Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 1 December 2, 2025 CONTENTS GASOLINE PRICES Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Savoie SCHOOL BUSES Hon. C. Chiasson Mr. Savoie Hon. C. Chiasson Mr. Savoie Hon. C. Chiasson Mr. Lee Hon. C. Chiasson Mr. Lee Hon. C. Chiasson

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 2 Mr. Oliver Hon. C. Chiasson Mr. Oliver Hon. Mr. McKee, K.C. Mr. Oliver Hon. C. Chiasson CROWN LANDS Mr. Coon Hon. Mr. Herron Mr. Coon Hon. Mr. Herron GASOLINE PRICES Mr. Austin Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Austin Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. Austin Hon. Ms. Holt Mr. M. LeBlanc Mr. Austin

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 3 [Translation] GASOLINE PRICES Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Good afternoon, Madam Speaker. [Original] Madam Speaker, this government has been an abject failure on so many fronts. Between ineffective promises that have made absolutely no difference to New Brunswickers’ lives and promises that are just plain broken, this government is a failure. The members had no clue about how to implement these promises, yet they made them anyway.

The Holt government promised 4¢ per litre off gas immediately, if elected. Fourteen months later, this Premier doubled down and announced that 8.24¢ would come off the price of a litre of fuel on December 1. Well, today is December 2, and, to no surprise to anyone on this side of the House, there is no relief for New Brunswickers. A couple of weeks ago, I asked the Premier whether she would apologize if she failed, once again, to live up to her promise. Will the Premier apologize to the people of our province for, once again, failing to live up to her own promises? Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, I am surprised that the members opposite are not in the same boat that we are—pushing to see relief for New Brunswick taxpayers and New Brunswick gas consumers. Instead, the members opposite support a decision by the EUB. They are on board with it. They think that New Brunswickers should pay more for gas. They were the ones who put this formula in place, which costs New Brunswickers.

People have been overpaying for gas to the tune of millions of dollars ever since the members opposite put that burden on New Brunswickers. We have removed the cost of carbon adjustor, and we will continue to work to deliver relief for New Brunswickers. The mess that the members opposite put in place has cost New Brunswickers millions of dollars. We have taken the cost of carbon adjustor off, and we will not rest until New Brunswickers see relief. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Here’s a news flash, Madam Speaker—the federal government put the Clean Fuel Regulations in place, so there’s that. Second, 14 months later is not “immediately” in anybody’s book, except for maybe hers. The Premier wasn’t transparent with the residents of Forest Hill on the transitional housing development, and she admitted in the media that she could have done better. That’s close to an apology to hundreds of people in a community, but not quite.

This blown, broken, and failed promise to take 8.24¢ off a litre of gas is impacting literally every New Brunswicker. Come on, Premier. Could you do better and actually apologize to New Brunswickers for a broken promise you had absolutely no intention of keeping? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 4 Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): I would invite the member opposite to join us in the fight to take 8¢ off the price of gas, even though the news will show that it was the Conservative government and the members opposite who put this cost of carbon adjustor onto New Brunswickers. As a result, New Brunswickers have been overpaying to the tune of millions of dollars for years.

What was supposed to be a temporary formula ended up becoming permanent, even though it overstated the cost of compliance. Our government saw that and realized the injustice. We have removed the cost of carbon adjustor, and now we will continue to push so that New Brunswickers do not pay a penny more than they should for gas. I am shocked that the members opposite are not on the same page as us. They want New Brunswickers to pay more? They’re celebrating the fact that the price of gas didn’t go down? That is the wrong thing to be celebrating.

I’d like New Brunswickers to understand that the members opposite have not been working to help them see the price of gas reduced and have, in fact, been working against it. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): What New Brunswickers see, Madam Speaker, is the failure of a Premier who promised something and didn’t deliver. The Premier can try to evade responsibility all she wants.

