New Brunswick Politics

[Via The Globe and Mail]

It looks as though the debate on Senate reform has officially begun. And though I am very much in favour of this long overdue reform, I don't like the thought of reforming the Senate through an incremental approach. (appointing senators based on provincial advice) And I'll tell you why.

First, since the policy would be done on a voluntary basis by the sitting Prime Minister of the day, it leaves the policy very open to personal interpretation by whoever succeeds him. In other words, the policy may be negated by the next Prime Minister. For example, Brian Mulroney appointed "one" senator from Alberta when he was PM, but the practice wasn't followed by Prime Minister Chretien, nor was it adopted by Martin. So for those who argue in favour of incrementalism as a way to begin change to a fully operational Triple E senate, you should think again.

Secondly, a Prime Minister should not be at the mercy of taking advice from provincial bodies on federal matters. For example, if a sovereignist government in Quebec decided to chose a list of individuals who all were proponents of separation, would the incremental approach work in this case? I don't think so as it only allows for major problems to occur. Also, this incremantal approach places more power in the hands of the provinces, and given the enormous constitutional power of the senate, could lead to a weakened federalist state. In others words, accountability of the senate would become an impossible task as it would be primarily controlled by the provinces.

Thirdly, provincial legislatures change as does the philosophy of those who run them. With this in mind, it leaves the whole provincial senate appointment process open to attack by those premiers who do not share in its' piecemeal process (i.e. Premier Dalton McGuinty has suggested that the Senate be abolished). As well, over time, lack of accountability would become a major issue as a provincially appointed senate would most likely be an activist one and would be governed by different partisan faction from specific provincial sections. As well, there is no indication that if senators were "elected" and then appointed by the provinces, that they would be subject to any measure of re-election since they are able to sit until the age of 75. (Unless, as the Tories suggest, there are term limits) But since nothing has been moved, or more simply stated, these members would not have to face the electorate ever again. And as a result, they would not feel the same urgency to do the right thing and be accountable as those who were fixed in term positions and would have to be re-elected by the people.

I guess that is why I believe that the Senate should be reformed through a direct constitutional approach where amendments would steer the process and not through a messy and unstable piecemeal(incremental) process. Let's hope Harper choses the latter route as a model for change.

Cross-posted at the Sorry Centrist

Posted by scott at 1:50 PM | Permalink | |

In light of the announcement that the Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton would stop doing abortions for the foreseeable future, this issue has once again come to the forefront.

I’ll get my biases out of the way up front. Short of the mother’s life being in mortal danger, I can’t think of any valid reason for taking the life of another human being particularly that of a baby. There’s good reason the mainstream media won’t show video and pictures of the abortion medical procedures. The babies are either mummified or dismembered as they are sucked out. Horrific, and I suspect most supporters of abortion know that there would be a far greater public outcry if the exact aspects of the procedure were known. Since we generally have a pretty liberal media, don’t expect that to change soon.

That aside, Henry Morgentaler, ironically a Holocaust survivor himself, wants the New Brunswick Government to pay his private clinic to do abortions. The argument is being made that this is because it is so tough to get an abortion in N.B. However he was trying to get this when Fredericton AND Moncton were doing abortions so it is not a new fight on his part. The previous Federal Liberals were threatening to hold back health fund transfers to N.B. unless the Province capitulated. So far they have not and it is hard to say what the new Federal Government will do.

Why should taxpayers be funding an elective procedure at a private clinic? Long waiting times? What about the countless cancer patients who travel at their own expense to other provinces and countries to get the treatments needed to SAVE their lives because of the backlog in New Brunswick? If the province does not fund private cancer treatment, or other services like private physiotherapy, and private family counseling, why should taxpayers fund a private abortion clinic? This is one issue Bernard Lord and Camille Theriault and Frank McKenna before him are and were right about. Taxpayers shouldn’t be funding a private abortion clinic…period.

Posted by Spinks at 8:10 PM | Permalink | |

GLOBE AND MAIL columnist Jeffrey Simpson on the Kyoto agreement:

Kyoto is dead because 35 of 163 countries that signed the original accord won't collectively meet their greenhouse-gas targets. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said as much, and he's as keen on combatting climate change as any major world leader.

