New Brunswick voters head to the polls in the middle of a pandemic

At the centre of the Green platform are commitments to eliminate the use of industrial herbicide on public land, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and lower the legal voting age to 16 years.

“We have two priorities,” Coon said during the campaign. “Keeping New Brunswickers safe and secure in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to chart a path to recovery … that puts the well-being of people and communities at the heart of government decision-making, while protecting the natural environment.”

As for the People’s Alliance, led by Kris Austin, the party had agreed to prop up the Higgs government for 18 months after the 2018 election. When that deal expired, Higgs asked the other parties to keep him in power until 2022 or until the pandemic had been declared over.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs talks with journalists after calling an election following a visit with Lt.-Gov Brenda Murphy at Government House in Fredericton on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Photo by Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

When the Liberals walked away from those talks last month, Higgs called for an election.

As was the case in the 2018 election, Austin’s party focused on language issues — a hot-button topic in the officially bilingual province. Austin has said the money spent on providing bilingual services, particularly in health care, could be better spent.

The NDP, which had no seats in the legislature when the election was called, is being led by interim leader Mackenzie Thomason. The 23-year-old is running in his third election.

Thomason said the NDP wants medicare to cover more services, including dental work, basic eye care and basic chiropractic care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020.

— By Michael MacDonald in Halifax