N.B. premier says she won't stay in office past 2 terms
In year-end interview, Holt discusses free votes for her caucus and how long she plans to stay in office
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says she plans to stay in office for a maximum of two terms — if the increasingly polarized and impatient political climate allows even that.
Holt told CBC News in a year-end interview that she recognizes her current popularity, and the good will of New Brunswickers, won't last forever.
"We're expecting it to end any minute now," she joked, "because that's the reality of politics."
The new premier said she's hopeful that New Brunswickers will see her keeping promises — from improving health care, housing and education to relatively quicker measures like a cap on rents and the removal of the HST from power bills — and re-elect her in 2028..
But if she does win a second majority mandate, it will be her last.
"I don't have any plans to serve for a third term. I don't know if my my family would last for eight years," she said.
"So really we're just focused on delivering right now to the commitments we made to New Brunswickers."
Holt emphasized that the two-term maximum is "for me," suggesting she hopes to hand off to a successor as Liberal leader who can lead the party to another win.
Her majority victory in the Oct. 21 provincial election was the most lopsided win in New Brunswick since 2010, and the biggest winning margin for the Liberal Party since 1995.
In a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute, 53 per cent of respondents said they approved of her performance as premier so far, compared to 28 per cent who disapproved.
That put her in third place among Canadian premiers for approval ratings — a contrast to former premier Blaine Higgs, who frequently was near the bottom of the Angus Reid rankings.
But there's no guarantee Holt's popularity will last.
No New Brunswick premier has managed to win two consecutive majority governments since Progressive Conservative Bernard Lord — and even Lord barely scraped back in with a one-seat majority for his second mandate.
Holt says it's become easier for an impatient electorate to get angry and to express it.
"It feels like you're getting shorter and shorter attention spans, and I don't know if it's social media, or the news cycle, or who knows what, but we're getting more empowered and we have more agency to express discontent," she said.
"We have more access to information than we've ever had. And when people aren't satisfied, they make it known and they look for change."
Holt says she hopes her plan to give her Liberal MLAs more latitude on how they vote in the legislature will help counter voter cynicism.
The Liberal election platform did not include a commitment to free votes, but the premier says members of her caucus will be able to vote as they feel their constituents want on issues that weren't covered by campaign promises.
"Members should vote in the way that best represents their constituency," she said.
"They're there on behalf of a group of people that elected them. And their votes should reflect what that group of people would want them to do."
Bernard Lord was the last New Brunswick premier to win two consecutive majority governments. (Radio-Canada)
Alex Marland, a political scientist at Acadia University who studies party caucus dynamics, says Holt's commitment is "something that will probably be refined the longer she's premier."
Premiers "very much want and need everybody singing from the same song sheet," Marland said.
"It is very, very confusing for the public to hear someone from the governing party's caucus criticize or go offside with what the government is doing."
Holt said even cabinet ministers will be allowed to vote in certain cases "in the ways that the people who elected them would have wanted them to, assuming it is not a matter of a cabinet decision that's been made collectively that they're expected to uphold."
In 2023, four cabinet ministers in the Higgs Progressive Conservative government broke ranks to support a non-binding Liberal motion calling for more study of changes to Policy 713.
Two later resigned, and Premier Blaine Higgs dropped the other two from cabinet in a shuffle, saying they had crossed a line.
But Holt said on a non-binding motion unrelated to a cabinet decision or platform promise, "everyone will have the opportunity to vote in the way their constituents want them to."
Repeated examples of that might even give the government an indication that it needs to rethink whether it's properly reflecting the values of New Brunswick, Holt said.
"But every member of my team knows that they are there to look after the people that put them there first, and they come to the table bringing that voice, and we will ideally have great discussions and find consensus and compromise in a way forward."
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David Amos
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Holt told CBC News in a year-end interview that she recognizes her current popularity, and the good will of New Brunswickers, won't last forever.
"We're expecting it to end any minute now," she joked, "because that's the reality of politics."
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"Holt told CBC News in a year-end interview that she recognizes her current popularity, and the good will of New Brunswickers, won't last forever.
"We're expecting it to end any minute now," she joked, "because that's the reality of politics."
