People's Alliance of New Brunswick

People's Alliance of New Brunswick
Alliance des gens du Nouveau-Brunswick
Active provincial party
Leader Kris Austin
President Claude Stewart
Founded June 9, 2010 (2010-06-09) (officially registered)[1]
Headquarters Fredericton, New Brunswick
Ideology Conservatism
Fiscal conservatism
Direct democracy
Populism
Political position Centre-right[2]
Colours Purple
Seats in Legislature
3 / 49
Website
www.peoplesalliance.ca

The People's Alliance of New Brunswick (French: Alliance des gens du Nouveau-Brunswick) is a provincial political party registered in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. In the 2018 election, the party won 3 seats in the provincial legislature.

History

The People's Alliance Party of New Brunswick was created in the spring of 2010 amidst opposition to the provincial government's plan to sell NB Power to Hydro-Quebec, and was officially registered on June 9, 2010.[1] It is based on the values of "conservatism, rural populism and opposition to some aspects of official bilingualism and duality."[3]

In the provincial election held on September 27, 2010, the party aimed to run as many candidates as possible.[4] It nominated 14, none of whom were elected. The party won 4,365 votes in those ridings.

The current provincial leader of the party is Kris Austin, a former interdenominational minister and candidate for the PC Party nomination in the Grand Lake-Gagetown riding.[5] He was the Deputy Mayor of Minto from 2012 to 2016.

In March 2013, former Liberal MLA Leroy Armstrong joined the party, citing an inability to accept Liberal policies such as support for bilingualism and alleged issues with ineligible voters in the 2012 Liberal leadership election.[6]

2014 election

During the 2014 election campaign (August–September 2014), the People's Alliance fielded 18 candidates. The party presented a 36-page election platform with policies on fiscal responsibility, economic development, a comprehensive education strategy, democratic reform among many other policies, which was completely costed out and audited by an independent firm. In mid-August the governing Progressive Conservative party threatened to pull out of the CBC,[7] Rogers and CTV leaders debates if People's Alliance leader Kris Austin or Green leader David Coon were allowed into the televised debates. CBC stood its ground, citing the right of all New Brunswickers to see and hear all five leaders debate the issues. Soon after PC leader David Alward reversed his decision when CBC was to go ahead without him[8] Rogers soon followed suit, reversing its decision to keep Austin and Coon out. In the end, only CTV (Bell Media) kept Austin and Coon out of its roundtable debate, which was aired three days before election night.

The party did not win any seats in the election; however, leader Kris Austin missed being elected by only 26 votes in the riding of Fredericton-Grand Lake. Austin was granted a recount.[9] The recount upheld the election night results with only one additional vote going to Austin than originally counted.

The party had two third-place finishes with LeRoy Armstrong in Sussex-Fundy-St.Martins and deputy leader Wes Gullison in Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin.

2018 election

In the 2018 election, the party won 3 seats in the provincial legislature.[10] Party leader Kris Austin was elected in Fredericton-Grand Lake, Rick DeSaulniers was elected in Fredericton-York, and Michelle Conroy was elected in Miramichi. The party won 12.58% of the popular vote.[11][12]

Controversy

The party has faced difficulties in francophone New Brunswick, due to the party's stance on language issues.[13] These issues stemmed in part from the party's first president's ties with the small but vocal Anglo Society of New Brunswick.[14] In October 2013, two party members publicly left the party accusing it of showing a "lack of respect" towards the province's large Acadian community.[15]

In April 2018, Global News reported that NB People's Alliance candidate Stewart Manuel had come under fire for sharing a Facebook post comparing the Liberals to Nazis. His post claimed both groups believe in "socialism, no guns, censorship, media mind control, and abortion." It went on to claim both groups "hate Jews" and "worship the government." Manuel later removed the shared meme from his Facebook page and apologized for the comments.[16]

Policies

Early on, the party platform advocated free votes for Members of the Legislative Assembly on all matters in the legislature. Other planks were developed at a policy convention in Oromocto in July 2010, including elimination of ambulance fees, and opposition to a second reactor at Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station.[4][17]

