Saint John voters say jobs and economy hottest election issue

The longest election campaign in Canadian history is just getting underway, but voters in Saint John already know what they want.

Jobs, and soon.

It's the number one response CBC received to the question of which issue was most important to people in the city.

"We need better employment opportunities than just industrial and call centre work," said resident Chris Fillmore, adding he wants to see jobs that do not require as much specialized training.

"Saint John is a beautiful city and it was once thriving. We need to infuse it with some more life."

The chairman and CEO of Corporate Research Associates, Don Mills, says his data confirms jobs are the top issue for voters right across Atlantic Canada and that's not likely to change anytime soon.

"We live in a high unemployment area in Atlantic Canada," said Mills. "Jobs is the number one issue but it's a little higher in New Brunswick than elsewhere."

Mills says the reason is consistently high unemployment rates in New Brunswick and specifically in Saint John.

Jobless rate 7.6 per cent

Statistics Canada lists Saint John's unemployment rate in June 2015 as 7.6 per cent.

New Brunswick as a whole was at 10.8 per cent in June 2015.

J.P. Lewis, associate professor of political science at UNBSJ, points to the Energy East pipeline as another potentially influential issue, but said it's hard to predict.

"The idea of Energy East might be used more in terms of rhetoric," he said, explaining that it may be a tactic used by parties to promise jobs or encourage detractors, even if any actual pipeline building is still years away.

"Even though we're not close to something tangible, the parties can still use it."

Lewis notes he's already seen campaigning by Conservative incumbent Rodney Weston, Liberal candidate Wayne Long and NDP candidate AJ Griffin.

But he said even though Saint John has gone Conservative in the past, it's difficult to take the pulse this time around.

"The really incredible thing is the length of the campaign. It's a safe bet the economy will be the most important issue throughout the campaign, but we have no idea what the weeks ahead will bring."

Canadians go to the polls Oct.19.