Canada, of course, is arguably the worst offender among the signatories. Canada was supposed to have reduced its carbon emissions by 6 per cent. Instead, they have grown by 24 per cent, according to United Nations figures, and by 35 per cent, according to the Harper government.

Either way, it's been a terrible record, compiled under the Liberals who are now waxing indignant that the Conservatives are admitting what the Liberals were too cowardly to admit: Canada hasn't a hope of meeting those original targets.

And that column was written before this Ipsos-Reid poll came out. And since 68 per cent of Canadians say "they don't know any of the details" of the accord, I believe it is time to seek better options for the environment.

Posted by scott at 2:16 PM | Permalink | |

KNOCKING AROUND GOOD ideas on economic development in New Brunswick is pretty much a staple of many left leaning anonymous commenters in the blogosphere these days. And to date, I've always just tried to ignore them and so far I've seldom partaken in this senseless debate. But unfortunately, this week, I couldn't help but notice the increased amount of petulance toward the Atlantica project and many other good ideas which were bandied about by reasonable economic thinkers in this province.

But let us not make the opposite error of reposting the coerced protestations of these individuals against next months trade talks in Saint John. It is surely naive of anyone to think that the Atlantic provinces could possibly afford to lose an important trade junket over the needling of the short-sighted left regarding big corporation and their influence on our so-called "way of life". More importantly, let's allow Moncton economist David Campbell (aka It's the Economy Stupid!) to put the week of leftist mutterings into better perspective...

Can you believe there is actually an organized movement against Atlantica? I find this the most amazing thing I have heard in a long, long time. New Brunswick has not had average - just national average - population growth since Confederation and there are organized attempts to crush a few small efforts to move the area forward.

What the bleep are they worried about? That furthern integration with Maine will lead to a dilution of our culture and values? Cripes, 14 straight years of net out-migration will corrode culture and values more than any theoretical issues related to Atlantica.

I'm convinced that there is a segment of society so entrenched in ideology that no person or province will get in their way. I, for one, have thrown ideology to the wind in favour of action and effort.

Posted by scott at 9:24 PM | Permalink | |

[Via Toronto Sun]

MORE ON THE National Post's recent mea culpa. The Toronto (Red) Star reports, "the National Post claimed that a new law passed by the Iranian parliament required Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges (yellow) identifying them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. Yesterday, the paper said the story was not true, but not before Harper told reporters that the Iranian regime was very capable of such a thing, and compared it to Nazi Germany."

Alright, so there was a bit of confusion and misreporting on behalf of the National Post. They apologized for the error. But before everyone jumps the gun on this bogus yellow star story and decides to automatially exonerate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his tyranical Iranian regime, I would seriously advise you to take a glance at this. It looks as though they are still guilty mistreating their religious minorities.

And though I don't make it a habit to quote the Toronto Sun's pseudo journalist Rachel Marsden, she just happened to hit the nail right on the head in her column today when she wrote, " Iran is run by premium grade nuts. And I say it's time to get crackin'."

Cross-posted to the Sorry Centrist

Posted by scott at 8:32 PM | Permalink | |

[Cross-posted to The Sorry Centrist]

EVEN THOUGH I agree 100 per cent with Harper's recent assessment of the Ottawa press gallery where he said, "I have trouble believing that a Liberal prime minister would have this problem", unfortunately, there is a side of me that is convinced that a majority of this dispute resonates from his very unpredictable personality. In fact, this whole messy ordeal reminded me of an old excerpt from Preston Manning's book Think Big regarding the Prime Minister;

The positives are impressive: he has a brilliant strategic mind, a sound grasp of public policy, and good communication skills in both French and English. The negatives - his mistrust of the grassroots, his tendency not to be a team player in his early years, and the tendency to withdraw - are manageable if they are ackowledged and compensated for by the strengths of others.

So who should be blamed for this frivolous feud? Who the heck knows? Since I am not there firsthand to witness the wasteful behind-the-scenes dribble, it is impossible to answer that question unequivocally. But the one thing I do know for certain is that this is definitely a zero sum situation where neither party intends to give in. So with that in mind, I do believe there is one last grasp at a resolution to this amazingly tiresome affair. That being, an olive branch in the form of a moderate conservative negotiator. Unfortunately, I'm pretty confident, in saying, that this PMO hiring will not take place anytime soon folks.

