New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant was in St. Stephen Wednesday, meeting with his caucus and dropping hints of an imminent cabinet shuffle.
The premier wouldn't divulge details, but said he's hoping the shuffle will give a "fresh perspective on certain files" as he heads into the final year before the next provincial election.
“A looming shuffle usually keeps everybody a little on their best behaviour,” Gallant said Wednesday.
It's been a tough year for Canada's youngest premier, but Brian Gallant wasn't complaining when he talked to media during a break in the cabinet and caucus retreat. Gallant touted positive numbers, along with the increase in spending and the province's population growth.
The premier was asked about his response during one of the worst ice storms in New Brunswick’s history. Gallant said he held news conferences almost every day after the storm, but a recent report released on the government's response said an EMO official had to be diverted from certain tasks in order to brief the premier on what was happening.
“If I didn't show up in the Acadian Peninsula, if I wasn't in Kent County, if I wasn't (in) Miramichi, you'd all be asking me, ‘Where were you during the ice storm?’” Gallant told the media
Gallant did acknowledge that communication could be better.
“I have to be able to communicate to the hundreds and hundreds of people that I spoke to, that had questions for me about how things were going, what they could do, what we could do to make things better as they went through this very difficult crisis. So I think everybody would understand that I have to be briefed,” Gallant said.
The premier said he’s not going to put pen to paper yet on the pending cabinet shuffle, but with the next election almost 13 months away, it will likely be very soon.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.
