Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 November 2, 2023 CONTENTS SENIORS Ms. Holt Hon. Ms. Bockus Ms. Holt Hon. Ms. Bockus Ms. Holt Hon. Ms. Bockus Ms. Holt Hon. Ms. Green Mr. Gauvin Hon. Ms. Bockus M. Gauvin Hon. Ms. Bockus M. Gauvin Hon. Ms. Bockus Hon. Ms. Bockus ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST FUND Mr. LePage Hon. Mr. Crossman Mr. LePage Hon. Mr. Crossman Hon. Mr. Crossman

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 RECYCLING Mr. LePage Hon. Mr. Crossman NB POWER Mr. Legacy Hon. Mr. Holland Mr. Legacy L’hon. M. Holland INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Dunn Mr. Coon Hon. Ms. Dunn Hon. Ms. Dunn COST OF LIVING Ms. Holt Hon. Mr. Steeves Ms. Holt Hon. Mr. Higgs GASOLINE PRICES Ms. Holt Hon. Mr. Higgs ENERGY Ms. Holt Hon. Mr. Holland

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Original] SENIORS Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start where we left off yesterday in the hopes that the minister will be given the chance to respond this time. The health of seniors in New Brunswick is really important to us, and I know that it is important to her.

She is excited about the new portfolio, and we want to give her a chance to provide us with the plans that she has to ensure the health of seniors in New Brunswick. This Assembly has received a number of recommendations on the things that need to happen in order to improve our ability to maintain the health and well-being of seniors in New Brunswick. So, I would like the Minister responsible for Seniors to let us know what plans are in place, or are being worked on, to provide preventative health measures and ensure the long-term health of this important population for New Brunswick. Hon. Ms.

Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, through you to the member opposite. I am very pleased to get up and answer the question. I am so glad to be given this opportunity at the start of question period. I think the opposition kind of got a bit of a spanking yesterday at the end. They are playing it safe this time. Some of the programs that we have developed and have started are ventilation improvements in 21 of our nursing homes to improve, obviously, their air quality. We are most concerned about the health and welfare of all our seniors.

We will do as much as we can to promote it and to continue to allow our seniors to live with dignity and in comfort. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for that answer. I apologize. I was not able to hear totally clearly. You have a lovely, soft voice. I think you said ventilation improvements for Level 1 nursing homes. Did I get that correct? Hon. Ms. Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): What I said, Mr.

Speaker, was that there are 21 major renovation projects underway at present in nursing homes. I cannot give you a list right now, but I will. There is also an assessment taking place on the remaining nursing homes to see what work needs to be done. Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you very much for that, Mr. Speaker, and to the member opposite. That ties into another question, so I am going to connect the two.

It was the Auditor General who provided a report on the state of health for seniors in long-term care and cited ventilation and infrastructure deficiencies. We have put a motion forward around ensuring that there is clean air in long-term care facilities.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 So, I am going to tick that one off and move to the other two recommendations that came from the Auditor General. Those were specifically around improving inspection and enforcement of standards and protocols as well as introducing infection prevention and control specialists. I am hoping that the minister can give us an update on those two recommendations. Hon. Ms. Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to the member opposite.

As I said before, the health of our seniors is of utmost importance. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that they stay healthy, whether they are in a nursing home, a special care home, or their own home. If I could pivot just for a moment, it would be to tell the House about the success of the Nursing Homes Without Walls program. In the province, we have 14 nursing homes that have initiated the Nursing Homes Without Walls program. We hope to add another 6 before the end of December.

This program will allow healthy seniors to remain in their own homes through a variety of programs identified by each community as necessary as the needs of the seniors have been identified. We are still doing the work, Mr. Speaker. Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We know that the seniors in New Brunswick really want to see improvements in long-term care. I think that there are 980 of them in hospital right now, waiting to find space in long-term care.

It is one of the largest numbers we have ever seen in the province, so it is important that we have strong long-term care facilities to support these people. The seniors’ association has been advocating for improvements to communications between families and long-term care homes, and the Seniors’ Advocate for this House put forward a recommendation that the regulations around those interactions be strengthened, specifically in terms of violence in nursing homes, how that violence is defined by protocol, how it is reported to families and to the public, and the robust funding that is required for inspections.

Could the minister update us on the status of the Seniors’ Advocate’s recommendations in relation to violence in homes? Hon. Ms. Green (Fredericton North, Minister of Social Development; Minister responsible for the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation; Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the beauty of having a Minister responsible for Seniors and a Minister of Social Development. We are working collaboratively around seniors’ issues and all the other issues in Social Development. We take the recommendations of the Advocate very seriously.

Actually, very soon after the minister joined our team, we had a meeting with the Advocate in which we discussed issues around violence in nursing homes and the concerns that we had. In that meeting, we committed to exploring putting adult protection legislation in place here in New Brunswick, and we have the team at Social Development working on that right now. We

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 take it very seriously, and we committed to him that we would be moving forward and looking at the possibility of putting this new legislation in place. Right now, the work is being done in the department for that to happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Gauvin (Shediac Bay-Dieppe, L): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this week, the member for Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore and I were in the Minister responsible for Seniors’ neck of the woods.

Two people came to us and said: I asked her a question two weeks ago and did not get an answer. The question is about those four RFPs. The government announced four RFPs in the past year or year and a half, but we have not heard anything. This is not us trying to do something cute here. It is just that it has been announced, and we want to know. We just want to know. Do we have the names? The four names—do we have them? Are they gone? Who has them? This could affect the minister’s riding. We just want to know what is what. Are the RFPs still on the table, or are they gone? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Ms.

Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I told the member opposite in a private conversation, we do not discuss business on the floor of the House. There are still negotiations underway, and when we can make an announcement, we will. Thank you. [Translation] Mr. Gauvin (Shediac Bay-Dieppe, L): Mr. Speaker, we were not expecting to get an answer and we were just proven right. Now, Madam Minister, the Association francophone des aînés du Nouveau-Brunswick has established six priorities.

They have been sitting on a shelf for two years and were presented to two different ministers on that side of the House. So, we are talking about six priorities. I spoke to the chair of the Association francophone des aînés du Nouveau- Brunswick. My question for the minister is this: Are you aware of the six priorities? If so, how many are you going to implement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Original] Hon. Ms. Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have told the House, learning in this position has been like drinking from a fire hose.

I did meet with members of the seniors’ federation. They discussed their priorities, and I told them that I would look into them. No, I cannot name them all right now. I am sorry. If you would like me to get a list, I will. But I have had so much information, and I have tried to give my best attention, at the time, to their requests—to anybody’s requests. All anybody needs to do is call me or visit my office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 [Translation] Mr. Gauvin (Shediac Bay-Dieppe, L): The bar is low; it is unbelievable, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you that I spoke to the chair of the Association francophone des aînés du Nouveau- Brunswick. He asked me: Do you know how many priorities have been implemented by the government over the past two years? Guess how many: Zero—that is the government’s score right now. I am going to ask my final question. Our leader alluded to the fact that there are a lot of priorities concerning seniors.

Things are not going well. You say that things are going well, but everyone except you thinks they are not. I do not know what bubble you are living in; you are living in one man's bubble, and everyone knows it. There are people who try to get out of it, but it is as though they are caught in the trap. Madam Minister, there are a number of issues to deal with: the quality of food in nursing homes, our seniors’ vulnerability to bad air quality in nursing homes, visits and everything having to do with the quality of their social lives, and everything having to do with staff or lack thereof.

What are you going to tackle, and when are people going to get answers? You want to take action, but when will you do so? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Original] Hon. Ms. Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far as acting on presentations or demands made by an organization, I only met with it a month ago. We like to perhaps work a bit slowly because we like to get things right before we implement them. As far as the food— (Interjections.) Mr. Speaker (Hon. Bill Oliver): Order. Hon. Ms.

Bockus (Saint Croix, Minister responsible for Seniors, PC): As for the food or the concerns in a certain nursing home, I would appreciate a call or an email. Let me know, and we can look into it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST FUND Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, L): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment introduced to the Legislature on October 18 a seemingly harmless administrative bill that would repeal the Beverage Containers Act and Regulation 99-66 under the same Act. They will be replaced by the Designated Materials Regulation under the Clean Environment Act, adopted April 2023.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 The revocation of the Beverage Containers Act proposed to come into effect on April 1, 2024, is at best premature and at worst signals the end of the province’s highly valued Environmental Trust Fund’s (ETF) dedicated resource stream. The minister has not developed nor produced a plan to replace the portion of the fees that are collected under the actual Act and flow through to the ETF, which is 2.5¢ paid on every 10¢ deposited.

Can the minister explain why he wants to end the dedicated resource stream for the ETF? Hon. Mr. Crossman (Hampton, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, PC): Thank you very much for the question from across the way, Mr. Speaker. We answered questions yesterday from two until six o’clock. The opposition had lots of opportunities there. We did answer most of your questions. We ran out of time actually. The Environmental Trust Fund does start up this month. It is good for another four, five, or possibly six years. I do not have the exact breakdown here today. It will always continue.

There will be funds there for it. Regarding recycling, as you know, the last time it was, I guess, implemented was in 1992. There is a lot of room for improvement in recycling. There is a lot of room for improvement, as was answered to your questions yesterday, Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, regarding the full back percentage that will be coming up next spring. That has been going on for a while. The Environmental Trust Fund is very important for mitigation and adaptation plans.

You received an email today from my office, from me, regarding an update and what is included to ensure that people make the application and put it forward this month. Do not come back in December saying, We did not know. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, L): Mr. Speaker, we are in support of the Polluter Pays Principle, but the “trust me, they will” approach is inadequate and misleading. Last week in question period, the Minister of Environment responded to a similar question regarding the dedicated resource stream for the ETF, and I quote: Where is the money coming from?

It will be there in the future. I cannot give you the exact breakdown right now, but the General Revenue —the General Revenue— should be able to take care of most of that. It is our plan to have the money in place The minister has had a week to rethink his answer. Minister, when will you be tabling a plan to secure the ongoing dedicated revenue stream for the ETF? Will it be before Bill 2 is passed?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 Hon. Mr. Crossman (Hampton, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess it is one day at a time, one step at a time, to get through the Act first, but with the way that you were going with your questions yesterday, we might be here until Christmas. Having said that— (Interjections.) Hon. Mr. Crossman (Hampton, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, PC): Thank you again for your question, member opposite.

The ETF funds, the $41 million, will continue, most likely in general funds. Do we have a breakdown today? No, we do not, because that is part of the planning moving ahead. We need to get by the repeal first to make sure it happens. This is a good thing, and I cannot believe that you are nitpicking to pick things apart. Are you going to make a difference?

Going back to the redemption centres, the biggest thing here is to get more recyclables back from the consumers and into distribution so that there is less roadside garbage, less in the landfill, and more money in the pocket for the consumers who are returning their goods to the redemption centres. It should not shut redemption centres down, as someone asked. It should keep them open and thriving. Hopefully, there are more and more people who use them on a regular basis. Thank you. RECYCLING Mr. LePage (Restigouche West, L): Mr.

Speaker, yesterday at the economic policy committee meeting addressing Bill 2, the following facts were confirmed by the Minister of Environment. The consumer now pays a 10¢ deposit fee for most recyclable containers and gets back 5¢. There is 2.5¢ dedicated to the Environmental Trust Fund, and the remaining 2.5¢ goes to the producers or brand owners. By repealing the Beverage Containers Act effective April 1, 2024, we, as consumers, will pay 10¢ and get back all 10¢ at the redemption centres. Can the minister explain his answer to the producers who now pay the handling fees set by the government?

