any signs of co-operation should be applauded.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment