Frustration mounts in Shippagan-Lamque-Miscou ahead of election

Frustration is growingin Shippagan-Lamque-Miscou, a riding in northern New Brunswick, wherevoters depend on the health of the fishery.

That's true forthe fishing boat captains and deckhands catching the fish, the plant workers processing it, or the store and restaurant owners who sell to the people who only have money to spend when the season has been good.

Shippagan is the largest centre in the riding, with more than2,000 people. Smaller fishing villages are scattered throughout the peninsula that extendsinto the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Uncertainty isthe best way to describe what happened to the fishery this past season.

• Lobster fishermen create wall of empty traps at protest against closures

• Some go home with more money in their pockets, some less, as fishing season ends

Most fishermen ended up catching their quota, but a series of zone closures to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales travelling through fishing grounds, was enough to scare people into halting theirspending.

And after a winter where many seasonal workers were in the so-called "black hole," the uncertainty around whether they will get employment insurance next winter with the work weeks needed to qualify going upis the number one issue on people'sminds thiselection.

Although afederal matter, people in the areaexpect their provincially elected candidates to stand up and fight for them to Ottawa.

"What we'd like is for them to stop promising things and actually do something for us. It's like they don't understand us," said Mona Chiasson, a factory worker at the Fishermen's Co-op in Lamque.

Three days before the official kick-off of the campaign,Jean-YvesDuclos, the federal minister of social development,came to New Brunswick to announce a pilot project, whereabout 7,000 workers in the province might be able to get up to five additional weeks of employment insurance next winterpossibly avoiding the "black hole."

It came after months of relentless protesting from seasonal workers.

Butfor many, it was too little, too late.

"If I vote for someone, and they do nothing, well four years later I'll change my vote," said Chiasson.

On the wharves, the frustration with the Liberal government can be heard just as loud.

"What people want is someone who works for them. Someone who can create so much work," said Victor Beaudin, a fishing boat captain in Pidgeon Hill.

Beaudin thinks PC candidate Robert Gauvin will be elected in Shippagan-Lamque-Miscou, a riding with a history of electing Progressive Conservatives going back to the late 70s when Gauvin's father, Jean joined the government of Richard Hatfield.

"They want people who are going to work for the Acadian Peninsula. That's what people need. Doesn't matter the party," he said.

Jonathan Larocque, a fisherman inPidgeon Hill,also believesGauvin will win the seat.

He said his name is on everyone's lips, and no one in his circle is too bothered by Higgs' lack of French.

"I never really heard anyone talk about the fact he's not bilingual," admits Larocque.

Around here, unemployment insurance is the only thing people talk about.- Jonathan Larocque, fisherman

"Around here, unemployment insurance is the only thing people talk about, and it's the only thing that's going to matter when they vote," he said.

"The Liberals have put laws in place that have really enraged people. I don't think people will vote Liberal again."

Tories try to win overfrancophones

The Tories knew they'd face an uphill battle adding to their seats in largely francophone northern New Brunswick with Blaine Higgs, a unilingual anglophone, as leader.

The party emerged from the 2014 election with Madeleine Dub as their only elected candidate in francophone New Brunswick.

• 'My opinion has changed': Higgs addresses COR past in bid to win French support

This time, the Conservatives tried to get ahead of the game.

On Aug. 28, PC Leader Blaine Higgs visited a mechanic shop in Lamque with his team of local francophone star candidates, which include RobertGauvin and Kevin Hach, the mayor of Caraquet.

There, he promised credits for small and medium businesses that would create jobs.

Gauvin asked the crowd to applaud Higgs for "making the effort" to address them in French, and reassured voters francophone rights issues would not be tossed aside in a Higgs government.

"Effort, that's all we ask," exclaimed Gauvin. "Will we punish someone who wants to learn French?"

"If we give him the chance, he will continue, and I can guarantee you he will speak five languages before Brian Gallant balances the budget," he added.

A week later,candidates some from as far south as Memramcook, gathered in Gauvin's campaign headquarters in Shippagan.

Gauvin introduced each of the 19 francophone candidates on the Higgs team, and announced their intention to form a common front to "solve the province's francophone issues".

"He is an ally of the Francophonie," he told the crowd.

Liberals say they've helped

Gauvin saidhe's not too worried about his leader's unilingualism affecting thelocal campaign.

"I'm hearing it a little, not a lot," he said. "People are more worried about whetherthey're going to eat."

People are more worried about whetherthey're going to eat.- Robert Gauvin, Conservative candidate

Gauvin said he wantsto put pressure on the federal government to decrease the number of work weeks needed to qualify for employment insurance.

"If the federal government doesn't move, well we're going to talk to the shop owners, and talk to the people who work there and go by priority people who are in need right now, and try to plug them with a job as soon as possible, just to fill the weeks they need," he said.

Meanwhile, outgoing Liberal candidate, Wilfred Roussel, feels his party has helped seasonal workers.

"They know I am the one who stood in the legislative assembly and who asked that the insurance regulations be changed, they know that," said Rousselreferring to the pilot project announced last month.

Some not buying the act

While many voters said they're not bothered by Higgs's language skills, some municipal leaders are.

"Someone running as the leader of a party, who is a unilingual anglophone and has a past against bilingualism, that's a major concern," said Rmi Hebert, a town councillor in Shippagan.

"What message does that send to anglophones in the south of the province? That from now on we're going to tolerate having a premier who is a unilingual anglophone in a bilingual province?"

"Next year we're going to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the official languages act, but I feel we're going backwards. That worries me," he said.

The mayor of Lamque is of the same opinion.

"That after years he still hasn't been able to learn French, it doesn't bode well," said Jules Hach.

"I'm worried we're regressing."

In 2014, Liberal Wilfred Roussel won by only a 44-vote margin against Conservative Paul Robichaud.

Hbert thinks this will be another hotly disputed battle between Conservative and Liberal.

"Me what scares me about Higgs, is that he's trying to seduce francophones right now, but if he's elected he'll do whatever he wants with us," he said.

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