As the election draws nigh with only 9 days remaining, New Brunswick voters are still left wondering: What is the vision for our province? Political parties have made various promises — one party is promising 2% reduction in HST, while others are promising more spending on health care. But they are failing to address the deeper issues. Core problems, like our broken education system and an unworkable energy plan, are being ignored. As a result, many voters remain uncertain about who can effectively lead New Brunswick toward meaningful change.
Some of the problems that many people face is that they don’t know the background of the candidates. We have a new block of candidates who have never been in the political arena. While admirable, their messages seem to echo the same generic promises—i.e. We will work for you and people matter. The sincerity of these statements isn’t questioned, but they fall short in providing the depth of leadership and vision required to tackle New Brunswick’s complex issues.
It’s not easy being a leader in today’s world. True leadership demands that you are comfortable in your own skin, open to objective criticism, and able to create an inclusive, positive environment where ideas can flow freely. Yet, too often, the best potential leaders opt out of politics, unwilling to face the challenges and demands of public life. But New Brunswick needs strong statesmen and stateswomen now more than ever—leaders who are focused on building solutions while balancing the need to remain in power.
At the Community of Creative Citizens (CCC), we believe that it’s time for New Brunswick to adopt a different governance model. The system we currently operate under, introduced in 1965 by Premier Louis Robichaud under the “Equal Opportunity” framework, was revolutionary at the time. It addressed the disparities between the northern and southern regions in terms of schools, hospitals, and other essential services. But after 75 years, it’s clear that this model no longer serves the diverse and evolving needs of our communities.
Even in a small province like New Brunswick we have a diversity of cultures, customs and needs. Life in Bathurst is not the same as life in Woodstock or Carleton County, yet we continue to apply blanket policies across the province. Take, for example, the policies surrounding French Immersion as an example, where one-size-fits all policies have failed our students and to deliver meaningful results for the past 50 years. We are not graduating students who address the needs of our province.
What CCC proposes a decentralized governance model whereby local communities are empowered to be involved in the decision-making policies. This shift would enable communities to leverage their assets more efficiently, reduce costs, and engage local stakeholders—including teachers, healthcare providers, Indigenous leaders, and business owners—in a collaborative effort to build stronger, more sustainable communities.
For instance, communities could repurpose local buildings as schools rather than bus the kids 30 miles or more on a rigid schedule. They could expand “home care” enabling seniors to live at home longer rather than institutionalizing them. The sky is the limit. Necessity is the mother of invention. There are a host of people who are retired who need a purpose in life and only to willing to work in their communities on a volunteer basis.
While municipal reform was introduced a couple of years ago, but only half implemented. The municipal entities were reduced to 77 from a high of over 300. This was a positive move, but what didn’t happen was the financial component of reform. The excess money was not transferred to the municipalities and will not occur until the fiscal year of March 25, 2025, which really means 2026 in realistic terms before any money changes hand. All kinds of issues with municipal budgets are currently raising their heads due to uncertainty of how much transfer payments will be. As well, some of the newly formed entities, some are too small to manage the affairs of their district. Municipal reforms must be revisited to work out the kinks.
Regardless of who forms the next government, CCC will be advocating for a decentralized government model as the current system is not able to address the real issues and seemingly are going around in circles. That is not to say that the central government has no role to play. But we see this working as more of a hybrid model where there is better communications between policy makers and people on the ground. Let me give you one example. I had a conversation with a young doctor practicing at a semi multiple disciplinary clinic in rural New Brunswick. He said he noticed the potassium level of one of his patients was low. The remedy is to eat more bananas. He wanted his nurse to tell the patient, but policy under Horizon Health prohibits nurses from doing that, so he must contact the patient taking up his valuable time.
Secondly, we will insist that the government seek out the best and the brightest people to fill the senior civil servants’ positions, especially at the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister levels.
Thirdly, we will insist that the government makes a concerted effort to engage the services of organizations and people outside of the government structure who can make a significant contribution to solving problems. The formation of Secretariats or Commissions would be options to consider providing they have a clear mandate of their goals and objectives.
Of all the issues that concern us most, it is energy. New Brunswick has huge problems in this sector and there seems to be little direction. The newly formed energy cluster might be the conduit to developing a long-term plan, but we will wait and see. We see a window of opportunity for maybe a year or so, to determine what route we want to take. And decisions can’t be made in insolation without engaging the Federal Government and other provinces in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
Remember, we have a lot going for us. So, the cup is half full. Don’t pack your bag anytime soon, for New Brunswick is still a great place to live and raise a family.
Daryl Branscombe, President
Community of Creative Citizens (CCC)