How can the minister guarantee that this charge on plastic—on milk or juice containers, for example—will not be passed on to consumers in a time of an extremely high cost of living in this province? Hon. Mr. Crossman (Hampton, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, PC): Thank you once again, Mr. Speaker, for the question opposite. That was broken down very well by our department yesterday. It took a number of times to get it across the floor in the way it was broken down.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 Certainly, the members behind me are clapping as this means more money back to consumers. Consumers will lose if they do not return items to the redemption centre—if they choose not to return their bottles, cans, and recyclables. You mentioned 10¢, and that is for sure. I believe there is more for wine bottles. I will get the exact amount today for this one. The breakdown is there. It is bringing the ownership back to the people purchasing.

When you buy your goods at a store, such as a case of a certain pop or drinks, whatever you happen to buy, it goes back to the producer. We want those items back in distribution—in circulation, I should say. It will take a while. April 1, I think, is when it is supposed to kick in if we can get it across the floor and accepted. It is all good news. There is no bad news about it. NB POWER Mr. Legacy (Bathurst West-Beresford, L): In the past few months, a lot of ink has been spilled over NB Power by the media and by NB Power itself. It presented a new strategic plan and a new IRP.

It had to change a lot of that because of a certain mandate letter, and then a new mandate letter came out, so it will have to change it again. One report that we have not heard from in a long time—it was supposed to be quite considerable—is the PricewaterhouseCoopers study and report on NB Power. I wonder whether the minister could give us an update, whether that report has been given to him or tabled, and whether we could get some feedback on it. Hon. Mr. Holland (Albert, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development, PC): Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, I very much appreciate that question.

Indeed, a great deal of work is being done on a variety of components of our utility because our energy security—our energy future—is an incredibly important part of our makeup, and it touches just about every New Brunswicker. I will take the question as it relates to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report. I do not have it in the form of anything to be tabled. I would have to consult with the utility on that to determine what stage it is at. I look forward to consulting with the utility and then getting back to the House. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr.

Legacy (Bathurst West-Beresford, L): It is an interesting answer. I mean, there is a lot of strategy being developed at this moment, even in the Legislature, with the minister’s department along with NB Power. We were asking questions when it was originally announced that PricewaterhouseCoopers was coming in, and it seems as though things were working in parallel. How do you build strategy when you have a group analyzing the utility to possibly give some data and information to form strategy?

How is this working in parallel if the report is not complete and not ready to be used in the structure of a new strategy for this entity?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 [Translation] Hon. Mr. Holland (Albert, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development, PC): Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his question. [Original] I did not say that the report was not complete. I did not say that the work was not being done. I did not say that the feedback that has come from that has not been applied and worked on throughout the course of the utility. We also know . . .

We have seen the utility come forward with announcements as it relates to the $50-million worth of internal savings that it has had. That came through a process of working in parallel with PricewaterhouseCoopers and in parallel with us as the shareholder. As I had indicated to the first question, as it relates to the tabling of the report and how that would process itself throughout the utility, I would need to consult with the utility to determine what that process would be.

I also need to make sure that the member opposite understands that active, diligent work has been done as it relates to the utmost in efficiency for the province, because we owe that to the ratepayers of New Brunswick. Thank you very much. INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Mr. Coon (Fredericton South, Leader, G): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, we learned from the Daily Gleaner that the Kehkimin Wolastoqey language immersion school that was established by Lisa Perley-Dutcher can no longer offer full days of classes after the province cut the funding that it used to hire staff. Well, how much are we talking about?

Are we talking about a grant of millions of dollars? No. Is it hundreds of thousands of dollars? No. We are talking about a grant of $85 000. That is it. It was cut by $50 000, leaving the school with $35 000 to work with. It had to go to half days. Mr. Speaker, the Wolastoqey language in this province is on life support with fewer than 100 fluent speakers remaining. Can you imagine? Will the Premier ensure that the Executive Council provides that additional $50 000 so that the school can hire staff so that it can once again offer full-day classes in Wolastoqey immersion? Hon. Ms.

Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Minister of Indigenous Affairs; Minister responsible for Immigration, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. While I know that folks are disappointed with respect to the reduction in the amount of that grant, it is important to note that that grant is actually accessible through the Department of Environment and Local Government. It is not through other departments. The Department of Environment and Local Government receives a lot of applications—hundreds, I would say.

