Liberal leader explains comments about education levels in Bathurst

Liberal Leader Susan Holt is defending herself from criticism over her comments that people in the Bathurst area are "totally different" from the "highly educated" residents where she lives in Fredericton.

Holt made the comments on a podcast interview earlier this year, and Progressive Conservative candidates in northern New Brunswick have seized on them.

"I'm in urban Fredericton," Holt said. "It's really progressive people here, highly educated. My riding of Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore is a totally different makeup."

Bathurst PC candidate Kim Chamberlain cites the quote in a new party advertisement aimed at northern francophone ridings though she distorts Holt's exact words.

"The Liberal leader even said that people in Bathurst, my hometown, have no education," she says in French.

WATCH | 'Differently educated': Liberal leader defends comments:

Liberal leader defends comments on Bathurst education levels

13 hours ago

Duration 0:37

Susan Holt explains why she said northern riding was totally different from highly educated Fredericton.

In an interview, Chamberlain, the mayor of Bathurst, called Holt's comments "sad" and said it seemed Holt "looks down on us."

The Liberal leader made the comments in January while discussing the range of opinions about 2SLGBTQ+ issues around the province on the podcast True North Eager Beaver Media.

She compared Fredericton South-Silverwood, where she is now running, with the northern seat she held at the time.

The new French-language PC ad was released Tuesday as PC Leader Blaine Higgs began a four-day campaign swing across northern New Brunswick.

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Holt explained her comments Tuesday, saying Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore was "a pretty different environment both in terms of educational background, programs of study, what kind of work people do."

She cited the large size of the riding, which has been redrawn for this election as Hautes-Terres-Nepisiguit, and also pointed to its primary industries, such as fishing, farming and mining.

"It's one of the reasons I was really excited to go and represent [the riding] because of the diversity of people and the work they do and the way that they live," she said.

"You have folks who have PhDs and you have folks who completed school before the end of high school. There's a real diversity in educational attainment of the folks up there, and there's a real diversity in what they learn from the school of hard knocks."

Asked if that meant they were less educated, Holt responded, "just differently educated."

Holt was elected as MLA for Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore in an April 2023 byelection after the previous Liberal member retired to make way for her after she became party leader.

The riding she's now running in, Fredericton South-Silverwood, is where she lives.

Chamberlain said in an interview that Holt met with her as mayor many times when she held the Bathurst seat, "taking pictures all the time. I kind of realized, 'I think we're being used here.'"

Many voters she has met while campaigning have raised Holt's comments, said Chamberlain, who added she doesn't buy Holt's explanation.

"No, I don't accept it, because I don't believe she had to go there. She did not have to compare both, and she did."

The new PC ad features Chamberlain and other party candidates in the north arguing that the Liberals don't do enough for the region because they take it for granted, and that the area needs more representation in a PC government.

Greens promise rapid rail network, more reliable transit

As part of his climate action plan, Green Leader David Coon announced several promises to improve public transit.

Coon promised a provincial rapid train network. The first phase would connect Campbellton, Moncton and Sackville, with further plans to connect Saint John and Fredericton to the network later. Coon said he would negotiate with the federal government and rail line owners VIA Rail and CN on cost-sharing measures.

"To fight climate breakdown and cut transportation costs, New Brunswickers need alternatives to driving to get around," Coon said.

WATCH | Coon says the plan would create more green jobs across the province:

Greens promise a provincial rail network if elected

1 day ago

Duration 1:40

Green Party Leader David Coon says the first phase would establish daily commuter service between Campbellton, Moncton and Sackville by 2028.

He also said the province would help fund municipal transit in Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Miramichi with $4 million annually spread across those cities to help them increase bus frequency.

Similar to what exists in Prince Edward Island, Coon said he would start a $10 million annual fund available to any regional service commissions that offer "toonie transit" within their systems, a rural bus service offering trips for $2.

Coon also said he would begin discussions with neighbouring Maritime provinces and Maritime Bus to explore a public-private partnership for intercity bus routes in the region.

"So you can get there from here, which you can't right now," he said.

Aside from public transit, Coon also said he would create initiatives for homes and small businesses to use solar power.

All of these promises would be funded from Coon's proposal of a cap-and-trade system to replace the carbon tax,as is currently used in Quebec.

Coon said it would "cut costs for consumers while ensuring industrial polluters finally pay their fair share and do their fair amount of work on this."

Liberals explain timeline on promise to remove gas tax

If elected, Holt said she would reconvene the legislature in the fall to introduce legislation that wouldremove the carbon cost adjustor.

Now at four cents, the Higgs government passed legislation giving the Energy and Utilities Board the authority to add the adjustor to the formula it uses to set maximum gasoline prices every week, starting in July 2023.

"Mr. Higgs chose to charge New Brunswick cars for the cost of gas instead of oil and gas companies," Holt said Tuesday.

WATCH | 'A Holt government will cut the Higgs gas tax':

Liberals announce plan to cut 4 cents a litre on gas

1 day ago

Duration 1:15

If elected, Liberal Leader Susan Holt says she would not allow producers to pass on clean-fuel expenses to consumers.

The adjustor is part of the federal clean fuel regulations designed to help lower Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

"We want to see New Brunswickers paying less for gas," Holt said.

She also reiterated several previously made affordability promises on Tuesday, including implementing a three per cent rent cap and removing the 10 per cent provincial sales tax from power bills.

NDP releases full platform

The New Brunswick NDP released the party's full platform on Tuesday and committed to a balanced budget in four years.

Titled "Give people a break," the platform focuses on affordability measures, including a grocery rebate, raising the minimum wage to $20, a two per cent rent cap, and free school lunches.

The party also promises to reduce power bills and tuition fees, and replacethe carbon tax with a cap-and-trade model, as the Green Party has also promised.

Health care is another focus, as the NDP promises 40 community care clinics and to expand medicare to cover mental health care.

The NDP also promised to create 1,500 additional child-care spaces, 2,000 more public housing units, and 250 new nursing home beds. The party also promises a free heat pump program and to restore the tax-sharing agreement with First Nations that was cancelled by the Higgs PC government.

In a release, the party said it plans to pay for their promises by increasing taxes on "big corporations, banks, insurance companies and high-income people making more than $150,000 a year."

The platform also included promises to expand abortion access in the province and reverse changes made to Policy 713, the school gender-identity policy.

"It's time to give people a break. A break from the cost of living and a break from the traditional parties who are more focused on helping their rich friends and continuing to starve our public services of funding," said New Brunswick NDP Leader Alex White in the release.

The party hasn't held a seat in the legislature since 2003, and is only running candidates in 23 out of a total 49 ridings this election.

PCs make no announcements

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgsheld a photo shoot with local candidate Richard Ames in Nackawic at the world's largest axe.

Higgs did not give a speech or make any announcements, but he and Ames held PC campaign signs that said "Axe the tax" and "Safe streets."

The election is on Oct. 21.

Standings at dissolution:PCs 25, Liberals 16, Greens 3, Independent 1, vacant 4.

Where the leaders are today

Liberal Leader Susan Holtwill be campaigning in Fredericton.

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs will becampaigning in Edmundston.

Green Leader David Coonis announcing the party's full election platformin Fredericton.

For complete coverage, here is a link to CBC'sNew Brunswick Votes 2024 stories.