It is a hallmark of her government. “It’s not my fault I can’t balance the books; it’s Trump’s fault.” That’s the Premier. “I can’t take responsibility for that; you’ll have to ask NB Power.” That’s the Minister of Finance and Minister of Energy. “Seniors in need of an ALC bed in the hospital? You’ll have to ask the Minister of Social Development.” That’s the Health Minister. “Seniors in need of an ALC bed in the hospital? You’ll have to ask the Minister of Health.” That’s the Minister of Social Development. “A broken promise on the price at the pump? That’s the EUB.” And on it goes, Madam Speaker.

Will the Premier finally take responsibility for failing to give New Brunswickers a break at the pump, as she promised? Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, I am frustrated and feeling the same frustrations that New Brunswickers are today.

As our government has worked to make life more affordable, we have been fought at every step by the members opposite, who first put in place a messed- up formula for the cost of carbon adjustor that has caused New Brunswickers to pay millions of dollars more than they should for gas. We brought it to this Legislature to move quickly on it, and the members opposite stymied that effort. We finally used our majority to pass it through, and we delivered on our promise and removed the cost of carbon adjustor.

Now, we’re looking forward to seeing the EUB deliver on its mandate of ensuring the lowest possible price for New Brunswickers. We would invite the opposition to join us in that work. Instead, they say they’re not interested in having New Brunswickers pay less. Well, our government is, and we will continue to take 10% off the price of power bills to make it easier for New Brunswickers. We will deliver a universal school breakfast to every kid in this province who needs help.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 5 We will keep the rent cap in place and will add incentives to build, because we will not stop working for— [Translation] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. [Original] Stroke of a pen. Stroke of a pen. It hasn’t worked out like that, has it? It’s been 14 months— that’s a pretty long sentence. She can blame the EUB. She can blame a formula. She can blame refineries. She can blame wholesalers. She can blame retailers.

If she were smart, she would blame the federal government, because that’s where the Clean Fuel Regulations come from that New Brunswickers have to pay for. People need gas to be able to work, pick up their kids, get groceries, go to the hospital, and live their lives, and this Premier is putting that in jeopardy by threatening fuel supply with her purely political promise. Will the Premier commit to finding a way to fulfill her broken promise to New Brunswickers without threatening the fuel supply? Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Translation] Hon. Ms.

Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Madam Speaker, that’s exactly what our government is doing. We’re trying to find ways to make New Brunswickers’ lives more affordable. An opposition member opposes us every time. He wants the adjustor of 8¢ per litre of gasoline to remain in place. He wants the cost of carbon adjustor to remain a component of the gasoline price. However, that’s not what we want. The opposition members are the ones who created the adjustor and imposed the additional cost on New Brunswickers. We have eliminated it.

We will continue to work every day, since we recognize that life is difficult for New Brunswickers. We are looking for every opportunity to make life more affordable. We ask the members opposite to join us in fighting for the lowest possible prices instead of fighting for the highest possible prices. [Original] Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): I’ll get the Premier a pen for Christmas, Madam Speaker, one that writes a little faster.

SCHOOL BUSES When we were last in the House, this government made a decision not to allow mechanics to go out and repair school buses outside of their normal working hours. We all know that our children are on dark roads early in the morning and that many areas have no cellular

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 6 service. On top of that, this government also stopped delivering replacement buses if needed, potentially leaving our kids stranded in the cold on the side of the road. The official opposition has called on the government to provide answers for parents. To date, none have been given. To the minister of DTI: Has this service, which should never have been taken away, been restored? New Brunswickers have no idea because you haven’t communicated it. Please tell us, minister. Thank you. Hon. C.

Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I can understand that the opposition members created a little bit of anxiety for parents by painting their colourful pictures. Now, I sympathize with parents. I understand that they were anxious about this. What I can say is that we worked diligently. We kept an eye on the situation. Today, I can report that, since we last spoke, not one child has been left stranded on the side of the road.

Madam Speaker, this all stemmed from a misunderstanding about the legality of somebody with a Class 5 licence bringing a school bus to a breakdown site. Was it legal? We did not have a legal opinion on it, so we had to wait until we got a legal opinion before we could resume the service. I am happy to say that we got a legal opinion, and mechanics will resume bringing school buses to breakdown sites. Mr. Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, according to this very minister, breakdowns are an extremely rare occurrence.

