Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 May 30, 2025 CONTENTS BUDGET Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Thériault Mr. Savoie CONTRACTS Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie LOBBYISTS Hon. Mr. Legacy Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 BRIDGES Ms. Conroy Hon. C. Chiasson Ms. Conroy Hon. C. Chiasson Ms. Conroy Hon. C. Chiasson ENVIRONMENT Mr. Hogan Hon. Mr. LePage Mr. Hogan Hon. Mr. LePage Mr. Hogan Hon. Mr. LePage Hon. Mr. LePage Hon. Mr. LePage EDUCATION Mr. Savoie Hon. C. Johnson Mr. Savoie Hon. Mr. McKee, K.C. Mr. Savoie Hon. C. Johnson Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Ms. M. Johnson Hon. Mr. McKee, K.C. Hon. C. Johnson

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Translation] BUDGET Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It’s always nice to see you. [Original] I want to start this morning with the Holt government’s $14.3-billion budget and the $50 million in revenues that we are supposed to get from the feds for their HST holiday. According to estimates quoted by the Premier, they owe us $62 million. Has the Holt government figured out a final, calculated figure that Ottawa actually owes us?

Is it over and above the $50 million? What is that final figure? Is it $50 million? What is it? Are we getting any of this money? I can say, Madam Speaker, based on the cuts that we’ve seen, food banks could use $2.5 million of that money, for starters—the $1 million that was cut, and $1.5 million over and above that, which they actually need. Can the Premier say where that money is coming from? Hon. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister responsible for Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would assume that the member opposite would know how this HST process works. Those figures will come in from Revenue Canada later this year. Exact numbers only come after all the calculations are done. I would assume that, after six years in government, the members opposite would have talked about this and would know how it works.

We’ve already stated that we didn’t send the letter exonerating the federal government from paying this amount. We will get the money back based on the agreement we have. We’ve answered this question over and over again. I’m sorry that the opposition can’t understand the answer, but that’s what we have. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): We understand very well, Madam Speaker, but when they said they were going to fight to get this money back and then, months later, we still don’t know, either they didn’t know what they were saying when they said they were going to get that money back or they’re slowly learning their jobs. Let’s move to the $5.5 million to be used for advertising New Brunswick in Ontario and Quebec. It’s $5.5 million. This is a step up, but it’s much costlier than the last time the Premier was in government.

I believe she was part of the Liberal government’s Jobs Board that advertised in Ontario, in Toronto airport bathrooms, that New Brunswick had a booming economy and 3 600 jobs up for grabs. Of course, we had neither. New Brunswick

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 got national exposure for that campaign and not in a good way. I hope taxpayers get a better result this time. How much of the $5.5 million went to non-GNB consultants, contractors, or agencies? I would like the Premier to answer that, please. Thank you. [Translation] Hon. Ms. Thériault (Caraquet, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe the opposition member asked me a question about the advertising campaign that is currently taking place.

For some time, I have been hearing opposition members talk about cuts. I am not sure they were paying attention during estimates, because we established a partnership with the federal government that enabled us to get a reimbursement of $750 000, which covers almost all the $900 000 cut. When it comes to the shortfall, which is the difference between the $750 000 and the $900 000, we can make up for it by eliminating expenses for Tammy and Yennah. [Original] Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Based on that answer, Madam Speaker… I asked about non-GNB consultants, contractors, or agencies. Either the government members don’t know, or they won’t say, and that is never a good place for government to be. CONTRACTS On the topic of consultants, the Premier has cancelled her weekly tariff updates, saying it’s because the situation has somewhat stabilized. Did the Premier also cancel the $27 000-per-month contract with the U.S. consulting firm?

How much commission was paid to Porter O’Brien for it to act as a contractor for GNB on this $27 000-per-month contract with the Tennessee company? Is the contract still in place? How much commission was Porter O’Brien paid? Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Translation] Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to have the opportunity to talk about our discussions with various American partners. [Original] We have given notice to wrap up the contract with the consulting firm.