Posted by scott at 4:45 PM | Permalink | |

[Cross-posted at the Sorry Centrist]

Here's a man who is calling 'em like he sees 'em. And for the record, the subjects which he touched on yesterday just happen to be two of the most challenging barriers standing in the way of great prosperity for the province of New Brunswick.

In other words, the two things that need to be addressed pronto, promptly, forthwith, now, without delay, unhesitatingly, this minute, double time, immediately:

1.) Our Aging Population

"We do have a declining population base, not enough enrichment from new people coming and not enough growth. That represents probably the single biggest challenge to our region. We have to find new ways to get people into our area."

2.) Economic Development and Trade

"Embracing the Atlantica concept will help further strengthen the region's economy. That represents such a natural market for us. Our natural (trade) tendencies have been north and south rather than east and west. It's very difficult going to market to the west of us. The large population base of the United States and the richness of their purchasing power all make it a powerful market for us."

"With free trade lowering tariff barriers and with infrastructure such as better highways getting goods to the border, it represents a market we have to be in."

Note to New Brunswick Politicians: I challenge anybody, besides the retired Premier, to make this a key campaign plank come the next election as it is an issue, IMHO, that definitely has legs in this province. And if you do decide to run on it, you definitely have my vote.

Posted by scott at 4:45 PM | Permalink | |

Mere hours after the Native blockade at Caledonia was to be dismantled, the situation appears to have reverted back to Square One.
Story here:


Drawing on examples like this one, Oka, Burnt Church - where do we find a long term and viable solution to the Native issue? Or do we?

There are those who believe we should treat each claim as a forgone conclusion and award whatever the demand is to the Native band demanding it.... and there are also those who believe that the Europeans "won the war", occupied and therefore make the rules. Naturally, there's far more who sit somewhere in the middle.

At what point do "non-natives" simply become "natives of Canada"? I was born here, my parents were born here ... and at least 6-7 generations before me were born here. So what is the statute of limitations on all this? How seriously can we respect treaties that were passed on by word of mouth? I'm not saying we can or cannot - but I believe that whatever the "spirit" of the agreement was - nobody can claim to know what the nuances of any such treaties were.

What's the crowd consensus?
J

Posted by Anonymous at 10:19 PM | Permalink | |

[Cross-posted at the The Sorry Centrist]

For the New Brunswick tories, the 2003 election results, could hardly have been worse. It was not only that they lost their comfortable 47 seat majority, but more importantly for them, it was 'who' and 'what' were lost. While Bernard Lord still stood as Premier of New Brunswick, many of his best and brightest went down to defeat on that Monday evening in early June and many more have since left. And, worst of all, Premier Lord now has the fight of his life on his hands, just to keep his job, due to a confident and surging leader of the Liberal party, Shawn Graham. And with the young opposition leader from Kent county slowly portraying himself and his party as a "government-in-waiting", there is no doubt that the next election will be a very bitter, dirty and hard fought affair; especially given the recent chitchat whereas Graham and the liberals are allegedly ahead of the tories by 18 points in two polls.

So what makes this guy so appealing to New Brunswick voters?

For starters, no New Brunswick politician has ever possessed better qualifications for public life than Shawn Graham. His father, Alan, had been a provincial minister of the Crown and is still on record as the longest serving member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, holding his seat for 31 years from 1967 until 1998. A UNB graduate, Shawn Graham stormed onto the political scene in 1998 winning a by-election in the riding of Kent which was previously held by his father. And with many humbling comparisons to the late premier Louis J Robichaud, he was urged to throw his hat into the ring--- four years later--- for Liberal leader. And to the "shock and awe" of many senior liberals and political pundits, he won the leadership of the party hands down at the May 2002 convention. With such strong political acumen and charisma alongside a humbling street charm, one might ask that all important question, is there anything stopping this budding superstar from occupying the premier's chair? Well, the answer, in my humble opinion, is "yes" there certainly is.