HMMM
CBC News · Posted: Dec 28, 2024
Fundy Albert mayor resigns, blaming province
Bob Rochon cites amalgamation challenges in letter
David Amos
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Methinks somebody is counting her chickens before they hatch N'esy Pas?
Allan Marven
Reply to David Amos
Most likely judging by history.
Denis Reagan
Reply to David Amos
She hasn't crossed the road yet. Give her time.
David Amos
Reply to Denis Reagan
She already has several times
Denis Reagan
Reply to David Amos
Then we have to know why. So far few people can tell us why the chicken did so.
David Amos
Reply to Denis Reagan
Everybody knows why I am not permitted to do so
Reply to David Amos
Say lah vee eh?
David Amos
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Mais Oui
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Et moi aussi. (Foreign language soon to be dumped. I repeat: fore...................................
David Amos
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Methinks Minister Leblanc and his buddy Trudeau The Younger must admit that we will always have Chiac in my not so happy hunting grounds N'esy Pas?
Reply to Denis van humbeck
Holt repeated the balanced budget promise many times during this year's election campaign but never specified that it did not apply to the current 2024-25 fiscal year — even when questions from reporters gave her ample opportunity to clarify the point.
In a year-end interview with CBC News, the premier said the Liberals "talked pretty broadly" about things, suggesting that was why she hadn't been more specific.
Reply to BB Louie
"We're expecting it to end any minute now," she joked, "because that's the reality of politics."
Very rich of her to assume a second term is a given.
Tom Campbell
Reply to Jamie Smith
That's what I was thinking too.
David Amos
Reply to Jamie Smith
It made my day
I have Jacques Poitras' book The Right Fight..a good factual book in my estimation for those who might want to dump on his perceived loyalties.
Eric Hamilton
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
Who’s loyalties ?
Don Corey
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
His loyalties are fact; not perceived.
David Amos
Reply to Don Corey
Ditto
Good news. Better news would be 1 term.
David Amos
Reply to Les Cooper
Yup
Allan Marven
National page news.
"Betting on Trump pardon, convicted Jan. 6 rioter hits the slopes in Canada"
At least we are getting a handle on border security. He wouldn't have come in thru Alberta would he have?
David Amos
Reply to Allan Marven
Too Too Funny
Fundy Albert mayor resigns, blaming province
Bob Rochon cites amalgamation challenges in letter
Sam Farley · CBC News · Posted: Dec 28, 2024
Reply to David Amos
Fundy Albert mayor resigns, blaming province
N.B. commission turns down Fredericton's request to help settle pool-funding squabble
Latest cost estimate for new aquatic centre stands at $74.2M
CBC News · Posted: Jan 02, 2025
Greg Miller
I wouldn't give it too much thought -- we've had a number of one-term premiers.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Greg Miller
Once is enough for some like Douggie. How do we not see the damage done before electing him again?
Archie Mac
Reply to Greg Miller
You're absolutely right! One-term premiers are not uncommon in political history. It can happen for various reasons—changes in public opinion, shifts in political dynamics, internal party struggles, or broader national events. In many cases, a single term doesn't necessarily mean a lack of effectiveness, but could reflect challenges or circumstances that prevent them from securing a second term.
Do you have a specific premier in mind that you were thinking of, or are you reflecting more generally on political trends?
RD Atkinson
Reply to Greg Miller
I like the precedent it would establish. It is about time to re-establish good precedents, we've seen enough of their opposite.
Will delorme
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Gordon MacFarlane
Reply to Will delorme
I prefer the term, " our out going PM" or "soon to be ex PM"
Will delorme
Reply to Gordon MacFarlane
Un was bad, deux was worse, there cannot be a trois.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Archie Mac
If you want us not to think you are not the same person under multiple accounts you should space out the posts under those various names, and get a little more creative with your account name, don't just abbreviate ones you have already used, you are better than that........... maybe.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Archie Mac
What software are you using to produce the posts you use under this account?
Ronald Miller
Reply to Gordon MacFarlane
Our ex premier Blaine Higgs was a one time majority winner. Offering Austin a cabinet position to join the PCs helped him win a majority in 2020 by wiping out the PA party.