There was a $5 000 commission associated with that. The relationships and the connections have now been made. We are engaging on a regular basis with our counterparts in the States, and we’re

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 seeing the momentum increase with Americans speaking out against the tariffs that their President has put in place. We will not let up until we ensure that New Brunswickers and New Brunswick companies are free from the pressure of tariffs. Introductions have been made, and we are leveraging them with conversations in Louisiana and with the New England governors. The city of Saint John is going to host the southeastern United States and the Canadian Premiers on June 8.

We’re bringing forward delegations to continue to grow the business that New Brunswick does around the world. We got good value, but the contract— [Translation] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Original] I heard the $5 000 was not given to Porter O’Brien, so I’d like the Premier to clarify: Is $5 000 all the money that Porter O’Brien got in association with this particular contract? Thank you. Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thanks, Madam Speaker.

We can happily get the member of the opposition the details. I believe a $5 000 fee on the $27 000 contract was given to Porter O’Brien, but I would have to check the details of whether that was monthly or not. I’d be happy to send that across to you. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): There we go. It could be $5 000 times many months. I have confidence that the Premier will come back with that. LOBBYISTS One of the principals of Porter O’Brien was the Premier’s boss in the Gallant government as Chief of Staff in the Premier’s Office.

What would the Premier tell New Brunswickers who are concerned that her government is being lobbied by half a dozen of her colleagues from the Gallant government, including her former bosses, the former Premier and the former Chief of Staff? I noticed that both the former Premier and the former Chief of Staff are lobbying the Holt government for a company that builds gas electricity-generating plants. At the same time, NB Power has a secretive deal going on for a 400-MW plant in Scoudouc. Are these two related? NB Power still has not revealed the name of the company that is building this plant.

Are the Premier’s former colleagues dipping their beaks, as the saying goes?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 Back in December 2024, we learned that NB Power had quietly selected an unnamed firm, then, at the end of February, the former Premier and his former Chief of Staff registered as lobbyists for a firm that builds these plants. Hon. Mr. Legacy (Bathurst, Deputy Premier; Minister of Finance and Treasury Board; Minister responsible for Energy; Minister responsible for the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Listen, I can’t answer these conspiracy theories of secret deals. NB Power has an RFP process. It follows the steps. It announces when it needs… It was supposed to announce it. At the time, it was supposed to announce it. Throwing shade about all this information and backroom deals… It may have been like that before. I don’t know. I wasn’t there. I don’t know what the member opposite is talking about. I have no idea. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I may have misheard, Madam Speaker.

I certainly hope I didn’t hear the Minister of Finance accuse me of misinformation on the floor of the House. Madam Speaker, we have legitimate questions. What we’re seeing from this government is the same old, same old, same old tried-and-true Liberal approach of using the Liberals’ cronies to get contracts and to do work in this province. We have a lobbyist registry that’s in place for a reason, and we are seeing their former bosses, in some cases—in the Premier’s case—pouring into this registry. We’re seeing that work is happening around this province that is connected to the people who are involved.

I would like the Premier to get on her feet and confirm or deny: Are her former bosses part of the lobbyist registry and are they actively working on files in this province from which they could benefit financially? Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Listen, I think I actually share some of the concerns that the leader opposite is describing.

We recognize the need to strengthen the lobbyist registry and to strengthen requests for information to render the government more transparent because of work that’s been done in the past. I think the opposition members are familiar with that work. If they look at the lobbyist registry, then they will see many former Conservatives, former Liberals, and other former politicians on that list who lobbied their government and past governments and who reach out to our government. Thankfully, we’re making that information more transparent.