And contrary to the unanimous recent opinions of the Telegraph Journal, its editorial board, its bandwagoning pundits, and its shop stewart in the printing plant ---no, I do not think Shawn Graham will ever don the title of 'premier' of this province. My opinion is largely based on reason and logic, which I hasten to add are mental processes that have doomed the careers of many New Brunswick scribes. Notwithstanding, reason and logic do count for something, as I hope Shawn Graham will eventually prove. My reasons, in that, he will never make it to the government benches are surely cogent. First of all, Graham possesses an overabundance of petulance which is widely viewed, by many common New Brunswickers, as distasteful and repugnant. Secondly, despite his victories, he comes across as a very flaccid leader and has not been able to overcome this undesirable quality with the media. Thirdly, he has been unable to showcase and communicate his party's policy agenda, both socially or economically, and leaders of that kind are not likely to resonate over the status quo, nor are they ever judged favourably come election time.

But the hard reality is that the leadership question, in New Brunswick, needs time before acceptable answers can be found, if, indeed , there are answers.

The great irony, among many, is that Graham is more needed by his party than he ever was, because he is simply the only strength it has to assure stability and continuity. It could also be said that our province definitely needs him as well, since the role and function of the official opposition in the legislature is at least as important as the conduct of the governing Progressive Conservatives. And for many tories in New Brunswick, that is a place they would like to see Mr. Shawn Graham stay for a very, very longtime.

Posted by scott at 7:06 PM | Permalink | |

[Cross-posted to The Sorry Centrist]

HERE'S SOMETHING THAT keeps popping into my head and popped with an extra burst with the news of the latest Gallup poll---regarding fuel supplies in the future---where only 1 in five Americans (20%) said they believe the global supply of oil will always be able to keep up with the demand around the world, while 77% say the world will eventually run short of oil.

Given such unanimous consent on such a volatile issue, there is no question that simple statistical probability would suggest that at one point in the not too distant future there should be bold action taken on this file. But do we have time to spare? Illinois Senator Barak Obama believes there is little time to waste and that is why he has offered 4 ways to cut oil consumption now:

Houston Chronicle: "By now, the only thing as predictable as rising gas prices is the short-term political solutions that come along with them. It seems like every year, as soon as headlines start announcing "Pain at the pump" and Americans start emptying their wallets to fill up their tanks, politicians revert to their Rolodex of responses, from tax rebates and tax holidays to investigations into price gouging by oil companies.

Continue reading "Times's wasting: 4 ways to cut oil consumption now"

These are some very good ideas being bandied about by the very bright, young Senator from Illinois. I can only hope that Canada can take Senator Obama's lead as well as his advice whereas they can enact some solid legislation, possibly this fall, on alternate fuel sources. Anything to supplant the Prime Minister's most recent admonitions regarding nuclear energy where he said it will be an "important part of the mix as we deal with energy and environmental challenges in the next century."

Related
Speech: Energy Independence and the Safety of Our Planet
Speech: Energy Security is National Security

Posted by scott at 9:35 PM | Permalink | |

[Cross-posted to The Sorry Centrist]

With Victoria Day weekend already upon us and marking the unofficial start to the summer season, there is no question that many people will be planning to travel. Unfortunately, those who are planning to take to the road this year may find themselves in a huge dilemma whereas high gasoline prices will definite become a considerable obstacle to their travel plans. Not only will Canadian travelers be taking a hit at the pumps, our good neighbours to the south are being negatively affected as well. Nearly one in 10 Americans said they plan to cancel trips altogether to avoid soaring gas prices. And with a quarter of New Brunswick's tourism market coming from the United States, the end result this year could turn out to be devastating for the very fragile industry. And with tourism being the key driver for economic development, creating jobs, stimulating growth and generating tax revenues in our province, the timing of this news couldn't have been worse.

But to blame high gas prices as a single justification for the failure of the tourism industry, here in New Brunswick, is extremely irresponsible to say the least. For starters, our provincial government's add campaign and approach to tourism was erroneous from its inception. In 2005, many of you may remember receiving a full coloured brochure with the Premier and his family on the front advising us to travel within New Brunswick. Well folks, how is that tourism? Shouldn't we be trying to attract people from outside the province? Isn't that tourism in its truest form? We all know that it is a fact that tourism, when properly promoted, can be positive for development when it engenders a strong inflow of foreign exchanges which inevitably promotes growth in other sectors as well as increase overall income and employment in the economy. But sadly, New Brunswick's approach has accomplished none of the above. As Moncton economist David Campbell points out, "If you think of it, the tourism sector creates low wage, no benefit jobs with little value add. In addition, thousands of tourism workers go on Employment Insurance during the off-season and so the net economic benefit must be nearly zero."

