New Brunswick Election Update
The New Brunswick provincial election is nearing the half-way point, 14 days into the campaign, and 18 days from election day. Advance polls start in nine days, so leaders are working to solidify identified vote, and begin get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts in earnest.
The Liberal Party
The Liberal Party, led by Opposition Leader Susan Holt, has made several campaign commitments thus far, including:
- Improved wages for elder care workers, additional supports to family caregivers, and improved homecare support. Also, a pledge to reduce wait times for mental health care.
- Leveraging federal funding to enhance cell phone coverage and high-speed internet.
- A new ten-year education plan, and a recruitment and retention plan for teachers, bus drivers and other educational staff
- An overhaul of the provincial property tax system.
- A three percent rent cap, new affordable housing units, and elimination of provincial tax on new, multi-unit housing builds.
- Eliminating the provincial tax on energy bills.
- Nurse and doctor recruitment initiatives, and additional collaborative care clinics.
The Progressive Conservatives
The Progressive Conservatives, led by incumbent Premier Blaine Higgs, have announced the following:
- Reducing the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) from 15% to 13%.
- No new supervised drug injection sites.
- A three-point plan regarding addictions which includes a bill to create the Compassionate Intervention act, building a new 50-bed treatment facility and building an addiction treatment unit at the new Minto jail.
- Enhanced financial literacy for students, as part of the provincial curriculum.
- A renewed court challenge against the carbon tax.
The Green Party
The Green Party, led by David Coon, have made several commitments including:
- A universal school breakfast and lunch program.
- Reducing the small business tax rate from 2.5% to 1%, and raising threshold rate for higher corporate taxes from $500,000 to $700,000.
- A right to a healthy environment, enshrined in law.
- A green climate protection plan.
- A new sustainable forestry management plan, which would include shared decision-making with First Nations, ending herbicide spraying, and ending clear-cutting of forests.
A permanent rent cap of a maximum of 2.5%, and incentives for private developers to develop low-income housing.
In Closing
The latest information from Mainstreet Research’s dashboard shows the Liberal Party at 44.1% approval, the PCs at 37.3%, and the Green Party at 14.2%. The two major party leaders have had to contend with issues management concerns. The PCs have had some unwanted exposure via candidates deviating from message, while the Liberals have been called out by media and others over their costing methodology.
Advance polls begin on October 12th, so most additional, major policy planks will be released by the parties in advance of that date.