Adopted policies after the 2010 election include revising the province's Forestry Act[18] and changing natural resource royalty rates.[19] The party's position on shale gas development had sought to leave the decision to a free vote by all MLAs,[20] but was changed in 2013 to a call for a popular referendum.[21]

In March 2014 the People's Alliance released the first plank of its 2014 Election Platform: the party proposed to study MLA salaries and expenses, eliminate MLA pensions by transforming them into an RRSP mirrored in the private sector, and reduce the size of cabinet.[22]

The party held its annual general meeting and policy convention in April 2014 asking party members and people from around the province to submit and debate items for further study which would make up its election platform[23] for the September election. The platform centred on eight key items:[24]

  • Return to fiscal balance
  • Democratic reform
  • A path to economic prosperity
  • Common sense approach to language policy
  • Successful future built on a solid educational foundation
  • A vision for healthcare
  • Strengthening rural New Brunswick
  • Natural resources

Other items included merging the two health authorities, Ambulance NB and Facilicorp into one bilingual authority serving all New Brunswickers. It also proposed merging Invest NB into the Department of Economic Development and transforming the department into a capital venture fund. It would change the Motor Vehicle Act to eliminate the front licence plate and tag stickers, allow two-year registration option for vehicle owners, and two-year inspection intervals on vehicles six years or newer (or up to 150,000 km of usage). The party called for NB Liquor to complete the move towards private retailers selling alcohol (the majority of sites are now private), and for NB Liquor to maintain the profitability of wholesale and distribution which has been implemented in the province of Alberta.

Election results

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
2010 Kris Austin 4,363 1.2
0 / 55
 Steady 0 Increase 5th Extra-parliamentary
2014 Kris Austin 7,964 2.1
0 / 49
 Steady 0 Steady 5th Extra-parliamentary
2018 Kris Austin 47,709 12.58
3 / 49
 Increase 3 Increase 3rd No status

References

  1. 1 2 "People's Alliance forms new N.B. political party". CBC News. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ MacDonald, Michael. "N.B. Tories win most seats, but Liberals will try to stay in power". CTV Atlantic News. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "After years on the fringe, People's Alliance ready to take next step". CBC News. August 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "People's Alliance opposes 2nd nuclear plant". CBC News. July 11, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010.
  5. ↑ "People's Alliance: Kris Austin". CBC News. August 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Liberal LeRoy Armstrong defects to People's Alliance". CBC News. March 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Progressive Conservatives pull out of CBC election debate". CBC News. August 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Tories reverse decision, agree to CBC election debate". CBC News. August 22, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Kris Austin applies for recount in Fredericton-Grand Lake". CBC News. September 29, 2014.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ "Le prix de l'intolérance". Acadie Nouvelle. October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ "People's Alliance party eyes first election". The Daily Gleaner, p. A1. June 10, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Politique provinciale: l'Alliance des gens lave son linge sale en public - Acadie Nouvelle". 16 October 2013.
  16. ↑ "N.B. People's Alliance candidate apologizes for "thoughtless" Facebook post". Global News. April 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ Moore, Nick (July 12, 2010). "People's Alliance party would scrap ambulance fees". Moncton Times and Transcript.
  18. ↑ "People's Alliance of New Brunswick Leader Kris Austin views on the new propose Forestry Act". youtube.com. Charles LeBlanc. July 28, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Platform & Policies – Natural Resources". People's Alliance of New Brunswick.
  20. ↑ "Telegraph Journal: People's Alliance Looks to Make Inroads". People's Alliance of New Brunswick. September 27, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013.
  21. ↑ "People's Alliance commitment on shale gas issue". People's Alliance of New Brunswick. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013.
  22. ↑ "People's Alliance MLA compensation reform policy". People's Alliance of New Brunswick. March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Message from Kris Austin, Party Leader". People's Alliance of New Brunswick.
  24. ↑ "2014 Election Platform" (PDF). People's Alliance of New Brunswick.
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