So what can we do?

Well, even though I have an overabundance of ideas swimming around in my head regarding this issue, I have not the time, nor the patients, to go into full detail on what policy changes should arise in Fredericton. However, I will gleefully offer up a few suggestions to what can be done in the short-term to mitigate the stress at the pumps? For starters, with gasoline prices hovering above $1 per litre, it is essential that we look to reduce the regressive gasoline tax as it is gouging all consumers. At the moment, taxes account for, on average, approximately 35% of the pump price. Of the entire $5.2-billion collected in gas taxes by the feds in 2005/06, the government earmarked 17% or $882-million on actual road and highway construction and maintenance. A percentage which I believe should be more in the range 50% dedicated to roadway development . And to add insult to injury, the full GST is being charged to the full price one would pay at the pump. In other words, it is nothing more than a tax on a tax where revenues collected by Ottawa will range in the billions for 2005/06, around 1.8 billion to be exact.

But fundamentally, we must remain optimistic, that is why I must encourage Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make good on his promise to reduce gas taxes. For those who may not remember, back in August of last year, then Opposition leader condemned the Liberal government for refusing to lower the gas tax, “There’s no reason for the federal government to profiteer when consumers are hurting.” He also informed the then Martin government to the reality of the regressive tax as many low- to- middle income earners, like many in New Brunswick, are on a fixed budget and may need the extra dollars from a tax cut to gas for a Victoria Day weekend getaway or a planned summer vacation.

But unfortunately, for many Canadians and specifically New Brunswickers, PMSH does not seem, to be willing to make good on his promise. So if this is going to be a harbinger of things to come, we better brace ourselves for a significant economic downturn in the next four months, especially if our tourism industry bottoms out due to high prices at the pumps.

Posted by scott at 8:24 PM | Permalink | |

Well, it would appear I am going to have next to no time to blog for the summer. I have actually thought I might just close it up and delete. However, after further reflection I have decided to see if anyone is interested in becoming a member of NB Politics and doing some blogging? If interested, send me an email @
politicsnb@hotmail.com

In order to be added to the blog, you must have a blogger username and password. So how about it?? Anyone want to give blogging a try, without having to go to the effort of setting up a blog itself? Let me know! No particular political stripe is a requirement to be added....might be interesting to have right, left, and centrist views........

PNB

Posted by PoliticsNB at 8:44 PM | Permalink | |

Well, it's not New Brunswick or even Canada, but when I saw it, I simply could not let it go by without pointing it out.

Poll: Clinton outperformed Bush

Quote From CNN:
The poll of 1,021 adult Americans was conducted May 5-7 by Opinion Research Corp. for CNN. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Who did a better Job of handling the economy: Clinton:63 BUSH:26
Better at solving probs of ordinary Americans: Clinton:62 BUSH:25
Foreign affairs : Clinton:56 Bush:32
Taxes: Clinton:51 Bush:35
Handling Natural Disasters: Clinton:51 Bush:30
Dividing The Country: Bush:59 Clinton:27
More Honest President: Clinton:46 Bush:41
National Security: Clinton:46 Bush:42

And they impeached Clinton for screwing around with an intern. Bush ought to thank his lucky stars the republicans have the control, or impeachment would be a certainty.

WORST PRESIDENT EVER!!!! Impeachment is too good for his sorry ass. Give him the hook, and get him off the stage!

Posted by PoliticsNB at 12:37 AM | Permalink | |

The Tanker Malley soap opera continues. MLA Bev Harrison is negotiating to get the Tory budget passed, and is using Malley as a bargaining chip. Harrison backs off on the rules changes, and the Libs want Tanker gone. So if he gets canned as speaker will he leave the party again?? Or will they throw him a bone? Maybe Minister in charge of Pencil and paper inventory?? How about Minister of Ice and water glasses?? C'mon gimme a break.

I'm sure Harrison wouldn't be to unhappy to see Tanker gone.........I mean him being the strong Monarchist....It must drive him nuts to see a guy like Tanker in his old seat as speaker. I'm thinking Tanker will be out of that seat next week....question is how will the Tories appease him to keep him onside. We all know at this point that Malley will sell out for any job that will give him a nice vehicle and some vestige of prestige........maybe Premier??......oh wait that seat's taken.....Bev is just showing how desperate he is to continue to live off the public purse.....as with the rest of the Tories....at any cost. Even if that cost is any shred of credibility. God even the daytime soaps are more believable than this crap. Do these people not CARE at all that they are making a mockery of the system??

