Was the Point Moo?
A noisy protest over vet cuts urged the Liberals to reverse course. They were unmoved.
Here are Joseph Chambers from Derby and Kayden Stewart from Blackville at the big vet protest, making it easy to pose the rhetorical question: was the point moo?
I’m referring, of course, to the great Friends joke I’ve cited here before:
Here’s Oliver Pearson’s story on the protest.
And here is my farm-fresh analysis of whether the event will have any political impact, from this morning.
‘Exceptional System Conditions’
That’s how N.B. Power explained what it called “adaptations” to its procedures when it responded to Auditor-General Paul Martin’s scathing report about its Tantramar gas plant project.
Coming less than a week after the Energy and Utilities Board gave the green light to the project’s financial arrangement, Martin’s report made it clear the political debate about the plant is not over. Erica Butler’s story is here. My video is here.
Martin also made headlines with examinations of student literacy and tourism grants.
The literacy report came a day after the Holt government released new education plans for both the anglophone and francophone sectors.
Some superintendents said the plans could help address the poor results.
Cooner or Later
Green Party leader David Coon turns 70 later this year and he revealed this week that it’s the right time for him to step down as head of the party he took to unprecedented success in the legislature.
I could be mistaken, but I don’t think any non-traditional party has ever won two or more seats in three consecutive New Brunswick elections.
We talked about all of the above on Café Politique on Friday; Shift New Brunswick’s political panel is, alas, not online.
In Other News
Kelly Lamrock was out with another devastating report last week.
The province held an event to promote the school lunch program it will roll out this fall.
The Toronto Star reported Friday that Health Canada has started paying more attention to glyphosate. (Gift link; I hope it works.)
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson went to Federal Court to force the House of Commons to let him reject his recent pay increase.
The Political Calendar Fills Up
June isn’t going to go quietly. The legislature adjourns Friday, but before that happens, N.B. Power will appear at the public accounts committee (on Thursday) to respond to Paul Martin’s report.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on that vote to start committee hearings on Kelly Lamrock’s “Bobby” report; MLAs set a 30-day countdown back on May 29, meaning by June 28 (which is a Sunday). And the Official Languages committee of the legislature also has a packed schedule from June 16 to 26.
You must know the rest by heart by now: the deadline for Progressive Conservative party leadership candidates to confirm their eligibility is June 19. The new leader will be elected Oct. 17. The Alberta referendum is two days after that.
‘Packed With [Shareable] News’
I appreciated this comment on last week’s newsletter: “This week's update is packed with interesting news.” Unlike other social platforms, there’s no fiddling with URLS here — the links take you to real stories by real journalists. Every time you share this newsletter, you’re helping to bring important political reporting to more eyeballs. I appreciate every click, every share and every subscription.