New Brunswick Politics

Personally I thought Kedgwick Mayor (and former jr liberal minister) Jean-Paul Savoie's explanation about why he's supporting the Tories was pretty weak. I have never bought the argument that it makes one iota of difference to have parties of the same stripe at both federal and provincial levels. C’mon people lets be truthful here. What the hell has Harper done for NB since he’s been in power, that wouldn’t have got done anyway??? Oh wait there was the “bus fare” money that Saint John got towards Harbour cleanup.....Can't forget that.

But really, we've heard that weak, tired argument before.......and has it ever really materialized??? Nope.

Quote By Savoie from CBC:
Having a Conservative government in Ottawa and having a Conservative government in New Brunswick [will help]," he said. "If we've got our plan, and we convince the politicians they should work on the files of the region, then maybe we got a chance to make a difference."

Does he really believe this??!! LMAO

Obviously he finds himself more aligned politically with Lord’s conservatives, than the Liberals....fine. But we’ll be better off because of Conservative governments at both levels??? give me a break.

Sheesh!

Posted by PoliticsNB at 7:17 PM | Permalink | |

Wondering if some momentum might be starting to swing ever so slightly towards the Liberals. At this point I still give the edge to Lord, however, we see Frank out on the trail endorsing Graham, and ummm, is it just me or does it seem like every time ya pick up a newspaper lately, there's a BIG picture of Graham on the front page? Of course those two things by themselves don't add up to much, however, I'm starting to hear people on the street say "why not give Graham a chance", and "anybody but Lord." Granted, this is around Saint John, where Lord is not overly popular anyway. Look for this one to get down and dirty in the next week of so. The Conservatives have already started to attack. I imagine this so far lackluster campaign will start to heat up next week after the kids head back to school, and people return from vacation. That's when we should start to see whether a real shift is happening or not.

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:12 PM | Permalink | |

Ummmmm......is anyone keeping track of how much money Lord has "pledged" to spend in the last month or so?? My god, we must be swimming in money!! Another $240 million for upgrading schools! It never ceases to amaze me how rich we are come election time, and in the months leading up to elections. Heck, the Lord government has done more road construction in the last 3 months than they did in the last 6 years! No wonder people are so sickened by politics, and politicians. They starve us and treat us like dirt under their feet for a few years, and then spend OUR money like drunken fools at election time, and we are supposed to be grateful that they are thinking of us every fourth year.

And they say the electorate is cynical.............Imagine that!!

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:39 PM | Permalink | |

Well, now that we are a week in to the election, i've been wondering where people are getting their election coverage/info.

Online is a no brainer..........CBC has the only local news site of the Canadian networks. My only beef here is lack of local updates on the weekend. Most times you are lucky to find New Brunswick mentioned on CTV unless we have some major news, or it's an extremely SLLLLOOOOWWWW news day. Global's site is simply horrible.

Radio, I still give the edge to CBC, at least as far as the information morning programs are concerned on my morning drive. Rogers has done ok as well with coverage through the day. The other Private stations have their ususal 10 second blurbs.

TV. I have to admit to having seen very little coverage of TV news lately from any network. I've asked around, and most seem to prefer CBC, then Global local news, and CTV pulling up the rear. If it didn't happen in Halifax or Dartmouth, it's just a quicky from CTV.

So who has the best election coverage so far according to you??

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:21 PM | Permalink | |

I was reading Jacques Poitras blog about 10 ridings to watch. His list is a good one, and is worth checking out.

Another race to watch, that didn’t make Jacques list, is the riding of Hampton-Kings. Last time around, it was not a close race as Hampton-Belleisle. Harrison won in 2003 by 746 votes.

So why is this one more interesting this time around, you might ask??? Redistribution. This riding has gained areas from the former Kennebecasis riding. That’s right, Brenda Fowlie’s riding in 2003, where she won by only 19 votes. Travel around these rural areas and ask about Fowlie’s representation and people do not give glowing reviews. You’ll be sure to hear about the main road that was closed due to a washout from the sping, until just a week or so ago. It was a major inconvienience for most everyone in the area.

Oh and to add a bit more to the mix, this riding is also gaining parts of Liberal MLA Stuart Jamieson’s Saint John Fundy riding. Further, some of the territory lost in redistribution, was pretty solid Conservative support. This probably explains why Mr.Harrison has been hitting the rural areas campaigning so hard, even before the writ was dropped. How much of a difference will this make? To early to tell, but depending on who the Liberal’s come up with, (they seem to be taking their sweet time with a candidate) it could be a horse race. Putting this one down as a definite "one to watch"........stay tuned!

