This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
See what J.P. Lewis, professor of political science at the University of NB has to say about the upcoming provincial election.
Fredericton (19 March 2018) — With the September election approaching, the New Brunswick Union (NBU/NUPGE) approached J.P. Lewis, a professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John for his preliminary take on a few issues.
New Brunswickers go to the polls on September 24, 2018
According to the UNB website, "[Lewis'] research interests are in cabinet government and citizenship education, with a focus on Canada. He teaches courses on Canadian government and politics, provincial politics, federalism, elections and political parties and Canadian politics and the media. He recently co-edited a book with Professor Joanna Everitt on federal conservative parties in Canada. The Blueprint: Conservative parties and their impact on Canadian politics is published by the University of Toronto Press. "
NBU/NUPGE held a question and answer session with Lewis:
NBU: What issues are shaping up to be the defining ones of the Sept. election?
Lewis: As of now, there is no clear policy question like fracking in 2014, so I would say the ballot question is shaping up to be the traditional economic question of who can best manage/guide the provincial economy.
Closely attached to this, I believe, will be a leadership question between Gallant and Higgs and who New Brunswickers trust best with leading the government. Because of a number of unforced errors or communication challenges that the Liberal government has experienced, I could see Gallant being on the defence for quite a bit of this. Higgs is obviously unique because while going after Gallant’s record he may have to end up defending his own from when he was finance minister from 2010-2014. This could muddy issues such as the quest for a balanced budget.
Find the entire Q&A on the union's website.