Election forum in Sackville hears how parties would pay for their campaign promises

 
Posted on October 11, 2024 by brucewark
 
 

L-R: Green Megan Mitton, New Democrat Evelyne Godfrey, Libertarian Donna Allen, PC Bruce Phinney, Liberal John Higham

Sackville resident Bill Carroll challenged the five candidates running in Tantramar to identify what their parties would cut to pay for their campaign promises in the provincial election on October 21st.

Carroll’s question came near the mid-point of a two-hour all-candidates’ forum on Wednesday at Sackville’s Civic Centre.

“It’s election time,” he said, “the platforms are out there, the parties are promising two chickens in every pot, there’s going to be a car in every driveway, there’s going to be a reduction in HST, there’s going to be so many good things flowing,” Carroll said, referring specifically to the Progressive Conservative promise to cut provincial sales taxes by two percentage points over the next two years.

“In a balanced-budget world, where’s the money going to come from?” Carroll asked.

“So I ask the candidates, name a program or two that you’re going to cut funding from so that we can get all these grand financial benefits.”

Green answer

Green candidate Megan Mitton

“An example of something that we can cut is to cancel the power subsidies to pulp mills and use the savings to provide low-income individuals and families with monthly rebates on their power bills to offset electricity rate increases,” said Green Party candidate Megan Mitton.

“And rather than what the Liberal platform is suggesting, which is to cut it across the board, this is more targeted towards those who need it the most,” she added.

Mitton also mentioned eliminating subsidies to companies that put their profits in off-shore tax havens to avoid paying taxes in New Brunswick.

NOTE: According to documents filed with Elections NB, Green promises — outlined in the Green platform — would cost just over $3.2 billion over four years.

PC response

PC candidate Bruce Phinney

Progressive Conservative candidate Bruce Phinney suggested his party’s promise to cut the HST, which would reduce government revenues over the next four years by $1.5 billion, may be offset by an increase in population as well as shifting money around in government departments.

“The only promise that actually has been made is the HST [cut] from the Higgs government so far,” Phinney said.

NOTE: The PCs are also promising to make regulatory changes to expand the scope of practice of medical professionals such as nurse practitioners, registered nurses, paramedics and pharmacists allowing them to take on more duties as a way of shortening wait times for patients who need primary care. They calculate that this promise would cost just over $98 million over four years. In addition, the PCs promise to invest $45 million over four years on drug treatment and rehabilitation programs. According to documents filed with Elections NB, PC promises would cost just over $1.7 billion over four years.

Libertarian answer

Libertarian candidate Donna Allen

“I’m really excited to talk to you,” Libertarian candidate Donna Allen said to Bill Carroll.

“Our party leader for the Libertarians wants to cut the government in half,” she added.

“We have unnecessary committees and a couple of weeks ago, they gave them $10 million,” Allen said.

“We don’t know what the committee’s for. It’s just $10 million that’s gone. So, he wants to start right there and cut the government right in half,” she said.

“So, that’s going to be, I’d say, millions of dollars in savings.”

NOTE: The New Brunswick government’s latest budget projects that spending this year will total $13.3 billion with additional capital spending of $1.2 billion.

Liberal response

Liberal candidate John Higham

“We’ve costed our commitments out to $300 million,” said Liberal candidate John Higham referring to the annual cost of promises outlined in the Liberal platform.

He pointed out that the PC promise to reduce provincial sales tax would cost $450 million per year.

“Mr. Higgs has said he’s not going to have any issue with that,” he said, adding that the PC leader knows that more budget surpluses are on the way and so he decided to take $450 million out of that.

“So, there is no issue for us to meet that $300 million given the way the economy has gone in the last four or five years,” Higham said.

“We’re not going to be anywhere near to spending more money than we have.”

NOTE: According to documents filed with Elections NB, Liberal promises would cost almost $1.3 billion over four years.

NDP answer

NDP candidate Evelyne Godfrey

“I said I was very proud of the platform that our leader Alex White has put together for this election,” said NDP candidate Evelyne Godfrey.

