Climate issues fly under electoral radar in New Brunswick

Photo: Stephen MacGillivray The Canadian Press Global warming, rising sea levels and coastal erosion are threatening communities across New Brunswick.

The Canadian Press

Published at 8:05 p.m.

• Canada

Climate change is the big forgotten topic of the New Brunswick election campaign, says a University of New Brunswick political scientist.

Donald Wright, who also contributes to the multimedia Yale Climate Connections, says the province can expect much hotter summers that could harm people’s health and storms that could cause flooding.

He says New Brunswick needs to adapt its infrastructure, health care system and emergency response to this new reality.

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He regrets that the issue of global warming has been too little discussed since the start of the election campaign. During the recent leaders’ debate of the three main parties, not a single question was asked on the subject.

Wright says politicians are avoiding talking about climate change, despite the economic, health and environmental dangers it poses, for fear of alienating voters.

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs defends himself by saying his plan to combat climate change is in the government’s energy strategy released in December. That plan aims to get the province to net-zero emissions within 12 years.

The Liberals want to review and update the emergency response plan to deal with the increase in extreme weather events linked to climate change. They also plan to implement a coastal erosion plan to protect communities.

The Green Party has pledged to create a fund to help municipalities implement adaptation measures and to establish an agency to oversee efforts to protect communities and infrastructure along New Brunswick’s vast coastline.

Progressive Conservatives unveil platform

The New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party unveiled its full platform to voters Saturday night ahead of election day, Oct. 21.

The platform includes pre-announced commitments to reduce the HST by 2%, provide financial education in schools and introduce legislation to force people with serious addictions into treatment.

The platform also commits to improving working conditions for nurses in the province and covering 50 per cent of the cost of registered nurses’ long-term disability premiums for two years.

If his party is elected to power, Higgs will serve a third term as premier.

The Conservative platform is the last of the three major parties to be unveiled during the campaign, with the Green Party’s platform unveiled Wednesday and the Liberal Party’s on Oct. 3.

The Canadian Press