Allan Marven
Reply to Greg Miller
First time in a long time a running premier lost his seat as well . Btw what became of Lou?
Gordon MacFarlane
Reply to Will delorme
The quote from Heart of Darkness springs to mind
The horror the horror
walter williams
Reply to Denis Reagan
Ford is going to win a third massive majority, it must be lonely for the few who think otherwise.
David Amos
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Reply to Gordon MacFarlane
Marlon Brando said those words the best
David Amos
Reply to Will delorme
So you say
Will delorme
Reply to David Amos
Yep, I sure did.
But there are some who are so blind in their loyalty that will want that.
David Amos
Reply to Will delorme
C'est Vrai
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Will delorme
Do you know who I ran against?
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Allan Marven
"Btw what became of Lou?"
Speak of the devil and it will appear usually around the Midnight Hour in order to secure the last words on any topic that suits her agenda
Ronald Miller
Reply to Ronald Miller
Someone's math is not very good, even under someone else's account name.
Archie Mac
Reply to Ronald Miller
It seems like you're referring to something about accounts or usernames, but I want to clarify that I'm just one entity here to assist you! I don’t operate under multiple accounts or personas—it's all me.
However, if you're seeking creative suggestions for account names or a unique way to express yourself online, I’d be happy to brainstorm with you.
Archie Mac
Reply to Ronald Miller
It seems like you're referring to something about accounts or usernames, but I want to clarify that I'm just one entity here to assist you! I don’t operate under multiple accounts or personas—it's all me.
However, if you're seeking creative suggestions for account names or a unique way to express yourself online, I’d be happy to brainstorm with you.
Denis van humbeck
Reply to Will delorme
Like the Americans are.
Denis van humbeck
I miss Harper and Chretien and Reagan, Clinton and Bush.
Albalita Star
Reply to Denis van humbeck
Well batting 3 for 5 would get you a big contract in the MLB...
Bob Enrob
Reply to Denis van humbeck
Harper, Martin, Chretien, Campbell, Mulroney, Turner, Clark, Sr and so on were all better the what we have now..
Denis Reagan
Reply to Bob Enrob
Harper, Mulwhoney,? Couldn't be worse. Envelope please?
Bob Enrob
Reply to Denis Reagan
The current guy is way way worse.. From fiscal policy, to general policy and actually governing its not even close. But its a very low bar right now
Bob Enrob
Reply to Denis Reagan
Id even extended that to current and former Premiers in modern times, I can't think of any that were worse.. Not a fan of Quebec or Alberta politics and still better.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Denis Reagan
Yes Prime Minister Mulwhoney
Denis Reagan
Reply to Ronald Miller
I prefer the "who". I try hard to forget about him and his super buddy Reagan.
Bob Enrob
Reply to Denis Reagan
You would have a very valid point, until jayt.. And nothing partisan, I was a fan of Martin and Chretien.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Bob Enrob
I was also (and even came close to drifting right to Clarke at around that time).
Bob Enrob
Reply to Denis Reagan
Its amazing how much damage the current guy has done to the party. I wonder if they'll be able to rebuild? the OLP is pretty well in that boat
Allan Marven
Reply to Denis van humbeck
I don't miss any of them at all.
David Amos
Reply to Allan Marven
Nor I
Don Corey
Reply to Allan Marven
The 2025 federal election results will not be kind to the under achieving LPC. They will all be deserving of the wonderful fate that Canadian voters will bestow on them.
And the sooner the better.
If anyone thinks, that 2025 is going to be better, then think again. This so called BUSINESS and more is directly responsible for what is transpiring today. As far as any ole Politician that thinks their party is going to fix it, thats insane. Too many years in the making by all these great educated and BUSINESS folks, plus politicians failed us that has got us here in the first place. Enjoy high taxes, and death. 12-15 years ago, if you talked openly like this, you were considered a hothead or worse. Increase those taxes more and more, make the cost of living more. Make it unsustainable, then stand back and enjoy your piece of the pie. You can only laugh, at our great leaders and the so called Educated Business folks. Rant for the day. LOL
Ted DiBlase
Reply to Shawn Tabor
Happy new year Shawn.
