Campaign hits halfway point with troublesome jobs report, health promises

Good evening,

TGIF! Cap off your week by catching up with the latest provincial election news as the campaign passes the midway point, and we'll see you again on Monday.

Here's what we're talking about on Day 16, including a dispatch from the trail by Jacques Poitras.

Top headlines

• Dismal job numbers throw wrench into Liberal campaign

  • A disappointing job count by Statistics Canada in New Brunswick in August that shows three straight months of job losses has thrown a jolt of bad economic news into the province's election campaign with a little more than two weeks to go until voting day.

• Major student debt election promise by Liberals hides earlier policy fumble

  • The CBC's Robert Jones examines how the Gallant Liberals' election pledge to eliminate student loan interest could have been enacted earlier this year.

• Election Day 16: Where the leaders wenton Friday

  • Catch up on the movements and actions of the political parties on Friday.

The talking point

Breast cancer survivors and advocates rejoicedFriday after New Brunswick's two major political parties pledged to make it mandatory that women are made aware of their breast density and the inherent risks.

Just ask Kathy Kaufield.

Kaufield, a survivor turned advocate, recently shared the story of how she discovered alump six months after an apparently clear mammogram. Her dense breast tissue, which is linked to a greater risk of developing cancer, obscured the tumour.

She wasn't aware of the risks of having dense breasts something an estimated 80,000 New Brunswick have but now Kaufield is working to ensure women are informed and can seek additional screening.

She launched an online campaign urging party leaders to promise change. The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives responded Friday.

Read Kaufield's story and how a group is fighting the issue at the national level.

The pulse

Carbon tax is turning into akey election issue, so the CBC's Jacques Poitras explains carbon tax scenarios and how they affect you.

Come to the story, stay for the animation of the federal environment minister hitting Brian Gallant and Blaine Higgs with a gavel.

Carbon tax scenarios

6 years ago

Duration 1:54

The CBC's provincial affairs reporter, Jacques Poitras, breaks down the carbon tax scenarios for you. And whether you will pay more.

Riding profile: Moncton Centre

Longtime Liberal MLA Chris Collins won the newly formed riding of Moncton Centre in a landslide during the 2014 election,defeating former PC MLA and current Court of Queen's Bench Justice Marie-Claude Blais by a 2-1 margin.

Part former Moncton East, part former Moncton North, the riding was established when the boundaries were redrawn in 2013, and, at first blush, it appeared to be another stronghold for Liberal support in southeastern New Brunswick.

Then, on April 5 this year, the Gallant government sent out a cryptic email to media about a teleconference with the premier that evening. The call was Brian Gallant revealing that allegations of harassment were levelled against Collins, the Speaker. Collins was removed from the Liberal caucus.

The allegations were investigated and deemed "founded in part" and Collins apologized before announcing he would run as an independent. Click here for a detailed account of the events.

Now, Moncton Centre is one of 11 ridings with six names on the ballot, but instead of some lesser-known independents or KISS NB candidates, the main five parties are up against an 11-year MLA, former cabinet minister and Speaker with continued support.

The CBC's Kate Letterick went door-knocking with several of the candidates.

From the trail

TheCBC'sJacquesPoitras ...

It was either a show of strength, or a show of weakness.

Ten Progressive Conservative candidates from across the north held a news conference inShippaganon Thursday to announce well, to announce they're not pushovers.

This vow, delivered with gusto byShippagan-Lamque-Miscoucandidate RobertGauvin, may have something to do with current PC Leader BlaineHiggs'sinability to debate in French, and his previous involvement with the anti-bilingualism Confederation of Regions party.

The candidates pledged to pick up the torch carried by previousfrancophonePCs, particularly during the Richard Hatfield years, when they worked as a bloc to defendfrancophoneinterests.

"If thoseMLAshad been pushovers, we would not have obtained what we obtained," saidGauvin, the son of Hatfield-era minister JeanGauvin. "We have a team like that, ready to fight."

The message harkens back to the 1982 election, whenfrancophonePC candidates adopted their own separate slogan, largely unnoticed in anglophone areas: "Encore Plus FortavecHatfield" "Even stronger with Hatfield." This distinct campaign message was created by the then-premier's French lieutenant, Jean-MauriceSimard, and YvesDupr, a Quebec communications consultant who worked on thePartiQubcois1981 election campaign.

And it paid off: the PCs won ninefrancophoneseats, part of a crushing landslide victory.

But there's a vast difference between the heady days of "Encore Plus Fort" and today. Hatfield had been in office for 12 years and already had a contingent offrancophoneMLAs, as well as a track record of both concrete measures and symbolic gestures forfrancophones.Higgslacks all of that.

Just as telling is that some of the candidates inShippagancame from as far away asCampbelltonand Grand Falls giving up the better part of a day of campaigning in their ridings to deliver this message instead.

Gauvinhas been explaining and defendingHiggsfor weeks, and he said Thursday it was time to move on to "more important issues."

Yet his own decision to convene this extraordinary news conference demonstrates that he felt the need to explain and defend. Again.

Where the leaders were

Kris Austin:Campaigning in Miramichi; returning to Fredericton-Grand Lake

David Coon:Attending a local candidates debate in Fredericton; campaigning in Fredericton South

Brian Gallant:An announcement in Monctonfollowed by stops in Saint John and Quispamsis

BlaineHiggs:Announcements in Fredericton and Saint-Jacques; stops in Florenceville-Bristol and Edmundston

Jennifer McKenzie:Campaigning in Saint John Harbour

More Coverage

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