Liberals Want More Transparency In COVID Committee

New Brunswick’s Opposition leader wants more transparency from the reconstituted COVID-19 cabinet committee.

Interim Liberal leader Roger Melanson said the premier rejected his request to have cabinet confidentiality removed.

But Melanson said he feels it is still important to be at the table amid rising hospitalizations and deaths.

“I did struggle to make the decision that I made,” Melanson told reporters during a news conference Tuesday.

“But people’s lives and the safety of the people of New Brunswick is the most important thing right now and we want to be part of the solution and try to guide some of these public health guidelines.”

New Brunswick announced 90 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and one additional death involving a person in their 80s in the Edmundston region.

There have now been 69 deaths related to COVID-19, including 13 since last Wednesday.

With 74 more recoveries also reported Tuesday, the number of active cases climbed to 782. There are currently 50 people in the hospital due to COVID-19, with 23 in an intensive care unit.

Melanson maintained that “inaction” by the Higgs government has led to the current situation in the province.

“We knew that the Delta variant was going to get to New Brunswick and I think the government and the premier over the summer, inactions of reacting quicker and not dragging his feet to bring new measures, I think a lot of this could have been preventable,” said Melanson.

Green Party leader David Coon also announced Tuesday that he would rejoin the committee after being promised greater transparency by the premier, but Melanson said it remains unclear exactly what that greater transparency will look like.

People’s Alliance leader Kris Austin has also rejoined the committee, according to Premier Blaine Higgs.