We all knew that was a ridiculous statement by this minister. We’ve heard from many districts that bus breakdowns happen multiple times per week in every district. The minister also tried to blame this decision on the shortage of mechanics. Either this minister had no clue how often buses break down, or he had no idea how many mechanics he had. Which version of incompetence is it on this minister’s part? Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): It’s so laughable, Madam Speaker. Let’s make it up as we go.

I wonder whether the member opposite could tell me the last time a school bus broke down on the side of the road. He must have that information in his back pocket. Yes, mechanics are called out. For the most part, it’s because a bus won’t start in the morning or another issue happens at the end or the beginning of a run. Yes, buses do break down on the side of the road. It’s not every day, it’s not every week, but it does happen, Madam Speaker. When it does, we have mechanics able to go out, be dispatched to that area, and repair the bus as needed. Mr.

Savoie (Saint John East, Leader of the Official Opposition, PC): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. This policy has been in place for many years. We have emails indicating that this change was communicated in the first week of October, which means this minister made the decision before then. School started in September. When did the minister make

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 7 this decision? It wasn’t that he just got a legal opinion and, all of a sudden, had to make a snap judgment. This was done when school was getting ready to start, and nobody knew about it. The government members never communicated, they were not transparent, and they didn’t tell anybody anything. Minister, get up on your feet and tell everybody when you made this decision that you let everybody know about at the last minute. Hon. C.

Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): I’m up on my feet, Madam Speaker. I will admit that there was a little bit of miscommunication on this file. There was a little bit of confusion as to whether it was legal. The member opposite is correct that it is something that has been done for years and years and years. Was it legal for years and years and years? That was up for

interpretation. So, when it was brought to our attention, we obtained that legal opinion and determined that it was legal. Now, Madam Speaker, because we’ve signed agreements with the unions, and they’re happy, and they’re working with us, we’re working with them to make sure that there’s remuneration for having somebody on call who can go out after hours to deliver or repair a school bus. We’ve created those good relations so we can actually work with the unions to make sure this is done properly. Mr. Lee (Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I’m just continuing with the Leader of the Opposition’s line of questioning. The Education Minister stated that, just last week, her department held a productive meeting with DTI about the issue: “We’ll be happy to communicate this plan with you shortly, as soon as it is specific”. This is my question to the Minister of Education. It’s been a week and a half. You knew months ago. We have things going on. I want to know, and parents want to know: What is the plan for getting stranded students off broken-down buses and to their destinations while still making their safety priority number one?

I want specifics, and so does the public. Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Madam Speaker, I don’t know whether the opposition members have their earpieces in or whether they’re listening, but I believe I just said that we’ve determined that it is legal for a mechanic with a Class 5 to deliver a school bus to a breakdown site, and we are resuming that practice. Now, I’m trying to talk slowly and clearly so that the member opposite understands. The plan is that we will resume that practice.

The plan is that we will pay—we will pay, Madam Speaker—mechanics to be on standby in case there is a breakdown. I don’t know what other type of plan the member opposite wants. The member opposite likes to point, Madam Speaker. Anyway, I don’t know what else he’s looking for. The plan is that we’re going to do it as we’ve always done it, Madam Speaker.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 8 Mr. Lee (Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was really merely looking for a step-by-step plan. This is a quote from a spokesperson for Anglophone West: “Breakdowns are not uncommon—we typically see a few each day”. The Minister of DTI said: “That being said, a school bus breaking down is not something that happens every day.

It’s a rare occasion.” ASD-W said: “without timely support, even routine issues can disrupt routes and create delays across the system.” DTI said: “That being said, a school bus breaking down is not something that happens every day. It’s a rare occasion.” ASD-W said that this “can result in students waiting on the roadside or at school for an extended period.” “That being said… It’s a rare occasion.” This is my question.