One of the requirements, when these grants are looked at, is the breadth and the reach

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 that the outcomes will have. Unfortunately, in this case, it met some of those requirements but not all. There is one other thing that I would add with respect to the preservation of the language. I am very proud to say that in working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the 10-year plan that it has, there is, as part of its strategy, accessibility to the Wolastoqey language as well as the Mi’kmaw language for intermediate, advanced, and initial language learners.

Thank you. Mr. Coon (Fredericton South, Leader, G): Well, Mr. Speaker, with fewer than 100 fluent speakers remaining, every person who becomes fluent is a gain. This government could be far more helpful in supporting efforts to protect and revitalize the first languages of our province, the Wolastoqey, Peskotomuhkati, and Mi’kmaw languages, as has been done in Nova Scotia. That province proclaimed legislation last July—July 17—to recognize Mi’kmaw as Nova Scotia’s first language to support the efforts to protect and revitalize that language. Mr.

Speaker, in a province that is as internationally known as New Brunswick is for its commitment in pursuing the substantive equality of the English and French languages, surely, this government could make the protection and revitalization of the first languages a priority as well. Will the Premier introduce a first-languages Act that would commit the government to working closely with First Nations communities and organizations to develop and support a first-languages revitalization strategy in our province? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Ms.

Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Minister of Indigenous Affairs; Minister responsible for Immigration, PC): Once again, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. I want to reiterate the fact that our relationship with the First Nations in the province is extremely important. We also recognize— (Interjections.) Hon. Ms. Dunn (Saint John Harbour, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; Minister of Indigenous Affairs; Minister responsible for Immigration, PC): Excuse me. That is not very nice.

We also recognize the importance of language preservation as well. What better way to implement that than in our curriculum within our school systems? That ensures that every single child in this province who actually wants to partake in that opportunity can. I am very proud of that. Also, I would say that with respect to the organization and the grant that you were referring to earlier, there is a submission into the government right now for about $495 000. We are hoping that there will be a positive outcome with respect to

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 helping that goal get reached in terms of fundraising and moving into the new school. Thank you. COST OF LIVING Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have heard some impactful statements from my colleagues today about what New Brunswickers in their ridings are experiencing, whether it is at ERs, food banks, or shelters, because the rising cost of living is visible to New Brunswickers right now.

On the streets, as it gets cold, we know that people are struggling to make ends meet. We continue to wait for affordability measures from this government. It has dangled the notion of tax cuts. The Minister of Finance said that he prefers tax cuts. We had a statement in the House from the member for Miramichi about how much this government prioritizes tax cuts. So, I am wondering whether the government, specifically the Premier, could give us some clarity and confirmation because I know that the Premier is also a proponent of tax cuts.

Could the government specify for us what tax cuts New Brunswickers should expect, and when those cuts will come? Hon. Mr. Steeves (Moncton Northwest, Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the member opposite for the question. Yes, tax cuts continue. We have cut them already. We cut personal income tax. We cut property . . . I think that we cut personal income tax three times. We raised the basic personal exemption. We put in a number of property tax cuts.

Yes, tax cuts are one aspect of it, but there are so many other aspects that we have brought in as well that are helping people in New Brunswick, such as the minimum wage. There are the tax cuts, the rising minimum wage, and the Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit as well. You know what? Despite the economic impact that we had during COVID-19, Mr. Speaker, we continue to grow in New Brunswick. The average real GDP growth was 1.5% between 2018 and 2022. That was during this government’s time in office. That growth added $2.5 billion to our economy, and it continues.

The GDP growth this year is expected to run at about 1% on our standards but consensus gives it about 1.2%— Mr. Speaker (Hon. Bill Oliver): Thank you, minister. Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Mr. Speaker, this government continues to tease New Brunswickers that we will do some affordability measures. Maybe there is a tax cut coming, but I did not hear one in the answer that was just given. You are giving people hope that you might do something to make life more affordable, but then you are not delivering. Could you confirm more clearly?

