Green party leader David Coon says he was disappointed in the premier’s throne speech.
Coon says the speech “lacked vision and ignited little public debate.”
He also believes the Higgs’ government is lacking when it comes to climate change action and sustainability.
“Why are we not setting a goal to support the growth of small and medium-sized farms so we can feed ourselves? Why are we not setting a goal to support the growth of local and diverse renewable energy suppliers for power, heat and fuel so we can be more self- sufficient in green energy?” he said during his response to the speech this week.
On Friday, Coon unveiled his party’s Green Vision, which he says paints a picture of hope in contrast to Higgs’ “bleak” Throne speech.
Throne Speech Response – short / Réponse au discours du trône – court – Nov 22, 2019
This week the Higgs government presented their second Speech from the Throne, it was one that lacked vision and ignited little public debate. Today, I got to respond and present my Green vision for New Brunswick. Listen to the full speech here: https://bit.ly/2rdcfAB—Cette semaine le gouvernement Higgs a présenté leur deuxième Discours du Trône, c’était un discours qui manquait de vision et qui eut très peu de débats publics. Aujourd’hui, j’ai eu l’occasion de répondre et de présenter ma vision Verte pour notre province. Écoutez le discours complet ici : https://bit.ly/2rdcfAB
Posted by David Coon MLA on Friday, November 22, 2019
Earlier in the week, Coon tabled the first Green bill of the session, which would ensure private woodlot owners are fairly compensated for the wood they produce, and also ban the aerial spraying of herbicides on Crown forests.
He says other areas of priority for the Greens are access to health care and community development.
People’s Alliance Leader Kris Austin says despite differing opinions, the Higgs’ government has paved the way for some much-needed changes.
In Austin’s response to Premier Blaine Higgs’ throne speech, he says a lot of his values were reflected.
However, he is concerned about the government’s stance on unions.
“The last thing New Brunswick needs now is government and unions fighting. I sympathize with many of our public sector employees that are overworked…and underpaid, but I also understand that in order for New Brunswick to get its financial house in order, it has to be fiscally prudent,” he said Friday.
Kris Austin response to throne speech: Text of speech: #nbpoli https://t.co/9fa3d1LBSo
— People's Alliance (@PANB_AGNB) November 22, 2019
Austin says he’s looking forward to working with the PCs on the privatization of Cannabis NB, increased environmental protections, and municipal tax reform.
He would also like to see changes in French language education.