We’re strengthening those rules to make sure that it is very clear to New Brunswickers who is talking to whom. I make it very clear who I am meeting with. Every Monday morning, you’ll see the videos that lay out exactly who I am meeting with and why. When I was a civil servant, my boss was the Clerk of the government, so you can see that, when I meet with the Clerk now, it is

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 actually the same person. It was Judy Wagner then and it’s Judy Wagner now. We are going to make that stronger and more transparent for the people of New Brunswick. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Let’s help with a little more transparency, Madam Speaker. On April 30, the Premier announced $1.9 million for fertility treatments, but, on May 22, former Liberal Premier Graham registered as a lobbyist for Fertility Partners at UdeM. Are these connected?

Can the Premier agree that the optics for NB taxpayers could be better? Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Again, I’ll agree. As I said, we think we need to strengthen the lobbyist registry. We need to strengthen New Brunswickers’ access to information. Actually, our government is operating under an open by default policy where we share information before New Brunswickers have to ask for it.

I think New Brunswickers will notice that, as they go through the RTI process now, they’ll see fewer and fewer things that are completely blacked out and more information that is being provided proactively. We are asking the Integrity Commissioner to help us strengthen the lobbyist registry, to modernize it and to make sure that it is really clear who is meeting with whom and why. Whether it is a former Premier… I think there are a number of former Premiers, both Conservative and Liberal, who are on that list and have engaged with governments today and yesterday. We have to make it stronger.

I agree with the member opposite that there is lots of room for improvement there. BRIDGES Ms. Conroy (Miramichi East, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s been a few weeks since we got the news from the Minister of DTI that the department is cutting the sidewalk from the Centennial Bridge. This is part of a stream of severe cuts from the Holt government. Like the pattern of cuts we’re seeing, this not only negatively affects our communities but also puts people’s lives at risk. The people of Miramichi deserve the independence to walk safely across that bridge.

We have made great strides in overcoming the challenges people have with transportation. The lack of transportation is talked about in almost all of our departments and in almost all of our meetings. Instead of pushing to knock down those barriers, this government is knocking down people’s independence. I remember the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure sitting on this side of the floor advocating for my bridge, in my riding, as the critic for DTI.

So, now that he is on that side of the floor and can make a difference, why is the minister ordering this dangerous and reckless cut to an essential bridge and sidewalk?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thanks for the question. First of all, the sidewalk was not part of the scope of the project. Your government had six years to put it into the scope of the project. It was never put in. It was never budgeted for. That being said, the priority here is to get the 13 000 vehicles that are currently using the bridge across safely and to do so quickly.

That bridge needs to be finished. We need to complete the project. That being said, I would be more than willing to engage the community on transportation solutions for the community. That’s something I would be more than willing to do. Ms. Conroy (Miramichi East, PC): It needs to be in there, and it was in there. We were in the meetings to prove it. The minister has talked about the high cost of the sidewalk, which is quite rich coming from a government that’s increasing the deficit by over $3 billion in the next three years. In response to my last question, I was called an engineer.

Well, Madam Speaker, I’m not an engineer, but the minister certainly has them in his department, and they are the same engineers who had our sidewalk in the plans for the bridge. The northern alternate route is another important issue in Miramichi. For months before the election, the MLA for Miramichi Bay-Neguac was very outspoken about how he was going to stand with Miramichiers on the bridge and the northern alternate route. However, he has been pretty silent since the election, except to suggest that people can walk outside the white line when they cross the bridge, which isn’t really safe.

Madam Speaker, my question is about the northern alternate route. Where are we with the plans for that? What is being done right now to start the construction? Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you again for the question. The northern alternate route is something that has been ongoing for quite some time. We’ve been in discussions with the community about just how the route could happen and what form it would take.

