New Brunswick Election

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by TitleRequired

The post was low information. I never suggested the poster was anything.

Should you wish to link a low information post with low iq, that is your prerogative.

Then call it a low information post. You specifically used the word "IQ" in your post and people are complaining. This sounds like a low information post.

[TitleRequired]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Then call it a low information post. You specifically used the word "IQ" in your post and people are complaining. This sounds like a low information post.

Fair enough. Edited.

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by TitleRequired

Fair enough. Edited.

Nice TitleRequired!

[Xelebes]

Thread has been cleaned up.

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

For the Greens, holding the 3 seats and doing well across the board is probably their best
case 'win' scenario. Whether they can do that remains to be seen. But if the polls hold and we get a narrow minority with the Greens being Kingmakers, then that's their best chance to establish their legacy for their future (post-Coon) future, and maybe make enough of an impact to further cement themselves as the 3rd Party (and finally kill the NDP).

Speaking of the NDP, I have no clue what they're doing here. I see more PA signs around Freddy than NDP ones. In fact, I've seen more orange signs for Perfection Paving than I have for the NDP. (To date, there's 1 tiny sign on Woodstock Road on the corner of Wilmot Park that I've noticed). At this point, it feels like the Libertarian party is a more serious contender than the NDP are in province.

The NDP won't earn their 3% or whatever in Fredericton. It's a historically weak part of the province for them. Not sure if any Green result would chase them out. The provincial NDPs are all directly tied to the federal counterpart, and they're not likely to just cut and run, even in a province they have faint hope of ever winning a seat.

I think they outperform the Libertarians overall. But on a vote-in-seats-contested-by-party basis, maybe not. To the Ltns' credit, they got the two highest-performing PPC 2021 candidates in the province to run for them, so they're not running total no-names for the sake of ballot access (well, almost).

I have seen gobs of red and blue signs, some extremely-poorly-designed green ones started popping up today. Barely legible driving by. Precisely one NDP sign over west yesterday, nothing else. Not that the sign game means too much.

[TitleRequired]

In New Brunswick, where health care emerges as the top issue overall and to those who indicate they would vote for the Liberal party, cost of living and housing are slightly more important issues compared to health care for those who intend to vote for the PC party

https://narrativeresearch.ca/wp-cont...tant-issue.pdf

Interesting. Cost of Living is a campaign pillar for the PC party, but isn't the highest runner based on this survey. Wonder if the PCs HST cut is an attempt to sway undecided Liberal voters?

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by ChampduLarge

Because I am relatively new to New Brunswick, I thought I'd check out the deficit/surplus over recent years because that's been referenced here so much. What I found is that the relationship between parties and the rise and fall of the deficit is not so clear. For the period 2014-2023 I found data from the Auditor General, from another government report I found it going back to 2008.

Overlaying the debt/surplus with premiers, you get this:

Shawn Graham (2006-2010)
2008: Surplus of $241
2009: Deficit $152
2010: Deficit $695 (highest ever)

David Allward (2010-2014)
2011: Deficit $617
2012: Deficit $244
2013: Deficit $533
2014: Deficit $608

Brian Gallant (2014-2018)
2015: Deficit $371
2016: Deficit $269
2017: Deficit $125
2018: Surplus $59

Blaine Higgs (2018-)
2019: Surplus $64
2020: Surplus $41
2021: Surplus $400
2022: Surplus $769
2023: Surplus $1013

Gotta love how some people are bringing up Graham and Gallant as Liberal premiers that spent too much money, but Allward gets a pass?

Allward must have had a woefully incompetent finance minister if the deficit got that bad during his majority government, I wonder who his finance minister was?

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by new kid in town

The rhetoric the PCs have about the budget like there's only 2 extremes (surpluses or deficits) and not a middle ground where we also get desperately needed services and infrastructure for health, housing and education is ridiculous.

They’re absolutely presenting a false dichotomy, and relying on uninformed voters taking them at their word.

I think it’s abundantly clear that when we have the largest surplus in NB history we should be doing more with than spending it on such non uninspired ideas like a measly 2% cut to the HST, or something as esoteric as further paying down government debt.

People care way more about the cost of living, healthcare, and education than they do about the government debt load, or at least they should. Hyper fixation on paying down government debt displays a fundamental misunderstanding of where value and economic development are rooted. Higgs might have a record surplus, but he’s fundamentally mismanaged the economy and put short term growth ahead of long term economic development— which is basically the PC way.

[Pugsley]

I think the downfall of Higgs has been his inability to de-escalate from an authoritarian leadership style post-COVID. I'm not sure what he was like before the pandemic, but during COVID he possessed all the traits needed to be a strong leader in a crisis.

At school, I was taught the Oxford Leadership model which prefers collaborative leadership styles with the ability to pivot (when needed) to an authoritative top-down one. This is essential for leaders to be able to take control of emergency situations and make hard decisions when they need to "step up". However, authoritative styles should be a temporary and scenario-based occurrence and as a singular or long-term style of leadership, it is statistically proven to be less successful than a more collaborative style of leadership. Especially when it comes to building high-performing teams.

I think Higgs did the right thing with COVID, he went authoritarian and took control. He had to make hard decisions, used a top-down approach, and led like a general in a war. It was needed to address an emergency. However, this style does not work when when there is no longer a crisis. Being able to sit down, listen, learn, and build consensus in a collaborative manner is critical as a leader when you are trying to fix things like healthcare, think strategically about infrastructure, or negotiate a solution that works for indigenous leaders.

