N.B. MLA says new political party 'not left, not right, but forward'

An independent New Brunswick MLA is hoping a new party will be able to reach moderates and centrists across the country.

In an interview with CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko, Dominic Cardy, interim leader of the Canadian Future Party, said the political group aims to find a balance in what he sees as an increasingly polarized landscape.

“We want to be a voice for those folks, people who believe in evidence and want to see a party that has the courage to confront some of the problems Canadian governments have avoided tackling in recent years,” he said. “We want to change the conversation and push it back in an evidence-based direction and have a little bit of bravery back in our politics.”

Cardy, who became an independent MLA after resigning from the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives in 2022, officially launched the Canadian Future Party earlier this week. He said they want to meet Canada’s commitment of two per cent of GDP for NATO, help the single-payer health-care system by introducing competition and tackle affordability issues.

“We believe in strong government supported by a strong private sector that makes money and pays its fair share in taxes that get divested in social programs,” he said. “We hear from Canadians all the time that they want a moderate, sensible, practical approach to politics that’s not based on rage farming and extremism.”

Cardy said the group’s slogan is “not right, not left, but forward.” He noted they hope to win as many seats as possible in the next federal election and bring the debate back to the centre.

“We want to create a positive option,” he said. “Democracy’s all about debate and we look forward to that.”