People's Alliance elects 1st candidate

The upstart People's Alliance Party of New Brunswick picked a telecommunications consultant as the party's first nominated candidate for the Sept. 27 election.

Ed Hoyt was nominated on Thursday night in the Saint John-area riding of Fundy-River Valley.

Hoyt will take on the incumbent Liberal MLA Jack Keir, who is the province's energy minister.

The Progressive Conservatives have already nominated Jim Parrott, a retired heart surgeon, to run in the riding that was held by the Tories before the 2006 election.

Hoyt said he doesn't think voters will fall for suggestions that vote-splitting will help re-elect Liberal MLAs, including Keir.

"This is one of the main ploys the political parties are putting out there right now, saying, 'Well if you vote for this guy, this other guy might not get in," Hoyt said.

"Well, there's going to be no vote-splitting because they're going to be voting this time on their conscience."

The People's Alliance will join the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, the New Democratic Party and the Green Party in contesting the provincial election.

The alliance hopes to field 15 to 20 candidates in the Sept. 27 election. The four other parties expect to run full slates of 55 candidates.

Liberals not main opponent

The upstart party grew out of frustration with the Liberal government decision to sell NB Power. People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin has said the party believes in giving MLAs free votes on all issues.

Hoyt said he doesn't consider the province's high-profile energy minister as his main opponent.

"The Liberal party in this province is going to have a heck of time getting any votes. I think this is going to be a race between the PCs and the other parties that are out there," Hoyt said.

Hoyt is one of many former Progressive Conservatives to join the new party, although he won't say what the Tories did to drive him into the arms of the People's  Alliance.

For his part, Keir said he'll campaign on the things he and the Liberals have done for the riding.

He won't say whether he thinks a PC-Alliance vote split will help him get re-elected.

"That's why we have the political system we do. It allows parties to form under certain criteria. They've met that criteria, and I say that's great," Keir said.