Local candidate Megan Mitton (L) and federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May at Cranewood rally on Tuesday
Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May helped raise $22,300 in campaign pledges Tuesday evening for provincial Green candidate Megan Mitton during a rally in downtown Sackville that attracted about 200 people.
May conducted what she called a “Dutch auction” starting at a pledge of $3,000 and gradually working her way down to $100 before leading the crowd “in a big rousing cheer” to send a message to Liberal candidate Bernie LeBlanc whose campaign office is just down the street.
“I feel there are a lot more people here tonight than I know a lot of us expected to see,” May said before asking people to put up their hands if this was the first time they had attended a Green Party event.
The crowd broke into cheers and applause when a number of hands went up.
“That’s what I thought,” May shouted. “It’s pretty clear that New Brunswick is the next place where we see Green breakthroughs,” she said, adding, “[Provincial leader] David Coon will not be going back to the legislature alone.”
Green strategy
May’s two-day visit to the area this week highlighted the Green strategy of focusing on a small number of New Brunswick ridings, including Memramcook-Tantramar, where Megan Mitton is running for a second time.
In 2014, Mitton finished third, well behind the Liberals and PCs, but Greens are hoping this time, her higher profile as a Sackville town councillor will help attract more support.
They’re also hoping that the increasing frequency of extreme weather linked to climate change will lead more voters to abandon the traditional parties.
During her speech on Tuesday, Elizabeth May referred to the 500 wildfires burning in British Columbia where she lives.
She said when she visited her family this summer in Cape Breton, it took three days before she could breathe normally again.
“I’ve never before heard weather forecasts that were ‘it’s going to be hot and smoky…air quality warnings remain in effect, it will be hot and smoky,'” she said.
“I sense this from people all over the place, they’re recognizing that climate change isn’t something out there and in the future,” she added, “but it actually has made a difference in how people feel about their current existence, their children’s existence, their grandchildren.”
The crowd applauded as May concluded, “We are, as Greens, all about making sure that our generation ensures that our children and grandchildren have a future, that’s all we are about.”
Health-care event
Provincial leader David Coon with Elizabeth May (L) and Megan Mitton near Sackville hospital
On Wednesday, May joined Mitton on Main Street near the Sackville hospital as provincial leader David Coon outlined Green plans for health-care reform.
It was another high-profile event in Memramcook-Tantramar where Coon has been a frequent visitor.
“There’s many ridings I’m spending time in, but obviously we did very well, Megan Mitton did very well in the last provincial election,” Coon said, “and so, I have no doubt that she will be the next M-L-A for Memramcook-Tantramar.”
I am happy to read a new article by the New Wark Times.
With regard to the following: “Greens are hoping this time, her higher profile as a Sackville town councillor will help attract more support”… Mmm, I am not too sure of that. I am afraid it is to her disadvantage (maybe not due to her own performance but by association with the entity rather).
As for the Green plans for the health care reform, I have two comments:
(1). Mid-wives (for those who prefer such great services) for every region seems like a great idea;
&
(2). 40 new positions of Nurse practitioners, although a very appealing idea, would cost tax payers about $3,680,000 (based on average salaries, which vary between $83K and $101K; as per the following website: http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/careers_in_healthcare/nursing.html From where would our government get that money?
From increased taxation… the ‘redistribution’ of wealth and nannystatism is a strong theme with the greens… I don’t know why people are surprised when they talk about spending taxpayer money.. I just wish they advocated for a hemp industrial economy downeast.. that’s something that would generate wealth and promote industry.. industry might be a dirty word with these people.. can’t run tractors on pixie dust, can ya?
Can you explain what the Tantramar Landowners Association is? I’ve followed the link to the blog and there is no information about the Association itself.
The way I see it, the desire to control others is the main driver of all of these movements, with the specific ideology being much more malleable. That’s why, in general, one often sees the people leading such movements not living out their stated beliefs personally – because in reality, those are just an excuse for control over others. In their defence, I think that they often don’t even realise it themselves.
Maxime Bernier just tweeted that the Paris Accord is a “giant Marxist wealth redistribution scheme”. That comment was meant from an international perspective, but it also applies quite nicely at the local level around here.
Marx himself said something about religion being the opium of the people. He had a valid point. Except that nowadays, it applies very nicely to Marxist-derived ideologies, which have taken on religious features.
The way I look at it, government should be about 20% of GDP. Private interactions should be the major factor in the economy. There are some situations that only government can deal with and is necessary for, but the current paradigm has grown WAY beyond that.
Comment from Bruce Wark: Just for the hell of it, I checked government spending as a percentage of GDP in Canada and found the following information on this site: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Canada/Government_size/ “The World Bank provides data for Canada from 1960 to 2016. The average value for Canada during that period was 20.41 percent with a minumum of 14.55 percent in 1960 and a maximum of 24.53 percent in 1992.” The World Bank itself reports that government spending in Canada as a percentage of GDP was 20.8 percent in 2017 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ne.con.govt.zs
I’m “replying” here to Bruce’s comment-to-my-comment, as we’ve reached the maximum nesting level of the blog platform…
Seeing the statistics that Bruce found, I have to say, the situation seems a lot less discouraging than it “feels”. An interesting lesson for me.