David Amos
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Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose N'esy Pas?
Denis van humbeck
Reply to Shawn Tabor
Spot on. Todays economists should not even call themselves economists. Their belies is what will cause another stock market crash like 1929. All the rules for the stock markets put in place by Roosevelt were repealed.
you lost mine already for backing rich people on gas clause.......while your taxpayers continue to pay up.................
David Amos
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Reply to Dan Lee
Wow that didn't take you long to change your mind
Gary Melanson
She'll stay in long enough to amass more debt for NBers, hire and enrich her friends and qualify for a pension. She's a job jumper.
Deborah Reddon
Reply to Gary Melanson
Excuse me but it sounds like you're talking about Blaine Higgs. His goal was always to ensure his Irving friends were treated better than citizens, that he should bring in religious zealots from out of Province and make them candidates for MLA rather than allow persons from within the community to run. Oh, and let's see, he managed to hire someone from Alberta to hold down 2 jobs for 2 salaries; one was in his Office and the other was in the Conservative Party. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Team Holt has a more collegial approach and they are very very transparent about what's going on.
Deborah Reddon
Reply to Gary Melanson
I suspect you think when a male moves to various positions gaining experience and knowledge that's a good thing but when a female does it she's a job jumper. How archaic.
Akimbo Alogo
Reply to Deborah Reddon
Any post that starts with "excuse me" is instantly invalid.
Gary Melanson
Reply to Deborah Reddon
I'd say the same thing about a Male if they constantly jumped around from one employer to the next.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Deborah Reddon
His goal was to work with Irving the same way all other premiers have, wake up. What religious zealots were brought in from out of province to make them candidates? You realize a premier can't make a MLA, they must be voted in. He hired someone to run the premier's office as all premier's do, what salaries are paid for by any party is their business within the party for the 2nd salary, it is not taxpayer money. If Susie are so transparent why were we finding out things about the carbon adjustor from the leader of the NS Liberal party?
David Amos
Reply to Gary Melanson
Me too
Steve Onuluk
She doesn't have to worry about a 2nd term. Shes not keeping her promises already.
Deborah Reddon
Reply to Steve Onuluk
You betcha she is keeping her promises. She did more in 6 weeks then Higgs & Co did in 6 years.
Kate LeBlanc
Reply to Steve Onuluk
Mr. Impatient. Didn't get what YOU wanted for Christmas either i Bet.
Akimbo Alogo
Reply to Deborah Reddon
You're right....shes done more harm, for certain.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Deborah Reddon
She has been breaking promises at a record rate, she started doing it less than 24 hours after being elected. I suggest you stop drinking the Xmas tree water.
Jack Bell
Reply to Deborah Reddon
"She did more in 6 weeks then Higgs & Co did in 6 years."
Accrue more debt in 6 weeks than Higgs & Co in 6 years.
David Amos
Reply to Jack Bell
"Premier Susan Holt is defending what now appears to have been a carefully ambiguous election promise to balance the provincial budget in every year of her mandate.
Holt repeated the balanced budget promise many times during this year's election campaign but never specified that it did not apply to the current 2024-25 fiscal year — even when questions from reporters gave her ample opportunity to clarify the point.
In a year-end interview with CBC News, the premier said the Liberals "talked pretty broadly" about things, suggesting that was why she hadn't been more specific."
Zoe Richmond
Cool! I'm betting one and done.
David Amos
Reply to Zoe Richmond
Me too
Jimmy Cochrane
She'll do exactly what her handlers tell her to do and exactly what NB's "green party" tell her to do.
Deborah Reddon
Reply to Jimmy Cochrane
Ha Ha, that's funny. Team Holt wins a landslide victory and you make it sound like she needs the Green Party??? It will take the Conservative Party a long time to recover from the chaos left by Higgs & Co. Amalgamation is just one of many things he started and never finished leaving many residents hanging in purgatory.
Don Corey
Reply to Jimmy Cochrane
That’s what the greenie leader was hoping for. His wish did not come true.
David Amos
Reply to Deborah Reddon
"Amalgamation is just one of many things he started and never finished leaving many residents hanging in purgatory."