Posted by PoliticsNB at 12:09 AM | Permalink | |

I'll be darned if I can figure out how anyone has time to blog this time of year....lol.

Anyway, as Scott has one going, why duplicate it? What do you think of the proposed changes to the rules in the Leg?? Personally, i'm with Scott, but i'll say it in the way this "Saint John Boy" knows best. I'm damn tired of Bernie and the gang changing the rules everytime they get their asses in a bind. Seems like the cowards way out to me. Why not just have an election and let the people decide whether or not they agree with the obstructionist stand taken by the Libs?? I realize forcing an election is what they are trying to do, but why not call them on it?? Unless of course the Conservatives are afraid the Libs have a point and they'll go done hard to defeat??

Hmmmm........I said I wouldn't duplicate it.......but there it is anyway....lol... oh well........make sure to check out the Freddybeach Filibuster @ The Sorry Centist and chime in.......

PNB

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:33 PM | Permalink | |

WTF are the Provincial Liberals doing???? Graham is so desperate to get the big job that he's put the entire system into gridlock?

So let me get this straight, thanks to Shawn Graham & Company, we are paying our MLA's to sit in Fredericton and do nothing, but argue about whether or not we should have an election. Oh, that and call each other names and act like spoiled kids who are trying to get their own way.
I called for an election last week, and I stand by it. However, at this point, it might be a good move for Premier Lord. Graham is revealing himself as a power hungry little boy who will do everything and anything to get his coveted job. Somebody really needs to haul that boy aside and tell him what an ass he's making of himself and his party. I'm hearing no ideas, simply stomping feet and temper tantrums of kids who are being denied their own way.

Admittedly i'm not a fan of Mr.Lord's way of doing things, but given the alternative, would another 4 years be so bad?? At least we might get a Liberal Party leader who can show us a real alternative plan, and act like an adult.

I say pull the trigger Mr.Lord. You don't have much in the way of oppostion of ideas. Your's may not be the choice of all those in the province (Myself included) but at least you actually have some!

New Brunswickers want to see some work done, not the wasting of our money playing petty politics day in and day out.

David Campbell has some thoughts as well. Comments on Fredericton's gridlock

Check it out. David, as always, has some great food for thought over there.

Posted by PoliticsNB at 11:32 PM | Permalink | |

No I haven't gone AWOL exactly, but it's simply too darn nice to spend time here in front of the computer blogging! :D

Lets see.....

First the Federal budget....
.. Harper did honor his commitment to cut the GST by 1%.....of course he also raised the lowest personal income tax rate by 1/2%.....The richest who plan on making large purchases like homes, save money, while the lower earners in our society pay more. Typically Conservative.
.. I like the Canada employment credit....at least on paper. I'll be interested to see how it will shake out.
.. I also like the $500 tax credit for parents of Children who sign up for physical fitness activities.
..I would have liked to see more for post-secondary education students in regards to tuition. No wonder our younger generation feels like they have no voice. Ignored for the most part once again. Same old, same old. I guess students simply are not important enough to our politicians eh?
..The childcare money is a farce IMO. Canadians were led to believe during the campaign that they were going to receive $1200 (which itself is pretty paltry when you take the real cost of childcare into account) and now find out they will be lucky to receive $600 to $800 after taxes?? I guess Steveo must have forgotten to mention the fine print during the election eh?
..One area that is interestingly not even mentioned is environment. That kind of speaks volumes don't you think?

Basically I'm seeing a budget whose only goal is re-election of the governing party. The conservatives are hoping that they have appeased (or pulled the ole razzle dazzle) on enough Canadians to get their majority next time around. Probably they will……then we’ll see a “real” Harper budget.

Not as good as it could have been, but not as bad as it could have been either. Some “borrowed” ideas from the Libs. But hey, what would you expect from a government who’s trying to ride down the middle to gain some support. This is not the “REAL” budget folks………that one comes after the next election if they can just get the big “M.”

That's it for now. Got to go work on my blog about our very own provincial "kindergarten" in Fredericton.

Posted by PoliticsNB at 10:36 PM | Permalink | |