Should New Brunswickers be holding out hope for a tax cut or not?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 Hon. Mr. Higgs (Quispamsis, Premier, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think what New Brunswickers should be looking at is that there absolutely is hope in this province not only on the affordability clause but also when looking at what we announced in the throne speech in terms of the seniors’ benefit and in terms of the 60-40 split going the other way to help people to stay in their homes.

There is hope in terms of our mental health and addictions centre, which is going to provide a whole new avenue of hope for people in this province. We are also very heavily focused on the everyday costs of energy and how we can reduce that cost, whether it be through the home heat program or whether it be through other measures so that we can help people to reduce their consumption or whether we can just get a better formula from the federal government. The federal government has already started down that trail on the home heating oil reduction. So, Mr. Speaker, I think that there is hope.

I think that if we join forces . . . Maybe we should have a motion here on the floor that we are all supporting getting rid of the carbon tax. We can see what is now happening across the country where others are looking seriously at that. We need to seriously axe that tax, Mr. Speaker. GASOLINE PRICES Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad that the Premier brought up energy costs and trying to make them more affordable for New Brunswickers. He has, in his power today, the ability to make gas cheaper for New Brunswickers.

Yet we wait for the legislation that would repeal the Premier’s carbon adjuster. I know he said that he is looking for the EUB to change the funding formula. The EUB is an independent organization, and I believe that the Premier is aware of that. So, will he take the action that he can? He can save New Brunswickers the extra 4¢ that they are paying because of his legislation that passes it on to them. Hon. Mr. Higgs (Quispamsis, Premier, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, PC): Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting thought because, you know, we said that Nova Scotia is doing the same thing.

Prince Edward Island is doing the same thing. Newfoundland and Labrador is doing the same thing. So, Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition seems to miss is that that is what happens with a regulated price formula. That is why the EUB is involved with this. It is the same in all three of the other provinces in Atlantic Canada. So, maybe considering what I have been talking about it, can we actually look at whether there is a benefit to regulated pricing? Is it helping us, or is it not? But, Mr.

Speaker, I have previously said that I would gladly look at any option that we could pass in this House to not only deal with that but also deal with the carbon tax. Let’s look at the big picture. Let’s go for 20¢ a litre. Let’s not stop at 4¢ and quibble over 4¢. Let’s make it

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 14 a real difference when you fill up. Let’s make it so that when you pull your car up to the pumps and you walk away, you will say: Wow, that is different. This province is making things happen. I am game, Mr. Speaker. I would ask the Leader of the Opposition to be a part of that. Let’s write a letter to Ottawa together. ENERGY Ms. Holt (Bathurst East—Nepisiguit—Saint-Isidore, Leader of the Official Opposition, L): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a lot said there.

I have two questions for the Premier because we continue to wait for the energy strategy that he said was coming. I understand that it is going to include shale gas and some of yesterday’s technologies, which are fitting for yesterday’s government. I am hoping that he can answer when he will table the energy strategy. If he is so interested in looking at regulated pricing—and it sounds as though he is—then could he confirm for us when we can expect the government to put forward an analysis and a study on regulated gas prices in New Brunswick? Hon. Mr.

Holland (Albert, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development, PC): Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, there was a lot of information in that question. She referred to a lot of stuff that came from the Premier. We want to unpack what we just heard. She is asking about a variety of different things, but really, what is the issue here? What is the issue? You are trying to create a narrative that we are not coming forward with initiatives that do good work. The energy strategy—let’s talk about the energy strategy.

We have had members stand in this House and say, When are we going to get a state of the forest strategy? It is never going to happen. They stood in the House and stood in front of the media, saying it was not going to happen. A week later, for the first time in over a decade, we came out with a State of the Forest Report, and we made it an annual report. What did the members opposite say when we came out with that and actually did what they said we were not going to do? They said, It’s not good enough.

So, an energy strategy, compiled with all the things that are going to power our economy with clean energy from a New Brunswick strategy, is due to come in the near future. (Interjections.) Mr. Speaker (Hon. Bill Oliver): Order, please.