As a matter of fact, as I said before, I am more than willing to engage with the community. We do have a plan to have a public session in Miramichi to discuss with the community members just where they would like to see the northern alternate route go and what shape and what trajectory they would like for it to take. Again, I am more than willing to engage the community on transportation solutions for that area. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Ms. Conroy (Miramichi East, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. The last discussion came with the closure of a sidewalk, so I’m not really looking forward to the next one. The people

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 in my city say something different. They aren’t hearing from the minister at all. That’s not a very promising answer. Over the past few years, Miramichi had finally been seen and heard. It had received more growth in funding from our government than it had in a long time. We would love to know how the MLA for Miramichi Bay-Neguac feels about his government stripping and cutting the progress we had made over the past couple of years. This Sunday, we are holding a bridge walk with a barbecue.

I invite the minister for DTI to come and join us. I truly hope the member for Miramichi Bay-Neguac will join us as well because we could use his voice. My last question is about another bridge in our riding. It’s the Anderson Bridge. The new bridge is due to be completed soon. In the fall of last year, the government, in partnership with the ATV and snowmobile federations, made an announcement that the old Anderson Bridge would be open to ATVs and snowmobilers when the new bridge is complete. This would open up incredible tourism opportunities for our community and be a major link for the entire province.

Can the minister tell us— Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thanks again for the question, to the member opposite. You’re absolutely right. The Anderson Bridge should be open this fall. I’m very proud of the fact that we were able to get that moving after it had been stalled for so long. It’s the same with the Centennial Bridge, which actually had two years of contracts cancelled. We need to get these things done. It’s important that we advance these projects and get traffic moving.

As for the former bridge, there has been no decision made on that bridge. I believe there has been some contact with members of the ATV association. I’m not one hundred percent sure where those discussions are going. I have spoken to staff members, and they said they have been talking with the ATV association. I don’t have the exact details of where that is, but there certainly has been no decision made on the former bridge. Thank you. ENVIRONMENT Mr. Hogan (Woodstock-Hartland, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I have a question from the people in my riding who are extremely concerned about the environmental disaster that was created by the diesel spill at Murray’s Irving. It was originally reported that 100 000 litres were spilled, but now 172 000 litres have been recovered. When I go by, I see that there are more test wells being drilled all the time. There are more trucks or fewer trucks, and there are all kinds of activity going on. The latest rumour that I heard was that the Tim Hortons that’s currently there is being torn down and possibly relocated.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 I asked… I don’t know. I think it was two months ago that I had asked the minister to have a public meeting with the citizens of that area so they can be informed of the plans to ensure that they have safe drinking water. I’m going to ask the minister again. What is his plan to meet with the people of that area on safe drinking water? [Translation] Hon. Mr.

LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the member for Woodstock-Hartland for his question. As I said, the priority has always been protecting the public, the quality of drinking water, and the environment. As a government, our role is to ensure that protecting resources remains our priority. We have taken all the necessary measures since we were informed of the event, and we have ensured daily that Irving is respecting our Acts and regulations. We want to ensure that.

As for communications, you may rest assured that the municipality, you as the MLA, and First Nations will be informed of the measures we are taking. Thank you. [Original] Mr. Hogan (Woodstock-Hartland, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Yes, I have access to members of the department. If I have a question, I can call, and they’ll answer it for me. I spoke with the mayor. The Mayor of Woodstock agrees with me in terms of having a public meeting, because the people who don’t know what’s going on are the people who live right there.

They want assurances that the water they drink every day is going to be potable and safe. They want to know what the government is… What are all these test wells… Why is there now a new test well across the highway, on the other side? What about the campground? Why can’t we have a public meeting so that government can tell the citizens what is being done to ensure that their water is and will remain safe? Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Translation] Hon. Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I didn’t like the member for Woodstock-Hartland’s change of tone much, but I will answer him quite calmly, because this is quite a serious matter. Each measure that you have witnessed on the ground aims to protect people in your region, member. That is the goal of the measures we are taking, Madam Speaker. Each test we are doing is to seek solutions that will enable us to ensure that all long-term measures are taken according to the right information based on the right data. The information must also

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 be based on the participation of the business involved and the community. That is what we will do. The investigation is underway. We are getting the details little by little. Once we have determined the concrete measures that the company must take to ensure the safety and health of the environment, we will move forward. You can rest assured of that. Thank you. [Original] Mr.