**Edit- Since I posted this last night, the Liberal's site has been updated, and they have indeed chosen a candidate for this riding. Linda Watson. It appears there are only 4 ridings without Liberal Candidates now.

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:43 PM | Permalink | |

Just popped over to Simple Essentials and I see Lisa has a very intresting blog about the ad/marketing campaigns by the Libs and Cons. Maybe one of the parties should have hired her for advice.......hehe

PNB

Posted by PoliticsNB at 10:11 PM | Permalink | |

Well, lets see, Bernard Lord has finally had an "eye opening" moment, and NOW wants to take care of seniors. Finally seniors will not have to be picked clean before they can enter a nursing home in New Brunswick. Seniors and their families are no doubt wondering what the hell took so long?? I like this in theory, but will wait for the details.

Shawn Graham is promising $1 million smackeroos for daycare spaces, and to improve wages, benefits, and training for childcare workers. Doubling daycare spaces is needed, most working parents can tell you how tough it is to even find a space for your child.

Allison Brewer wants to bring "accountability and respect for the legislature" even as she accidentally tried to break the rules by campaigning on the steps of the Leg. (Whoops!!)

Oh, and what the heck is with the Libs?? They seem to be very slow getting going with their signs? Only today around the Saint John area did some signs start going up. Are they short on help or something? Actually I notice many areas in the province are not even represented yet according to the Liberal’s web page……..I would have thought they would have been on this weeks ago……I mean it’s not like this election was a well kept secret. Did someone drop the ball, or are they having problems finding good candidates? Team Lord on the other hand is all filled and ready to roll.

I will of course be watching two particular ridings. Miramichi-Bay du Vin and Quispamsis. There is absolutely no way that either of the incumbents should be returned in these two ridings IMO. They have proven they have no respect whatsoever for the Leg or the people of New Brunswick. Hopefully the constituents in these ridings were paying attention.

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

I've added a "gabbly" chat to the page.......thought it might be cool to try it out. Pick a name and join in!

**Note to Firefox users:**

You will need the latest version of firefox if your older version does not support Gabbly. You can upgrade firefox here:


Firefox 1.5

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:18 PM | Permalink | |

Scott, Spinks, and J.
Just wanted to thank you guys for doing some posting this summer. It was very much appreciated. I've been a bad blogger, taking the summer off to indulge my own pleasure........ok.....truth be told working on my "Honey Do" list.. :-)

Thanks!! You need favors guys, you know where to look!

Regards
PNB

P.S. I had another request from Monctonite as well, but due to my absence I missed the email. Thanks to you also Monctonite for stepping forward.

Posted by PoliticsNB at 10:42 PM | Permalink | |

(A shout out to my right wing buddy Spinks for the info @ Spink About It )

Glad to see Jacques Poitras along for the election ride in the blogosphere. Check him out @ Jacques Poitras - Campaign Trail

By the way, I've added a couple of new ones off to the right, also via Spinks.......check out First, Pass the Toast and NB Politico.

Oh and I have to add my two cents..... As Scott mentioned recently...........where are all the female New Brunswick bloggers??? C'mon ladies......we know you are there reading, add your voice!!

Posted by PoliticsNB at 10:26 PM | Permalink | |

Well now it is official. Premier Bernard Lord has dropped the writ, and the race is on!

Just a few thoughts.

Despite the assurances by both leaders of intentions on running a clean race, I think we are going to see a dirty, in the mud, fight. We have no clear victor here, (although I have to give the early lead to Lord) and these guys are going to use all ammo and every trick in the book to win. I'd like to think they would keep it semi-clean (although lets face it, it is New Brunswick Politics we are talking about here.....not the cleanest at the best of times :-) ) but I think a desire for power will drive whoever is lagging behind to get nasty quickly.

Gas Prices and energy in general will be the major issue. I fear it may overshadow things like education. Remember our low literacy scores??
New Brunswick Scores Below Average

How about economic development and jobs?? Or HealthCare?? Not to mention Fowlie,and Tanker's shenanigans.

This is going to be an interest race indeed........and a tough fight on on both sides......


Oh and Scott, I'm hearing that Hooten will not be re-offering after her last trouncing.......so I guess your case of Keith's is safe bud! :-) Two bad, as I was looking forward to a free case of the second best Maritime Beer! hehe.......(Saint John Boy ya know.....Moosehead Pale is the Best........ I stick with the home team!) :-)

PNB

Posted by PoliticsNB at 8:59 PM | Permalink | |

Gasoline prices fuel Lord's pre-election campaign

Well, I think that Lord's idea to cut taxes on gas is actually a good one, although much belated......too bad he didn't do it before his ass was on the line. In other words, New Brunswickers are only important when it comes time to vote. Same old song and dance.