That being said, I get the feeling that these statistics don’t consider ALL government activity, because…
https://data.oecd.org/tax/tax-revenue.htm
Shows total taxation as 31.68% for Canada’s most recent figures. I suppose that the difference is that not everything collected by government is spent by government, with a lot of it largely being a redistribution pass-through.
I thus need to clarify “government should be about 20% of GDP” to say that I don’t just mean direct government spending, but overall involvement, for which I would use taxation as a proxy, though that probably isn’t a fully fair representation either, as much of the effect of government is indirect, via regulation, etc., and the cost of compliance with it – in many cases, this will be much higher than the cost of direct taxation.
Comment from Bruce Wark: Your argument would be stronger if you had some statistics to back it up. As you point out, the tax numbers alone don’t prove much about government involvement in the overall economy. And, while we’re on the subject of taxes, it’s worth noting that personal and corporate income taxes provide the largest share of government revenues with the personal share rising steadily since the 1950s when the government derived about equal revenues from both personal and corporate income taxes. The tables you point to show that corporate income taxes provided 9.9 percent of total tax revenues in 2015 while the personal income tax share was 36.9 — more than three times as great. Mainstream media, rarely if ever, point this out, although I did find this report from the Toronto Star http://projects.thestar.com/canadas-corporations-pay-less-tax-than-you-think/
Thank Goodness we do not live in France :)! I say this strictly from a taxation perspective, after having compared Canada to France in your last link Mr. Bruce Wark. No wonder why Mr. Gérard Dépardieu (Famous French actor) decided to become a Russian resident (to avoid paying much taxes to France)… If I may, I would like to share a funny moment related to this man. We once saw him at an International Movie Festival in Montreal or Toronto (I can’t recall precisely… or what is just on TV?) BUT I can still vividly recall how I laughed hard when Louis told me: “Look who is here Rima, Dépardieu, the Russian Actor” :)!
In reference to the inquiry as to who TANTRAMAR LANDOWNERS ASSOCIATION actually is, the following list of current alias’ are used by the same Sackville individual on Facebook. Facebook accounts are set up for each and every one. You probably have noticed an abundance of related graffiti and a multitude of stickers around our town, mostly on private property, that can presumably be attributed to the same person. Pictures are on the FB sites. One would think there would be a by-law against this. lol
EASTCOAST ARTIVISM UNLIMITED
LIBERTARIAN LANDOWNERS BEAUSEJOUR CANADA
INDIE MEDIA EASTCOAST
NO MORE FLUORIDE RINSE IN NB SCHOOLS
TANTRAMAR SKATE PARK
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN NB
SAL ANNE
SALLY ANNE
SALLY CUNLIFFE
Thanks for that info Percy. I think it would be preferable if people who post criticisms of other people or organizations would have the courage and courtesy to use their own names instead of hiding behind aliases. Perhaps Bruce might consider making it a requirement for individuals to use their full names if they want to make comments on his articles or on other people’s comments. By the way, I would like to thank you Bruce for your informative and unbiased reporting on various local issues.
I see your point Les (Hicks) and thank you Percy (Best) for the information.
Disclaimer: I have never met Sally or Sally Anne or her organizations (in real life). I heard of her. She seems like a genuine person with maybe a big mouth, if I understand correctly. I surely would like to keep hearing/reading her opinions, especially because they reassure me about balance in life…. Or, more specifically, I was curious about your information Percy and I went to look at one of her online platforms…I saw one joke (or what I perceived as as a funny joke) and I laughed. Do I agree with all the rest of the post I saw? The answer is either a clear no or maybe/I do not know… or NO but I can still laugh :).
However, I personally think that, although it would be nice to virtually meet people under their real name, it is fine if they wish to be called whatever they wish…as long as we hear their voices. All voices are good to hear, regardless.
Plus, I sometimes wonder if people do not use nicknames or other names because diversity of opinions may not be always welcome for whatever reason. It takes courage to express oneself. Readers may approve. Readers may applaud. Readers may dislike. Readers may make fun or even wish to exclude sometimes or shut off (the so-called dissident citizens). Of course, I am not talking about Bruce Wark’s wonderful and respectful readers here :)! I am allowing myself to generalize. Mind you, I once made a comment in a foreign newspaper under a nick name (in order not to put my loved ones in danger)….so I can surely understand our reader here with her opinions that are not mainstream (or opinions that could be sometimes stemming from a silent percentage of the population).
This being said, yes, a BIG thank you Mr. Wark for giving Sackille’s citizens a platform to express themselves and communicate with each other even. I do not now about you but I personally enjoy reading comments to articles as much as (if not more sometimes) than articles in newspapers.