All seven district superintendents said it came as a surprise when they were told that the practice of mechanics working outside of normal business hours to serve and replace broken-down buses would be stopped, potentially leaving young ones stranded by the side of the road. Were they not involved in the conversation, or is this another “rare occasion”? Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Oh, Madam Speaker, the opposition must be running out of material. Honestly, it’s just ridiculous.

Yes, the school districts say that buses break down more often and that it’s not necessarily a “rare occasion”. What they’re not saying is how often they break down on the side of the road. As I said earlier, most times, we’re talking about a school bus that will not start or a school bus that breaks down at the end of a run. It doesn’t happen on the side of the road every day. I’m going to try to be clear so that the members opposite really understand what I’m saying. There was a question about whether the unions would accept these after-hours things. As I said, we’ve worked with the unions.

We’ve signed an agreement with them. We have good relations with them, unlike the previous government, so we’ve been able to work with them to ensure that after-hours mechanics are properly compensated. Mr. Oliver (Kings Centre, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. This government promised to be “radically transparent”. This Premier literally bragged that hers was the most transparent government in New Brunswick’s history. Ask public health nurses whose jobs you tried to take away whether you are transparent. Ask the librarians and school support staff you fired whether you are transparent.

This government is so “radically transparent” that school districts didn’t even know that their budgets were negotiable. Parents and children didn’t know you were taking away replacement school buses. School districts didn’t know you were taking away replacement school buses either. This minister made this decision long before it came into effect. Why wasn’t he “radically transparent” at that time by informing parents, students, and school districts that he was putting our children at risk? Hon. C.

Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): In full transparency, Madam Speaker, I basically

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 9 found out about this at the same time as everybody else. Unlike the previous government, we allow a little bit of latitude for staff to actually make decisions. These are the types of things you do when you’re a government that wants to foster people’s growth. You allow them a little latitude to make decisions. That decision was made. However, it was not properly communicated.

As I said, there was a question about the legality of delivering school buses to breakdown sites, so we had to get that straightened out. As I said, a decision was made to suspend that practice until we could determine whether or not it was legal. We have determined that it is legal, Madam Speaker. It will continue. If they have any other questions, I’ll be more than happy. Mr. Oliver (Kings Centre, PC): Madam Speaker, this decision has nothing to do with buses that rarely break down. This decision has nothing whatsoever to do with a shortage of mechanics.

This decision had everything to do with the Holt government’s spending problem. By the end of this fiscal year, this government will have spent more than $1 billion over budget. How are the government members trying to get those dollars back? On the backs of New Brunswickers—that’s how. They cut millions out of the education budget. They took millions away from kids in crisis, and now they have made a decision to put our kids at risk to save money.

Will the Minister of DTI get on his feet and admit that his and the Holt government’s decision to put our kids at risk by leaving them on the side of the road was just a cost-cutting measure? 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 think the question has been answered at least six or seven times today. I just want to take this opportunity while the member for Kings Centre is on his feet today asking questions. I was in his riding yesterday.

I was very happy to be surrounded by several of my team members. We made a very important announcement regarding 50 new treatment beds for people suffering from substance use. This is going to be a game changer for the province, Madam Speaker. We have over 100 people who have been on a wait list for six to eight months. We’ve been working on this for the last year. I know the opposition brought several motions to the floor. We debated many of them. I told them we were working on this, and we delivered. It will open next summer. This is just the beginning. We’re going to continue that work.

We’re going to make sure every New Brunswicker needing a bed gets one at the appropriate time in the right place. Thank you. Mr. Oliver (Kings Centre, PC): Thank you to the minister for that deflection. But we have emails from employees stating that the reason behind this cut to services is all about the bottom line. This decision had nothing to do with buses that rarely break down. This decision had nothing whatsoever to do with a shortage of mechanics. This decision had everything to do with the Holt government’s spending problems.

By the fiscal year’s end, as I said, more than $1 billion will have been spent over budget. How are the government members trying to get these dollars back? On the backs of New Brunswickers—that’s how. They cut millions out of the education budget, Madam Speaker. What does the minister have to say about that? Thank you.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 10 Hon. C. Chiasson (Grand Falls—Vallée-des-Rivières—Saint-Quentin, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, L): Madam Speaker, what do I have to say about that? I would like for the member opposite to explain to me how we’re going to save money by actually reinstating the practice. The practice he says we’re cutting to save money is still there. I would like him to explain his question to me. I don’t really understand it.