A gas tax cut was never the solution before regulation. We all know how that would have gone based on past experience. The oil companies would have simply raised the price and put the difference in their own pocket. Now with regulation, New Brunswickers "could" actually save a few pennies, depending on how it's handled.

As well on this one, many people including Shawn Graham are in agreement that the current regulation is not working.(I include myself also) My question is, in that case, what does Mr.Graham propose to do about it if elected? The old system didn't work except for "Big Oil", the new one seems to work for nobody except.....hmmmm.....yes once again big oil... ie. refiners......so Shawn........talk to us........what is your suggestion!! We are listening!

Oh and since i'm on the subject, if Mr.Lord and his government are going to tell the PUB what to do and when, then why bother with the PUB anyway. This little fiasco simply stinks.....

Posted by PoliticsNB at 6:49 PM | Permalink | |

Well, now that the speculation is over and we know for a fact that there will indeed be an election, I'm quite curious to find out what people are thinking the major issues will/should be? In one the the previous blog's below Garry Sinipass asked this question, but i'm not sure many saw it.

I could list many of them, but i'm more curious to what others are thinking. I know for a fact that some of the MLA's and their teams read here, so this is your chance folks.....lets have em!!

Energy? Education? Gas Regulation? Ore Emulsion fiasco? Economic Developement? MLA's that get the boot and get brought back? The shenanigans from the last session? Environment? That's only a small start.......I could go on.......but I mercifully won't..... :-)

There is much more to talk about besides which party leader is worse.....lets hear it!

Posted by PoliticsNB at 9:58 PM | Permalink | |

Well, let me qualify...

Was out for my jog this morning and as I turned on from Sam Davis Drive onto University Ave in Saint John - there it was... none other than a somewhat faded "Re-Elect Elsie" sign stuck in the median strip... presumably from her last federal election.

No idea where someone found this or why they decided to post it there... but good for a laugh nonetheless. There's a fair bit of trash in the "pond" at that corner (being a former dump area) so I'm guessing someone found it and seeing what a treasure it was, decided to share with the world. Or at least the world that was in Millidgeville Saturday morning.

Anyway, no political message here - just a funny sighting... although I do have the urge to pull my copy of "History of the Dark Ages" off the shelf... :)

Have a good weekend.
J

Posted by Anonymous at 11:50 AM | Permalink | |

(From the Canadian Press)

New Brunswick voters will head to the polls Sept. 18, Premier Bernard Lord confirmed Thursday.
Though Lord stopped short of actually calling the election, he told reporters he will visit the province's lieutenant governor next weekend, at which point he will dissolve the legislature.
The premier has long said he would prefer to hold the next provincial election in October 2007.
But Lord recently said he would drop that plan if Peter Mesheau, a former finance minister, left the Tory caucus to take a job in the private sector. The loss of one Tory member would plunge Lord's government into minority status _ something the premier has said he wants to avoid.
Mesheau confirmed his plans to leave public life when he met with the premier Thursday.
Lord's government won a second mandate in 2003 with a slim, one-seat majority.
Current standings in the New Brunswick legislature are 28 Conservatives (including the Speaker), 26 Liberals and one Independent.
If the Tories were to lose a sitting member, they would be reduced to minority status because the Speaker does not vote unless there is a tie.
To be sure, a late-summer election campaign would be dominated by cost-of-living issues.
New Brunswickers, like most other Canadians, are feeling the financial pressure of rising prices at gas pumps and in home heating bills.
Earlier this week, Liberal Leader Shawn Graham released the first instalment of his party's election platform, promising to soften the blow of rising energy costs with direct subsidies to homeowners for conservation upgrades and tax rebates for hybrid cars.
Graham said Lord has failed to control rising electricity rates, which have risen 25.8 per cent since
Lord took office.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick's forestry and mining sectors are facing major challenges, and the province is finding it increasingly hard to compete in the call centre industry.
Lord has said he will defend his government's track record in the energy sector, including its commitment to refurbish the aging Lepreau nuclear reactor and invest more money in wind power.
As well, the Lord government is rebating the eight per cent provincial sales tax on energy bills in the coming year to help people cope with the latest hike in electricity costs.

Posted by Spinks at 1:38 PM | Permalink | |