Hogan (Woodstock-Hartland, PC): Madam Speaker, I won’t apologize if I appear to get a little worked up over this because it’s a serious thing. People who live around the gas station where the spill occurred want to know what the company is doing and what the department is doing to ensure that their water is safe. It’s not about laying blame. It’s not about what… Everybody knows that there was a break in the pipe and that there was a huge diesel leak of unknown quantity. At first, it was 100 000 litres, but then they recovered 172 000 litres.

All I’m asking is for the government to have a public meeting with the people who live in that area to tell them what is being done to ensure that their water is safe. You know, I don’t know… You can be as calm as you want, but it is an important thing for the people who live there to know that what they’re drinking is safe. [Translation] Hon. Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will reiterate the same message again, since we get the same data every day.

The public can rest assured that the results of each test that we get show that there has not been any contamination in the residential wells that have been tested. This message has been shared publicly on a daily basis, so it’s available to those who want to know. If the people in your region don’t want to know, or if there are people we haven’t contacted, please give us their names and phone numbers. I will be pleased to call them. (Interjection.) Hon. Mr.

LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Do you want the answer? (Interjection.) Hon. Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, L): Madam Speaker, I think this is a very serious issue. Every day, officials in my department work tirelessly to

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 find solutions to ensure that the environment and people are protected, not just today, but for the long term. Thank you. [Original] EDUCATION Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. As we finished question period yesterday, the Minister of Education said that she prefers to base her answers on evidence and data.

When we go back to the situation, we see that, well, the government cut $43 million and then tried to blame the districts for the decisions they had to make because of the cuts the government forced them to put in place. Then the government said: Well, we can renegotiate this. Now, all the timelines are a mess because the district staffing decisions needed to be made based on the money they have. I would like to ask the Minister of Education this: What evidence and data did she use to show that this process was the best way to help our school system? Hon. C.

Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am thrilled to rise today to talk about my love of evidence and data. It’s actually the main reason I decided to run. I’d like to remind everybody of the past government’s position on data. There was this quote that got me so worked up that I said: I want to run. The past government said to its staff “data my ass”, Madam Speaker— data my ass. With that, I took… I’m a researcher. I’m somebody who gathers data. It takes a long time to do it. I analyze it, and I base my decisions on that information.

It is key to policy decisions, so I ran door to door telling people “data my heart” because that’s how important it is to me. That’s why I love data. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Oh boy, Madam Speaker. Again, I don’t know exactly why the minister thinks this is going to give New Brunswickers confidence in the decisions she’s making. Oh my heavens. Look, yesterday, I talked about how the Liberals are changing the approach to mental health services. They’re getting rid of ISD. I explained it a little bit, but I’ll try to go a little deeper this time.

Right now, a counsellor gets extra training. In order to be a counsellor, they have to have a master’s degree. They get three to five sessions with a student to try to understand the situation and then refer them for the supports they need. However, now, we’re switching to a triage system where there’s no interventional phase, and we’re being told that students will have to be literally in a crisis situation in all facets of their lives before they get to see anybody. I’ll ask the minister this: What data did she use to come up with that great system?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 Hon. Mr. McKee, K.C. (Moncton Centre, Minister of Justice; Attorney General; Minister responsible for Addictions and Mental Health Services; L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to reiterate that our government is committed to the well-being of children in this province and ensuring that they have access to the best possible care at the best possible time. That is not changing. Are we going to shift the way we deliver services?

Yes, we’re looking at ways to improve services in this province, and we are making progress with the necessary investments in mental health to make a difference, something the former government didn’t do. We’re expanding mental health services with youth wellness hubs across the province and the child and youth teams for First Nations that were left behind. We’re relaunching the Mental Health Services Advisory Committee that the former government did not launch during its six years in government. I could pull the Conservative platform out of my pocket.