Yup
Daniel Henwell
She'll do what the empire tells her to.
David Amos
Reply to Daniel Henwell
They all do
N.B. premier defends ambiguous promise on balanced budgets
Nurse bonuses were more important than avoiding deficit this year, Susan Holt says in year-end interview
Premier Susan Holt is defending what now appears to have been a carefully ambiguous election promise to balance the provincial budget in every year of her mandate.
Holt repeated the balanced budget promise many times during this year's election campaign but never specified that it did not apply to the current 2024-25 fiscal year — even when questions from reporters gave her ample opportunity to clarify the point.
In a year-end interview with CBC News, the premier said the Liberals "talked pretty broadly" about things, suggesting that was why she hadn't been more specific.
The promise to balance budgets in every year of the government's mandate referred to "the budgets that we were putting together and that we were going to be governing based on," she said.
By that logic, this year, covered by a budget delivered by the previous Progressive Conservative government in March, doesn't count.
Just days after the government was sworn in, Finance Minister René Legacy announced that as of Sept. 30, the province was on track for a $92.1 million deficit this year.
Holt said that figure surprised her, though she decided to honour the commitment to $10,000-per-nurse retention bonuses at a cost of $74 million — $60 million of which is new spending that will be added to this year's bottom line.
Holt promised the bonuses on Sept. 20, the second day of the election campaign, at a time when the PCs had already projected a $27.6 million deficit for the year.
She brushed off questions at the time about whether she'd send out the bonuses if there was still a deficit, and if she was willing to run an even larger deficit to do it.
Susan Holt defends ambiguous campaign promise on balanced budgets "We have committed to balanced budgets every year," she said at the Sept. 20 event in Oromocto, without mentioning that the promise didn't cover the current year.
Holt said the cost to the health-care system of losing nurses would be "so much greater" than the expense of the retention payments.
But she reminded reporters that over the last four years, the PC Higgs government projected small surpluses or deficits, only to have a flood of federal tax remittances boost revenues and create large surpluses — which she implied would happen again.
"We have very little faith in the premier's deficit projections because they have proven time and time again that they have forecasted deficits and then delivered an exceptional surplus," she said Sept. 20.
"We believe that our projections for revenue and for expenses for the next fiscal year — for this fiscal year that we're in — allow the space for this $74 million investment in the retention of our nurses."
That assertion appears to have been mistaken, with Legacy saying the government was "thus far … not seeing the major swings in the revenue that we have seen over the past few years."
In the year-end interview, Holt said the federal remittances are "fairly challenging to predict" but she expected the amount to be "a little less than in previous years."
She wouldn't say whether it would be enough to eliminate the projected deficit.
There were no surprises in the final budget before the election from Ernie Steeves, who was the PC finance minister at the time. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
"I mean there's lots of things that we learn every day about revenues that are coming in that we hadn't expected and expenses that are coming in that we hadn't expected," Holt said.
"It's something that fluctuates on — feels like — a week-by-week basis right now," she said.
"And so we're making the adjustments that we can make in order to get as close to balance as possible, but we're focused on delivering on our promises to New Brunswickers."
Acadia University political scientist Alex Marland, who studies political campaign messages, said there's a long history of new governments realizing that some issues were a lot harder to deal with than they expected.
"I think it's reasonable that you don't have full accountability for something when a lot of the decisions being made and a lot of the details were things you were not directly involved in," he said.
"I think that giving people a free pass for a little bit when they first form government is reasonable."
Holt said voters clearly felt in the Oct. 21 election that health care was "their first priority" and that's why it was important for the retention bonuses "to come in as quickly as possible" even in a year with a budget deficit.
New Brunswick hasn't run a budget deficit since 2016-17, the second-last year under the previous Liberal government of Brian Gallant.
Seven consecutive surpluses followed, including a $1 billion surplus in 2022-23 — results that prompted criticism the Higgs PCs were unwilling to spend their revenue windfall to address crises in health care and other areas.
"We're excited to deliver on that commitment to nurses, and we have another number of months to work out some of the fiscal realities that we've been passed on from the previous government," Holt said in the year-end interview.
"We're going to do our very best to work those out."
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