New Brunswick’s six political leaders squared off Thursday in the first televised leaders’ debate of the election.
The 90-minute debate took place in Fredericton and was broadcast throughout the province on Rogers TV.
Moderators asked seven questions on a number of topics ranging from budgets to health care to the environment.
When asked why he should be trusted by voters, Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs said he is not a new face in politics.
“People know me. People can talk about what I’ll do, what I won’t do, they know me. They know I’m here at this point in time in my life,” said Higgs.
“We want a better New Brunswick. I am tired of the political games that are played each and every election.”
Liberal leader Kevin Vickers fired back, saying Higgs lost the trust of voters over his proposed health-care reforms.
The reforms, which were later cancelled, would have seen emergency rooms closed overnight in six rural New Brunswick communities, including Sussex and Sackville.
Meanwhile, Green Party leader David Coon accused Higgs of only wanting a majority because he does not want the democratic process to work.
Mackenzie Thomason, leader of the NDP, said the recent minority government has shown that third parties are good for democracy, which drew agreement from People’s Alliance leader Kris Austin.
“Look, at the end of the day, the evidence is clear: majority governments do what they want and you pay the consequences,” said Austin.
Keep It Simple Solutions (KISS NB) leader Gerald Bourque questioned why Higgs called an election when government seemed to be working well.
Vaccination Bill
The Green and Liberal leaders went head-to-head over the mandatory vaccination bill which was defeated earlier this year.
Coon was asked why he should be trusted to make tough calls after his party abstained from voting on the controversial legislation.
“It was a tough decision,” said Coon about abstaining from the vote, adding he tried without success to amend the “flawed” bill.
The amendment would have given the chief medical health officer, not the government, the power to eliminate vaccine exemptions should it be deemed necessary for public health purposes.
“The Liberals voted my amendment down and then they voted the whole bill down with help from [Education Minister] Dominic Cardy’s cabinet colleagues,” said Coon.
Vickers took the opportunity to appeal to Green voters, saying they can count on the Liberals to reach the environmental goals they envision.
“There is no greater duty for a member of the legislature to vote and make the decisions that is required of them. This was an abdication of duty. They walked away when it mattered most,” he said.
Coon called Vickers’ response “rich” and pointed out the Liberal caucus abstained from the budget vote. Vickers said they did not want to bring down the government during a pandemic.
The NDP, People’s Alliance and PC leaders all agreed that it is important to vote on bills one way or the other.
Balancing The Books
Party leaders were also asked about a Liberal promise made earlier this week about the provincial budget.
Vickers said he would likely need to run budget deficits for the next two years but committed to balancing the books by 2023.
Thomason, leader of the NDP, said he would run a deficit if it meant looking after New Brunswick residents.
“I think it’s very important that we recognize that putting people first and making sure that everyone in New Brunswick has access to the services that they pay for through their taxes, that’s the number one priority,” said Thomason.
“If it means running a deficit, that’s something that has to be done.”
Higgs said the PCs had projected a balanced budget before the COVID-19, but Vickers said that was only because of $300 million in transfer payments from Ottawa.
Bourque, leader of KISS NB, said New Brunswick’s current debt and interest payments are holding the province down.
“If we don’t deal with the debt then we’re not gonna have money to do things properly,” he said.
Coon said the Greens would balance the budget when the province can afford to do so,
Green leader David Coon said his party would balance the budget when the province can afford to do so, echoing Thomason’s comments that it is important to look after New Brunswickers right now.
Austin said a balanced budget is important to the People’s Alliance but it is a “pie in the sky” idea during the pandemic.
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