It’s a one-pager, but I won’t because I don’t want to use props. It’s unparliamentary, so I’ll leave it in my pocket. But the Conservatives did not once mention mental health services for young people or improving numeracy and literacy scores for kids in our province, and it’s shameful that they’re now standing up and claiming to— Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It’s unfortunate that the Attorney General has been asleep for the last little while, because, at the end of the day, what I asked for in that question was a serious matter and this is what he came back with. I have teachers who have told me point-blank—point-blank—that with this new system they are embarking on, if a student were sexually assaulted and were not being impacted in all facets of their life, they would not be seen. But if somebody is homeless and it’s impacting all facets of their life, they will have priority.

Teachers have told me that people are going to have to get to a suicidal state before they get an intervention. The government members can talk about change, use jargon and platitudes, and say all this kind of stuff, but they’re making decisions that are impacting people. Will the minister defend what I just said, and does he think that’s the right way to go? Hon. C. Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. First, I would ask the member opposite to have that teacher call me because I am engaged in hearing from people on the ground.

That’s the first step. The second step… You asked about evidence. I’ve done a lot of research. That’s what I did. One research project that we did asked students who were in psychological distress whom they turned to for support. Do you know what they said? They said the people around them, the resources around them, the people they know, the people who are around them in the classrooms and in the schools. That’s exactly why we want to bring the resources right there, to the students. That’s what they told us they want. In addition to that, that’s

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 also what teachers told us they want. For the last time, that’s also what parents told us they want. We’re collaborating, we’re listening, and we’re making those— Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Madam Speaker, maybe she should do some research on listening to people. The person I am talking about has already had a meeting with the minister. Obviously, she’s not listening.

The reality is that education support services (ESS) teams, the people who are being taken out of the districts, are in contact with these students. Now, if you move them back into the classroom, they are not going to have access to the same students because you’re changing the scope of the role. This is going to impact these kids. We are concerned that the triage system is being changed and implemented to a point where these kids are not getting intervention and are going into crisis. We are trying to talk to this government to say: Back off from this. Reconsider this.

Do some research, and make sure you come back with a system that protects our kids. Our kids are not going to be protected under this new system. Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. The one good thing I want to take away from all of this is how much people care about education and are talking about it. Education is the most important thing that the government of New Brunswick does for the future of this province and the people in it. I’m glad we’re taking it seriously.

I’m very glad we have a minister who has a background in research and can give that example of how the data show that the kind of mental health supports students need have to come from the people closest to them. That’s why she and the team are doing amazing work to bring what used to be the ISD model closer to kids in schools, with those people still using that education and skill set to provide the integrated support students need in the school building, closer to those kids. I have to say that I’ve been exceptionally proud this week of this team of people behind me.

Through question period, we’ve had the Minister of Education, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Justice, and everybody supporting each other in serving— Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Question period— Point of Order Ms. M. Johnson (Carleton-Victoria, PC): Madam Speaker, I recognize that we have new members in the House this year and people who are maybe not accustomed to parliamentary language.

I would just urge the Speaker to address the fact that the member for Moncton South, the Minister of Education, used language that was unparliamentary and to remind her that that should be avoided.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 15 Hon. Mr. McKee, K.C. (Moncton Centre, Minister of Justice; Attorney General; Minister responsible for Addictions and Mental Health Services; L): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess my only comment would be that it’s a well-known fact that the former Premier Blaine Higgs said that. That’s a direct quote of a former member of this Legislative Assembly in the manner in which he talked to his deputy ministers. I think the Minister of Education was just restating facts. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): I will rule on this. I would like to remind members that quoting something that is unparliamentary is still unparliamentary. I would ask the minister to retract those words. Hon. C. Johnson (Moncton South, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, L): Madam Speaker, I apologize, and I retract them. Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Thank you. Okay. Is there nothing else?