PC Opposition attacks Liberal tariff plan, won't say what they'd do

Jacques Poitras · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 3:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The time aft New Brunswick's Liberal authorities tabled a fund with a $549 cardinal deficit, the Opposition Progressive Conservatives had virtually thing to accidental astir it.

The PCs alternatively devoted astir of their clip successful the legislature Wednesday to criticizing the Liberals for their effect to the menace of U.S. tariffs.

But the PCs didn't often immoderate factual proposals of their ain — different than the revival of an lipid pipeline and a earthy state manufacture they've been championing for much than a decade.

"For galore New Brunswickers who person been looking for enactment and looking for leadership, the premier has failed to conscionable the moment," said PC MLA Bill Oliver, 1 of respective who utilized their allocated clip to criticized Premier Susan Holt.

WATCH | 'Thumbs down to elbows up': Tories slam Holt connected tariffs:  

"It looks similar the premier has turned thumbs down to 'elbows up,'" added his workfellow Bill Oliver, referring to the fashionable slogan adopted by Canadians successful the commercialized war.

Holt unveiled a tariff "action plan" connected March 4 that includes funds to retrain immoderate laid-off workers and wealth to assistance exporters accommodate if they are deed with tariffs connected products they merchantability into the U.S. market.

So far, she has avoided much melodramatic moves, specified arsenic threatening to chopped disconnected — oregon slapping a surcharge connected — energy exports that let 58,000 residents of bluish Maine to crook connected their lights and vigor their homes.

"It appears that the premier and the lawman premier are much acrophobic with the powerfulness bills of folks successful bluish Maine who voted for Donald Trump than they are with the New Brunswickers who really voted for them," said PC MLA Sherry Wilson.

But speaking to reporters later, PC Leader Glen Savoie said his enactment was not endorsing a surcharge on, oregon cutting of, powerfulness transmission to Maine.

He said Wilson's remark was a tongue-in-cheek mode of highlighting Liberal inaction.

The premier said during question play that she had met with Savoie and Green Leader David Coon connected the contented and Savoie had not offered immoderate alternate ideas the authorities could pursue.

"I person yet to perceive immoderate suggestions from the absorption connected what we should beryllium doing differently, connected things we should beryllium adding," Holt said.

"If they deliberation that we haven't budgeted capable amounts astatine $162 million, bash they person amended estimates for what they deliberation this mightiness cost?" 

The PCs had called for the legislature to beryllium called backmost earlier than its scheduled March 18 day for much statement connected the tariff response, thing the authorities turned down.

On Wednesday, each parties agreed to an exigency statement connected tariffs that would proceed into the evening.

Savoie complained that the legislature volition interruption for a weeks of committee statement connected fund estimates connected March 28, leaving small clip for much treatment of the tariff response.

He besides rejected Holt's remark that the PCs should suggest thing circumstantial if they deliberation her bundle is lacking. 

"They are government," Savoid said. "They are expected to beryllium starring this. Our occupation is expected to beryllium to clasp them to account."

Holt's authorities introduced authorities Wednesday to little interprovincial commercialized barriers connected alcohol.

Once adopted, the measure volition let New Brunswickers to bid intoxicant products straight from extracurricular the state and destruct limits connected however overmuch intoxicant idiosyncratic tin bring successful to the province.

The authorities has promised different measures to little interprovincial commercialized barriers arsenic a mode of mitigating the interaction of tariffs connected commercialized with the U.S.

The Opposition PCs said commercialized measures connected intoxicant are not enough

PC MLA Kris Austin introduced a non-binding question that, if passed, would telephone connected the authorities to assistance the decade-old moratorium connected earthy state improvement arsenic a mode to assistance Canada person much vigor independency from the U.S.

Holt told reporters that due to the fact that the tariff contented is "still successful flux" — with a U.S. determination connected broadening the measures expected April 2 — it's aboriginal to get into elaborate accounting of however her alleviation bundle is moving oregon which businesses are utilizing it.