Higgs promises bill on involuntary addiction treatment
Liberals focus on senior care, Greens on environmental rights
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- Higgs promises bill on involuntary addiction treatment
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- Green Party to introduce environmental rights bill
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- Where the leaders are today
The Liberal Party promised a caregivers benefit Wednesday, while the Green Party committed to creating a new law that would protect New Brunswickers' right to a healthy environment. Meanwhile, PC Leader Blaine Higgs touched on drug rehab issues and refused to comment on a controversy involving one of his candidates.
Higgs promises forced treatment for some people with addictions
At a campaign event in Moncton, PC Leader Blaine Higgs promised to introduce legislation that would force a person with severe addiction into treatment.
The government promised such legislation last yearas well, but it was never introduced. The concept was questioned by an ethical expert.
Speaking on Wednesday, Higgs described the following scenario as a reason for a PC government to bring in a bill that would allow
"Maybe it's 20 below, someone's unconscious and they're not able to even, maybe, respond in any way," he said.
"Or you know that in some cases they, the aggressiveness they could show to the public and the safety ... do we just walk on by and say, well, wish I could help?
The province would need three or four recovery facilities for the program, but some existing facilities could be used, he said, and the province has requested a proposal for a new 50-bed treatment facility.
Higgs also said that a recovery program would be included in the new jail under construction in Minto.
"And having a treatment facility is somewhere for people to go that don't go to prison because of a particular crime ... In our correctional facility, that's being built now in Minto, it will have a recovery program built right into it."
CBC News has asked the PC campaign for a clarification of those comments.
Higgs also hammered home a point he has made several times in the campaign: he does not believe safe-injection sites work.
"We will not be building any more safe-injection sites. We will challenge the ones that are currently here," Higgs said.
The province only has one such site right now and it's in Moncton. The site does not give users free drugs, instead offers to test drugs to ensure they're not toxic.
Higgs also refused to comment on why PC candidate Sherry Wilson was not at the Moncton event and why she was not being made available for interviews with reporters.
Wilson received strong pushback after making a Facebook post on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation that compared protections for 2SLGTBQ+ students to the systematic taking of Indigenous children from their parents to place them in residential schools.
"The issue is closed," Higgs said.
Liberals tackle senior care
Liberal Party Leader Susan Holt said on Wednesday that a Liberal government would introduce a benefit of $250 per month for caregivers and would expand the Nursing Home Without Walls program to any nursing home across the province that would like to adopt it.
"Care at home saves us money in the system. It's better care and it's better for the seniors who would like to stay in their homes as long as possible," she said.
Holt said the Liberals would aim to strengthen the home-care system in the province by increasing wages for people delivering the services, such as support workers and resident attendants.
"We need to strengthen the home-care system to make sure the processes and the standards to access home care, as well as the people delivering it, are appropriate," she said.
She promised to increase the comfort and clothing allowance from $150 to $200 per month for seniors living in long-term care, "to make sure seniors have choice and to live with dignity in our homes."
Green Party to introduce environmental rights bill
Green Party Leader David Coon announced a Green government would introduce a bill called the Right to a Healthy Environment.
He said enacting such legislation would give New Brunswickers tools to fight for access to clean drinking water and clean air and would establish an environmental commissioner "with the power to investigate public concerns" that citizens bring forward.
Coon said exposure to environmental contaminants can lead to premature death from air pollution, early onset cancers, and neurological decline.
The mystery brain symptoms reported by some New Brunswickers could also be related to environmental contamination, he said.
"We have seen government after government cover up environmental contamination to the detriment of the health of New Brunswickers, particularly of children, who are at a much greater risk to environmental contaminants," said Coon.
Last year Coon tabled Bill-19 in the legislature, an Act Respecting the Right to a Healthy Environment. It was voted down by the Progressive Conservative government.
Coon said Liberal and Conservative governments in New Brunswick have failed to modernize clean drinking water guidelines to match those of the federal government.
"This has left some with unhealthy levels of contaminants in their water."
He said clean air standards in the province are also out of date.
"The draft of new, up-to-date, modern air-quality standards that was done for the department is collecting dust on a shelf, while some living downwind of industrial pollution suffer the consequences."
The election is Oct. 21.
Standings at dissolution: PCs 25, Liberals 16, Greens 3, Independent 1, vacant 4
Where the leaders are today
Green Leader David Coon is in Fredericton for an announcement on a school food program.
Liberal Leader Susan Holt is in Fredericton to launch the party's campaign platform.
Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs will be in Saint John for an unspecified announcement.
For complete coverage: Links to ll New Brunswick Votes 2024 stories
Corrections
- An earlier version of this Election Notebook said incorrectly that legislation to force rehab treatment was introduced last year. In fact, the government said such a bill would be introduced but didn't bring one in.Oct 03, 2024 8:19 AM AT
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