But I can tell you, Madam Speaker, that it’s about labour relations, something the members opposite don’t really understand. We signed a collective agreement with the union. We have regular meetings with the union to discuss these matters. Yes, it has been a practice to send out mechanics in off hours, but those union members were not properly compensated for that. So, we’ve had discussions with the union, and we are coming to terms on how we can properly compensate them so that it’s very sustainable. CROWN LANDS Mr.

Coon (Fredericton Lincoln, Leader, G): Madam Speaker, the logging activities of forestry corporations licenced to cut timber on Crown lands are carried out according to a five-year management plan approved by the Minister of Natural Resources and his department. J.D. Irving’s current five-year management plan for the more than 1 million hectares of Crown land it has under licence expires next year, and its proposed revisions for 2027 are currently under discussion, which is why I’m raising this question. Some of the requests for next year are embedded in J.D. Irving’s current management plan.

These include a request to open 16 751 ha of forest protected under the nature legacy program for timber cutting. That is 17.5% of the protected areas established by the former government. Will the Minister of Natural Resources give his word to the people of New Brunswick that those recently protected areas will not—ever—be opened for logging? Hon. Mr. Herron (Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins, Minister of Natural Resources, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I can confirm for the honourable member that those areas that are in the legislated protected natural zones will not be open for logging. Mr.

Coon (Fredericton Lincoln, Leader, G): The minister knows very well that the legacy program protected areas are not yet protected under legislation, which is why J.D. Irving is going after them. Madam Speaker, a second request for approval contained in J.D. Irving’s current forest management plan for 2027 is seeking to take older forests out of the designated conservation forest zones and replace them with what they call young and regenerating forests, starting in 2027. In other words, in place of the older forest, land that had been previously clear-cut would be considered part of the conservation forest.

Madam Speaker, the quality of habitat, biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecological services provided by older forests cannot be replaced by land recovering from clear-cutting. Will the Minister of Natural Resources commit to this House that he will not permit old forests on Crown land currently zoned for conservation to be substituted with clear-cut areas?

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 11 Hon. Mr. Herron (Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins, Minister of Natural Resources, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I can confirm to the honourable member that, as we develop our strategy to protect and conserve more areas, moving from 10% to 15%, which is part of the mandate at DNR, those areas that have been previously clear-cut will not be part of those areas selected under this process. GASOLINE PRICES Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I’d like to circle back to the questions the interim leader was asking about the cost of carbon adjustor. I know the Premier likes to keep this very confusing and complex. That’s the way that she can simply pawn it off on the EUB. We know that when the Clean Fuel Regulations were put in place by, I might add, the Trudeau Liberal government several years ago, indeed, we put in a formula to ensure that gas stations stayed open. The only thing worse than spending $1.40 per litre on gas is not having a gas station to buy any gas from.

We understood that complexity and did what we needed to do to protect New Brunswickers. Now, this Premier seems not to know what the EUB does, so I’m going to ask her point-blank: Can you tell me, Premier, what the EUB does exactly? Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The EUB’s mandate is very simple, and it’s one we’ve been talking about because we believe it needs to deliver on it. Its mandate is to ensure that New Brunswickers pay the lowest possible price for gas while ensuring a stable supply.

The members opposite were the ones who put in place a confusing, messy formula that was whipped together and had New Brunswickers overpaying for gas. That was the work of the Conservatives, maybe the interim government at the time, which has now been replaced by people who care what New Brunswickers are paying for gas and do not want to see them overpaying for it. They put together a complex formula that no one can understand. I’d love to hear the member opposite explain it to us and explain how it works. We know that New Brunswickers have overpaid, and it is the EUB’s job to fix it. Mr.

Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): That’s a very interesting answer, Madam Speaker. Apparently, the Premier knows how the formula works because, for the past year, she’s said that New Brunswickers will save 8¢ per litre on December 1. The Minister of Natural Resources, who once sat on the EUB, knew full well that nobody understood the full cost of the fuel regulations. He didn’t know. He said I didn’t know, the EUB didn’t know, and the industry didn’t know, but somehow, the Premier knew it would be 8¢ per litre.

She has stuck to that story for the last year with a promise of an 8¢ per litre reduction on December 1. She did get one thing right in her answer. Indeed, the EUB adds reasonable prices to the cost of fuel, but it also has a mandate to ensure continuity of supply. In other words, gas

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 12 stations stay open. I’ve told the Premier. The EUB has told the Premier. The petroleum industry and retailers have told the Premier. You have to have it so that they can stay open. Will the Premier please just apologize? You misled the public. Let them know the truth. Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I find it really disappointing that the members opposite defend the fact that, on the backs of New Brunswickers, they put on a cost of carbon adjustor that saw New Brunswickers pay more for gas. The members opposite put together a formula that they couldn’t understand, and our government committed to removing the cost of carbon adjustor. If the member opposite had listened to his interim leader, then he would have heard the gentleman say that, when we initially brought it forward, it was 4¢ per litre. It was recently 7.9¢ per litre, and now the EUB has done something that means that won’t fluctuate.

The folks on the other side celebrate the fact that New Brunswickers will have to continue to pay more for gas for the next number of months while the people at the EUB try to figure out and undo the messy formula that the Conservatives put in place. While our government wants to see New Brunswickers pay a fair price for gas and not a penny more, the member opposite talks about how it is the EUB’s job to add things to the prices. That’s not how we see it. We see that New Brunswickers should pay the lowest amount. The other side is trying to figure out how to get more out of New Brunswickers. Mr.

Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Madam Speaker, I had this crazy theory. I had this theory that the Premier knew full well that this wouldn’t work. That way, she could say: We’re trying to save New Brunswickers 8¢ per litre, and that bad EUB stopped us from doing it. We all know it’s a bunch of nonsense, but she will double down on it. The reality is that this Premier knows full well that if she really wanted to reduce gas prices, then she could take the PST off the price at the pump. She could do that here today if she wanted to. Do you know why she can’t?

It’s because the government is giving us close to a $1-billion deficit. It’ll probably be over that by the time it’s done. So, we’re not getting 8¢ off per litre. The Premier is not quite sure what the EUB does, but she will blame it anyway. Rather than just giving us another broken promise, is there another angle the Premier can take here to ensure New Brunswickers actually save on gas, please? Hon. Ms. Holt (Fredericton South-Silverwood, Premier; Minister responsible for Official Languages, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Our government is working hard to take the price of gas down, while the members opposite are doing their darndest to ensure that New Brunswickers don’t get that relief. This is the government that put the cost of carbon adjustor onto New Brunswickers, and now the member opposite is celebrating the fact that New Brunswickers pay 8¢ per litre more, when they shouldn’t have to. The member opposite put a formula in place that costs New Brunswickers millions of dollars. Our government took that cost of carbon adjustor off. There’s a process to be followed that the member opposite doesn’t seem to understand.

We want to make sure that New

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Oral Questions Original by Hansard Office Translation by Debates Translation 13 Brunswickers don’t pay a penny more, which is what they are doing today. Our government keeps the pocketbooks of New Brunswickers in our hearts. Every day, we look at ways to make life more affordable for them, while the opposition celebrates the fact that New Brunswickers are paying too much for gas. Point of Order Mr. M. LeBlanc (Belle-Baie-Belledune, L): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The member for Fredericton-Grand Lake has been here a fair amount of time, and he should know that we are not to accuse anyone in this House of misleading. I think the member opposite should apologize and retract those comments that he stated in one of his questions. Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): It is quite clear that the member said that the Premier was misleading the public. So, I would like the member to retract that. Mr. Austin (Fredericton-Grand Lake, PC): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I withdraw my comment. Madam Speaker (Hon. Ms. Landry): Question period has expired. We are going to Tabling of Documents.