Holt says she 'feels bad' about her Bathurst education comment
Greens release full platform, PCs make no new announcements
Liberal Leader Susan Holt said she felt bad for how comments she made about her former Bathurst-area riding were perceived.
"Yeah, I feel really bad about that because I love Bathurst, and Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore, and they've been exceptionally generous to me and my family," Holt said while campaigning Wednesday in Fredericton, where she is now candidate in Fredericton South-Silverwood.
Earlier this year on a podcast, Holt said people in the Bathurst area, where she ran after becoming Liberal leader, were "totally different" from the "highly educated" residents where she lives in Fredericton.
Kim Chamberlain, running for the PCs in Bathurst in the Oct. 21 election, condemned Holt's words in a PC campaign ad that came out this week.
"I feel bad that my comments were taken in a way as to be perceived as an insult," Holt said, adding that it was unfortunate that Chamberlain "has chosen to go this route with her campaign."
Holt is running in the riding of Fredericton South-Silverwood in this election. (Election Camera)
When asked about the PCs campaigning in the north this week, Holt said that Higgs "has ignored the north of this province, has called francophones lampshades."
Her comment referred to comments made by Higgs after the 2020 election, when dismissed his poor showing in the north and among francophones by saying they didn't have a history of voting PC, and that a "lampshade" could be elected as a Liberal in those regions.
"I think it's a little too late for him to come now and say he's interested in their votes and he's interested in investing in them if they vote for his candidates," Holt said.
Higgs did not make any announcements on Wednesday, but campaigned in Edmundston and visited a paper company.
Green Leader David Coon released his party's full platform Wednesday, 45-page document that includes no costing.
He is facing new scrutiny over his election commitments, particularly his inability to put a price tag on some of them and his willingness to run what he calls "short-term" budget deficits.
How many political promises are usually kept?
That's a question that Gabriel Arsenault, an associate professor of political science at Université de Moncton, has tried to answer.
For Blaine Higgs's two terms as premier, Arsenault kept what's called a "polimeter," a website that tracks every promise made during an election and how many were kept.
And he will do it again following this election. Arsenault only counts promises officially made in a party platform or press release, he said, in an interview with Information Morning Moncton.
"So, 'I promise to improve the health-care system,' that's too vague, there's no way for us to determine whether it's been fulfilled or not. So we don't count that as a pledge," said Arsenault.
Gabriel
Arsenault, a political science professor at the Université de Moncton,
created a website to track how many promises are kept by the party that
wins the election. (Michele Brideau/Radio-Canada)
Across elections, Arsenault said the Higgs government has been unique in how few concrete promises have been made. The campaign made 34 in the 2020 election and only five so far this time, he said.
While the PCs have only made one big promise — the HST cut — Higgs has made a few other small ones, such as not opening any more safe-injection sites.
"It's very exceptional to see so few promises in an election," Arsenault said.
By his tracking, the Higgs government has fulfilled about 70 per cent of its promises, Arsenault said, but added most promises this time around have been "trivial," except for the promise to cut the HST.
"The Liberals are definitely making bolder promises, that's for sure. In their platform, I'm counting at least 10 big pledges," Arsenault said.
"If Holt wins the next election, the polimeter will be more relevant, I would say."
The Greens have also made some big promises.
"What's different about the Greens, I'm finding, that they make more localized pledges. So they'll have a pledge about the ferry in Campobello, very precise, [and] the Shippagan bridge," Arsenault said.
"They're a very localized, very decentralized party, and it shows in the way they make promises."
Arsenault said that determining if a promise is kept "is not an exact science."
"Suppose you did 10 per cent of your pledge. Is that partially fulfilled or unfulfilled? It's a matter of judgment," he said.
Campus voting at N.B. schools next week
Elections N.B. is organizing polling stations at two New Brunswick universities next week.
Students, faculty and staff will be able to vote at UNB Fredericton's student union building, and at Sackville's Mount Allison University's student centre in Tweedie Hall, Oct. 15-18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Students will need an ID and proof of residency in New Brunswick for at least 40 days, including a signed lease or residency form from their university.
Students can choose to vote in the riding where they attend school or in their home riding if they are from another part of the province.
"Most students don't realize [they can vote] if they've come from out of province, and that's something we've been working with Elections N.B. on to get the messaging out," said UNB student union president Drashtant Varma, in an interview with CBC's Radio Shift.
He said Liberal and Green candidates have come to campus this week to meet with students and answer questions, which has spurred more interest in voting.
"A lot of students asked, 'Can I vote here?' And we would tell them yeah you absolutely can, here's what you need and these are the times you can vote."
Mount Allison also hosted a debate for local candidates, said Lucy Rae, student union vice-president.
"I do think students are engaged. I really think having an on-campus polling station will really help get students engaged," Rae said, adding that students were most interested in affordability and housing issues.
Where the leaders are today
Liberal Leader Susan Holt is making a health-care announcement in Blackville.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs is campaigning in Bathurst.
Green Leader David Coon is making a mental health care announcement in Moncton.
For complete coverage, here is a link to CBC's New Brunswick Votes 2024 stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Shift and Information Morning Moncton
Methinks its because she could lose in Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore and a few other ridings as well N'esy Pas?
Holt answered me honestly. Guess who did not.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs is campaigning in Bathurst.
Mr Outhouse is a clever dude he knows where to strike while the iron is hot
Let me run that through my Politician to English translator:
"Liberal Leader Susan Holt said she does not like being called out for how you felt about what she said"
NB will have one official language.....ENGLISH
Or suppose you did 80-90 percent :) And, how ambitious was the pledge? and what was its timeframe? We need politicians to be putting in policies for long term results, not just results in the 4 year election cycle.
that is not wrong.
people will judge her based on her policies and her comments
need to compare this to the blatantly untrue comments and disinformation put forward by conservatives.
i wonder whether Rustad in the west and Holt are getting advice from Frod in Ontario and DS in ALTA?
at least she is not trying to back pedal like Dough Ford, DS, Rustad, Moe
The politician equivalent of saying "sucks to suck"
What say you about the story below?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/mckenna-jones-griffin-traumatic-brain-injury-1.7347800But then she loses all empathy by saying Higgs "has ignored the north of this province, has called francophones lampshades." He clearly did not say that.
Just like people pounced on her for reading too much into a comment, she then does the same to try and score a couple of small political points. Just like a childish game of yeah I said that but did you hear what HE said?
Very different than Holt implying that "Higgs called Francophones lampshades".
I suspect you will read between the lines to justify your own beliefs and conformation biases, but he very clearly sis not call francophones lampshades.
But then she blatantly said something categorically false in an effort to put some heat on an opponent. She should have just clarified, apologized, or whatever she wanted to do and moved on. The lie she told about Higgs made her look small.
If you remove your partisan lens, you will acknowledge that.
Name Party
Blaine Higgs Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
Aaron Kennedy Liberal Party of New Brunswick
Alex White New Brunswick New Democratic Party
Andrew Conradi Parti Vert N.B. Green Party
David Raymond Amos Independent
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