I think this is really what the election is about. Do you want a premier that has an authoritarian style of leadership or collaborative? At the end of the day, this is what I believe this will boil down to.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

They’re absolutely presenting a false dichotomy, and relying on uninformed voters taking them at their word.

I think it’s abundantly clear that when we have the largest surplus in NB history we should be doing more with than spending it on such non uninspired ideas like a measly 2% cut to the HST, or something as esoteric as further paying down government debt.

People care way more about the cost of living, healthcare, and education than they do about the government debt load, or at least they should. Hyper fixation on paying down government debt displays a fundamental misunderstanding of where value and economic development are rooted. Higgs might have a record surplus, but he’s fundamentally mismanaged the economy and put short term growth ahead of long term economic development— which is basically the PC way.

We HAD the largest surplus in NB history.....it , like the surplus's in the preceding years, was applied to debt. It's not like a surplus is sitting in a piggy bank somewhere.

Any new spending needs to be paid for, either by increased revenue , cutting other spending or increased borrowing. In fairness, we do have some increased borrowing capacity compared to 7-8 years ago when we were nearly maxxed out but it wouldn't take many years to get back into trouble........and then there is the whole NBPower ticking time bomb.............

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by sailor734

We HAD the largest surplus in NB history.....it , like the surplus's in the preceding years, was applied to debt. It's not like a surplus is sitting in a piggy bank somewhere.

Any new spending needs to be paid for, either by increased revenue or increased borrowing. In fairness, we do have some increased borrowing capacity compared to 7-8 years ago when we were nearly maxxed out but it wouldn't take many years to get back into trouble........and then there is the whole NBPower ticking time bomb.............

The surplus could have been spent more wisely. Higgs underfunded key provincial responsibilities just to pay down the debt a bit more. Imo, he’s been a negligent economic caretaker.

NB power is definitely a hot mess. It’s too bad Graham negotiated such a bad deal with a Hydro Québec, as that could have actually worked out well for NB if the deal has been fair.

NB Power’s corporate structure needs to be restructured from the ground up. I’ve heard it described as perhaps the most bloated an inefficient crown corporation in Canada. It’s amazing our hydro rates are lower than a lot of other provinces.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

The surplus could have been spent more wisely. Higgs underfunded key provincial responsibilities just to pay down the debt a bit more. Imo, he’s been a negligent economic caretaker.

NB power is definitely a hot mess. It’s too bad Graham negotiated such a bad deal with a Hydro Québec, as that could have actually worked out well for NB if the deal has been fair.

NB Power’s corporate structure needs to be restructured from the ground up. I’ve heard it described as perhaps the most bloated an inefficient crown corporation in Canada. It’s amazing our hydro rates are lower than a lot of other provinces.

maybe SJ Energy should take over NB Power and clean house?

In fairness to NB Power it is hard to run a good business operation when you have been repeatedly used for public policy implementation, economic development schemes and political patronage over a period of decades

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by sailor734

maybe SJ Energy should take over NB Power and clean house?

In fairness to NB Power it is hard to run a good business operation when you have been repeatedly used for public policy implementation, economic development schemes and political patronage over a period of decades

Sounds like a plan. Move that HQ to the West Side of SJ, and get the tidal power piece figured out. We also have the only Nuclear Power Station east of Ontario right here in the Saint John region. Turn NB power HQ in Fredericton into affordable housing and figure out how to run New Brunswick’s energy future from the only part of the province that currently has stable power generation 365 days a year.

It’s well known that NB Power is one of the most inefficient crown corporations in Canada, and is rotten to the core. Just like the Service NB tax assessment department, and the ANBL. These government owned corporations and departments need restructuring from the top down, as it’s clearly not the rank and file employees at fault for the inefficiencies of our crown corporations.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Quite a hilarious exchange on social media between the two campaigns last night:



First Higgs post this hilariously free ad for Susan Holt showing a team Holt sign south of Moncton as a big GOTCHA, but then got dragged in the comment section, and took it down a few hours later.



The Holt campaign responded with a clear message what they want to make this campaign about, important issues, so Higgs went back to the drawing board, and came up with this:



WTF is even happening in the Higgs campaign? A promise to cut HST by 2%, and vague commitments to defend parental rights, but no substantive vision for the future. This is one of the weakest campaigns from an incumbent premier I’ve ever seen. I guess that’s what you get when you have an Albertan campaign manager trying to win an election in New Brunswick.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Quite a hilarious exchange on social media between the two campaigns last night:



First Higgs post this hilariously free ad for Susan Holt showing a team Holt sign south of Moncton as a big GOTCHA, but then got dragged in the comment section, and took it down a few hours later.



The Holt campaign responded with a clear message what they want to make this campaign about, important issues, so Higgs went back to the drawing board, and came up with this:



WTF is even happening in the Higgs campaign? A promise to cut HST by 2%, and vague commitments to defend parental rights, but no substantive vision for the future. This is one of the weakest campaigns from an incumbent premier I’ve ever seen. I guess that’s what you get when you have an Albertan campaign manager trying to win an election in New Brunswick.

That is a picture of Higgs going down. Not sure of the symbolism they were going for?

[MonctonianSentinel01]

LOL! Very ture.