“One of the reasons why I’m very proud of it is that it is fully costed,” she added, referring to the financial projections on the last two pages of the NDP platform.

“We tell you exactly how we’ll pay for everything that we’ve pledged,” she said.

“We’ll be taxing the top one per cent, we’ll be closing tax loopholes, we’ll be making banks and big businesses pay their fair share,” she added.

Godfrey mentioned that taxing the top one per cent of income earners would raise $100 million every year, while closing tax loopholes would raise $104 million and making the banks and big corporations pay more would raise $163 million annually.

NOTE: According to documents filed with Elections NB, NDP promises would cost almost $1.1 billion over four years.

CFTA, 107.9 FM will be broadcasting the all-candidates’ forum from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday.

To listen to a recording on the CHMA-FM website, click here.

This entry was posted in New Brunswick election 2024, Town of Sackville and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Election forum in Sackville hears how parties would pay for their campaign promises

  1. Percy Best says:
    October 11, 2024 at 10:25 pm

    Cutting the HST by 2% points primarily helps those that have lots of money to spend. It is not that helpful to lower income seniors or certainly for grocery purchases which are not taxed.

    Higgs had 6 years to get his act together and he failed miserably, except for looking after his corporate friends.

    Only ten days to go before he gets his walking papers. It will certainly be a time to celebrate!!

    Reply
    • S.A. Cunliffe says:
      October 12, 2024 at 4:29 pm

      Percy — isn’t it reasonable to suggest that property taxes be removed… or do you think seniors being taxed so highly they can’t pay and will lose their lifelong homes is fair play or just for our society? One day I know the people who are shocked at this suggestion will wonder why we never thought of it before. The taxation is likely the only reason I believe most people are struggling because they haven’t fully grasped just how much taxation they are hit with. No governments are our friends at this point.. little discounts aren’t going to cut it.

      Reply
      • Sharon Hicks says:
        October 12, 2024 at 7:02 pm

        Looking at this realistically, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of any municipality’s budget is based on income from property taxes. If such taxes are completely removed, as the Libertarian party apparently would like to do, then many municipal services would have to be cut. Just which ones do you suggest those should be?

        Without adequate funds to budget, the first cuts would be the WANTS of a community – such as parks & playgrounds, grants to local businesses and organizations, skating rinks and other recreational facilities, special projects such as walking trails, skate parks, and the like. That would be necessary in order to have enough funds to look after the NEEDS of a community – police department, fire department, road building and maintenance, etc.

        So, when you give it more serious consideration, would it really be ‘reasonable’ to remove property taxes?

  2. S.A. Cunliffe says:
    October 12, 2024 at 3:17 pm

    See..

    https://blogs.unb.ca/newsroom/2023/06/chancellor-maclauchlan.php

    $62million given to UNB law for what? #DefundAcademia UNB Chancellor Wade is the former PEI premier, Trudeau Foundation “mentor” and big time Liberal crony.

    “Provincial, federal and university officials announced a joint investment of more than $62 million to renovate the Justice Building in Fredericton to become the site of the University of New Brunswick’s faculty of law.

    This investment will refurbish one of the province’s most historic buildings so it can become a new home for the faculty of law which will grow to at least 350 students over the next five years. Transitioning the building into a site that provides legal services to the public while educating the next generation of New Brunswick leaders is a positive development for the future of our province.

    https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2023.06.0323.html”

    Donna Allen is right on when she talks about reducing government and all the money spent needlessly and wrecklessly.. and wastefully here when the people are struggling and in need… and pitted against each other… there is so much corruption and waste it is staggering .. for the record Werner Bock now deceased described New Brunswick as the most corrupt place in the world after his experiences with the authorities as a rancher who came here in the 60s from Germany – that says a lot but from anyone who is paying attention – and many are not and that suits the government just fine – this systemtic corruption runs very deep.
    New Brunswick is a swamp.

    Reply
    • David Raymond Amos says:
      Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.
      October 12, 2024 at 10:32 pm

      Its interesting that you keep mentioning Werner Bock as if you knew him Yet fail to admit that Mitton is my cousin

      Reply