Premier backs Victor Boudreau's involvement in Parlee Beach issue

Premier Brian Gallant says there's no need for his health minister to recuse himself from decisions affecting water testing at Parlee Beach while having a financial investment in a proposed nearby campground.

Some residents alarmed about fecal contamination at the beach have called for Gallant to remove Victor Boudreau as minister because of his dual role, and Green Party Leader David Coon has said Boudreau should not have any involvement in the Parlee Beach issue.

But in a year-end interview with CBC News, Gallant said Boudreau's department is only one player in the issue.

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"If there are issues, we can always look at that," Gallant said. "But at the end of the day, it's important to note that many departments would be involved: Environment and Local Government, Tourism, potentially Health, depending on what some of the outcomes would be," Gallant said.

Canadian guidelines not applied

Fecal contamination counts at Parlee Beach would have led to the beach being closed for 10 days in 2016 if the province had been applying Canadian safety guidelines.

Boudreau said earlier this month that for years, the province has "struggled to try to pinpoint exactly what the issue is" contaminating the water.

While an opposition MLA, Boudreau became a partner in a proposed 650-site campground near Parlee Beach.

When he became a government minister again in October 2014, he placed his stake in the business in a blind trust, meaning he has no role in running the business.

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"Minister Boudreau has done everything he had to do," Gallant said in the year-end interview. "He went through the appropriate processes."

Coon said earlier this month that Boudreau, whose duties include responsibility for protecting public health, will still be aware that his investment could be affected by the beach's fate.

"Sure, it's in a blind trust, but at the same time he still has an interest in it," he said.

'Conflict of interest'

Scott Mawdsley, a doctor with a cottage near the beach, said in a detailed letter he wrote to Gallant last month that Boudreau has "a significant conflict of interest."

But Gallant says Boudreau's not the only one making decisions about Parlee.

"I do think it's important to recognize that it's not minister Boudreau who's going to go and collect samples and analyze these samples," he said. "There's departments that are doing a great job on this."

Gallant also said he understands why nearby residents feel that things are moving too slowly on resolving the contamination at the beach.

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"I get it," he said. "We're using words like 'committees,' and 'studies,' and people don't like those words, right? 'Task force' would be another one. They see those as ringing pretty hollow. But that's what we can do as a government.

"We need different departments to play their role to analyze the situation to see if there are issues. I completely sympathize with the fact that it doesn't sound like drastic measures and action. … We are on it."

Gallant said he was not aware of any changes in water testing, sign policy or closure criteria being planned for the 2017 season at the beach.

He said because he grew up in Shediac Bridge — "I played in that water all my life when I was going to visit my grandparents and when I lived there for a number of years" —  he understood Parlee's importance and would make sure the government fixed them.