N.B. party leaders drive home promises as election campaign enters final stretch

Following the CTV Atlantic News roundtable in Fredericton Wednesday, New Brunswick’s three major party leaders were back on the campaign trail Thursday, with less than a week to go in the campaign.

With each of the three parties – Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, and Greens – having already unveiled their full campaign platforms, leaders are re-hashing their plans for the province if they are elected into power in hopes of swaying undecided voters before they head to the polls next week.

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Liberal Leader Susan Holt is joined by Great Saint John Liberal candidate for a housing announcement in uptown Saint John, N.B., on Oct. 17, 2024. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic)

Liberals announce community housing pilot

In Saint John, Liberal Leader Susan Holt was joined by liberal candidates from the Greater Saint John area to talk about her plan to solve the province’s housing crisis.

In addition to noting previous announcements – like the implementation of a three per cent rent cap, the elimination of the PST (provincial sales tax) on new multi-unit developments, and a commitment to build 30,000 new homes by 2030 – Holt also announced her government’s plans for the creation of the Community Housing Retention and Expansion Pilot to help non-profits and others in the community sectors build more affordable housing. 

"We have non-profits and community groups doing incredible work all across New Brunswick,” said Holt.

“This fund will allow them to do even more to help New Brunswick close the gap in housing supply, especially for affordable housing options. We have heard from non-profits that they need help and Team Holt is prepared to put forth that help just like we have done for New Brunswick renters, homeowners, and contractors.”

The pilot would help fund projects for non-profits and similar organizations by not only supporting the pre-construction costs, but also assist in acquired land for builds.

The Community Housing Retention and Expansion Pilot would come at a price tag of $48 million in 2025-2026.

The Liberal leader then made her way to St. George, N.B., to announce her government would support an expansion of a community care clinic in Blacks Harbour, N.B.

“Health care has always been fundamental to her campaign,” Holt said of her colleague Patty Borthwick, who is the Liberal candidate for Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville.

“Team Holt is focused on providing New Brunswickers with the care they need, close to home when they need it."

New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon commits to affordable housing at an announcement in Fredericton on Oct. 17, 2024. (Submitted: Green Party)

Greens talk affordable housing

Green Party Leader David Coon was in Fredericton Thursday to outline his party’s plan to ensure New Brunswickers are not priced out of their homes as a result of large property tax or rent increases.

Coon highlighted the “urgent” need for a reform on property tax assessments, claiming his party is unique in its approach to remove the multiplier that ties resident property taxes to industrial rates.

“The lack of transparency and fairness has been perpetuated by successive Liberal and Conservative governments. We need to overhaul this system to ensure equitable property taxes for all New Brunswickers,” said Coon.

“Homeowners shouldn’t have to bear the burden of subsidizing corporate taxes.”

Coon also noted his party would make changes to the property assessment system for apartment buildings to help drive development of affordable rental properties. This will be done by assessing these properties based on their rental income.

Similar to the Liberals, the Green Party leader also reiterated his plan for a rent cap tied to the rental unit, not just the tenant, in order to avoid new property owners from “renovicting” tenants in an effort to jack up rent prices.

“Our changes to the property assessment system for apartment buildings are a major change to drive the development of affordable rental properties,” Coon said. “And it is imperative that we keep affordable housing affordable, and our rent cap will do just that.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs speaks with residents in Woodstock, N.B., on Oct. 17, 2024.

No announcement from PCs

PC Leader Blaine Higgs made no new campaign announcements Thursday while stopping at the Carleton Mall in Woodstock, N.B.

Higgs did speak briefly with reporters, who asked about how he’s feeling about his chances of being re-elected with less than a week until election night.

“What I looked at is the quality of candidates that we have all over the province,” Higgs told reporters. “And I'm hoping that that certainly will make the difference. I'm also hoping that people just take a moment and think, OK, where have we been, where have we gone, where were we, and where are we now?”

Higgs pointed to his government’s balanced budget year over year without having to raise taxes as to one example of how his government has benefitted New Brunswickers.

He admits health care continues to be a work in progress, acknowledging that collaborative care clinics are the way of the future, which will start with the province’s two major health networks working in unison.

“Vitalité and Horizon working together to deliver the best health care anywhere in the province, but not competing with each other, but finding ways to collaborate,” Higgs said. “That's going to be a game changer for New Brunswick in the health-care field by using experts and hospitals and health-care professionals around the entire province.”

Higgs was also asked about where the province stands when it comes to combatting climate change. While he said New Brunswick is doing well in transitioning to greener energy options, he questions how much of an impact New Brunswick’s emissions reduction will have on a global scale.

“We're doing our thing with wind, solar, and we’re focused on nuclear,” said Higgs.

“We're focused on shutting down the coal plants, but how can we have that transition into coal, maybe coal into gas worldwide that helps to shut down coal plants? With China having 1,100 coal plants and building two a week, and we're saying we're going to buy, we can buy electric cars from China and drive electric cars in New Brunswick. Is that the way we're going to reduce emissions in the world?”

The New Brunswick election is set for Oct. 21.

For more New Brunswick election news, visit our dedicated page.