Transparency Trifecta
On lobbying, housing money and affordability, signs of accountability
What did three stories last week have in common?
A measure of accountability.
The Holt Liberals introduced legislation to tighten up New Brunswick’s lobbyist registry.
The registry has been fodder for countless stories over the years and these changes, even if not adequate enough for some, should shed even more light on the practice.
(Kudos to Adam Huras of Brunswick News for breaking the story that may have led to these changes — though they were promised in the 2024 election.)
There was accountability as well for a couple of New Brunswick municipalities that didn’t live up to the conditions of Ottawa’s Housing Accelerator Fund: they saw their money clawed back even as eight other communities were topped up from the claw-back pool. That news came as we were reminded housing remains an issue.
And on Thursday the Liberals said — in the wake of questions prompted by a CBC News story — that they would look at new affordability measures, perhaps even as a replacement for their 10-per-cent tax rebate.
Nothing new on gas prices, however.
Peek, Peak, Pique
All politics are local, and in Edmundston there was pique about N.B. Power’s priorities in transmission line upgrades.
But the major electricity news last week was national.
A quick peek at Mark Carney’s new clean electricity strategy suggests it may dovetail nicely with plans for that natural gas plant in Tantramar:
That was just one of Carney’s big energy announcements last week; the second was on carbon pricing and, incidentally, pipelines. A former federal environment minister was not happy, but there is an argument that this does not represent a complete reversal on climate policy. (It may also save the country.)
The impact on New Brunswick? We know from documents we saw back in January that N.B. Power was eyeing a potential second new gas plant, in Scoudouc, but the long wait time for turbines may be a problem.
One has to wonder whether giving Alberta a longer timeline for its industrial carbon price will give Susan Holt second thoughts about a more “robust” price here. More to come on that.
In Other News
The Liberals brought in new mining legislation.
They also revealed plans for a new AI curriculum.
The premier weighed in on the idea of a social media ban for children.
In Alberta, there was a major setback for the petition drive for a referendum on separation.
On Café Politique this week, a bit of a grab-bag of topics:
Following Up
Remember my story earlier this spring on New Brunswick government surveillance of public opinion during the pandemic?
The Canadian military had its own internal discussions about the practice.
We also learned that travel to the U.S. may have dropped off even more than we previously thought.
If you’re wondering whatever became of this airline service, here are some answers.
And after I flagged to colleagues in Québec that I discovered while in Baie Comeau that Brian Mulroney’s childhood home had recently sold, I learned that a plan for a Mulroney museum in the community fell apart a couple of years ago.
This Week’s Restack
I really liked this post by political scientist Jonathan Malloy about the nature of life in Ottawa as a political capital.
It might be worth writing a similar piece about Fredericton someday.
Lastly, this is the coolest thing I read last week.
For Our Political Calendars
The legislature will not sit this week, but the committee reviewing the Official Languages Act will kick off the process with three days of hearings at the legislature in Fredericton before travelling around the province for two more weeks in mid-June.
May is more than half over which means we’re closer to the government indicating its “next steps” on the N.B. Power review. They promised it by the end of the month.
The legislature adjourns June 12; a week later is the deadline to officially meet eligibility requirements for the PC leadership race, with the new leader set to be elected Oct. 17.
It’s Not Too Late
… to tell you friends about this newsletter and encourage them to subscribe to push me over the next big milestone. I appreciate your time and attention!