By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. Source: The Daily Gleaner
October 31, 2025
Premier Holt addressing gas plant opponents last month outside the NB legislature. Photo: Warktimes
Premier Susan Holt shunned reporters after closing debate on the throne speech Friday, a document that stated her Liberal government had “worked hard to earn the trust of New Brunswickers through transparency,” in its first year in power.
Traditionally, after the throne speech debate is over, New Brunswick’s premier speaks to reporters in the legislature’s grand foyer, just outside the House. The speech outlines the government’s vision for the year.
And normally after House proceedings are finished, the press gallery asks to interview several cabinet ministers. It’s a common practice stretching back decades.
On Friday morning, reporters from Brunswick News, CBC, Radio-Canada, Acadie Nouvelle and CTV requested to talk to a number of politicians on a variety of issues. The government’s handler jotted down the requests and relayed them back to the House and its antechambers, where the politicians were, as he normally does.
Gas plant questions
Brunswick News requested to speak to Holt about her comments on Thursday that she had “questions” about NB Power’s proposed gas plant that’s raised concerns in Tantramar, without enumerating what those questions were.
- The news agency also asked for Health Minister John Dornan, to respond to Horizon Health Network’s bleak assessment of overcrowding at its hospitals;
- Environment Minister Gilles LePage about his plans to study herbicide spraying on Crown woods next year, a hot topic among environmentalists and timber companies;
- Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin on the recent controversy over a civilian oversight board for the RCMP in the Moncton area, where municipal politicians are upset about ballooning police costs;
- and Local Government Minister Aaron Kennedy to talk about long-promised property tax reforms, especially for seniors worried about being displaced from their homes.
The request was for five different cabinet ministers.
Initially, government spokesman Bruce Macfarlane said the premier would scrum with reporters. But about 10 minutes later, Katie Beers, her press secretary, told the media she wouldn’t be coming out and had already left the building. The same was true of all the cabinet ministers.
Beers said Holt wasn’t appearing because no journalist had requested to interview her specifically about the throne speech, which spoke of her government’s accomplishments and its plans for next year. The speech had already been widely reported when it was first delivered more than a week ago.
Opposition leader pounces
Glen Savoie, the interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives, pounced.
“Are you surprised? We saw this happen all summer. This is a government that tries to evade responsibility and transparency at every single turn,” said the Saint John politician who leads the biggest opposition party in the House.
On Thursday evening, the premier held a Facebook Live session for one hour in which she answered pre-submitted questions from New Brunswickers. People voted beforehand to choose their favourite questions.
“It is extremely helpful for us to know what’s on your mind and what questions you’re asking because they are sometimes different from the questions the media is asking,” Holt said at one point.
“We make ourselves available to media, we make ourselves available to you to hear your questions and to learn from what you want to know to make sure we can get you the information you’re looking for and that we’re doing the work that you want us to be doing on the things that matter most to you.”
Savoie said he didn’t bother listening to her talk, now a regular feature about once a month.
“You mean her personally scrubbed opportunity to put her lines out without her ever being asked a legitimate question by a reporter? No, I don’t watch those.”
Brunswick News asked Beers whether she would formally respond to Savoie’s criticisms, but she declined comment.
“We don’t answer to everything they say.”
Mitton: ‘completely unacceptable’
Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton addressing an anti-gas plant meeting in August at the Midgic Baptist Church. Photo: Warktimes
Megan Mitton, of the small opposition Green party, wasn’t impressed with the Liberal no-show.
“It’s completely unacceptable, and it flies in the face of the claims of transparency and accountability. It’s really disappointing. We can’t have a strong democracy without having the media be able to ask questions directly to the premier and to cabinet ministers. And, so, I’m pretty shocked to see no one show up from the government.”
It wasn’t the first time the Holt government has been slammed for ignoring reporters.
During an opposition grilling in question period last week, Holt said all the ministers and her caucus members were “prepared to speak on the work that they’re doing and available to speak to media upon request.”
The premier added that she had made herself “available at a drop of a hat consistently to every media outlet that asks, as our schedules can allow, because we also have to do work at the same time.”
Cabinet ministers, she said, were sometimes too busy to do interviews.
Politicians use social media
Thomas Bateman, a political science professor at St. Thomas University, said there was nothing unconstitutional about the premier shunning journalists, pointing out that open debate happens in the House, where protections for MLAs are at their greatest.
However, he said the expectation of a modern parliamentary democracy was for politicians to speak openly to reporters.
“This escapade today seems to be out of the norm. But it’s not unusual for government to proclaim transparency all the time and yet not practice it.”
Professor Thomas Bateman. Photo: St. Thomas University
The academic said all governments require secrecy to formulate, debate and refine policy proposals before they’re announced to the public because “privacy breeds candour, and candour usually improves the quality of discussion regarding government matters.”
But he added that governments couldn’t dwell in the private realm all the time because they’re accountable to the assembly and voters.
“Every single government, when it comes into office, says they’re going to do politics differently,” Bateman said. “When it commits itself to more availability, more transparency, more honesty, and so on and so forth, it’s just asking for it when it opts not to do so.”
Like other observers, he’s noticed politicians nowadays frequently ignore the traditional media in favour of going directly to the public on social media.
He said it amounted to “message discipline trope versus accountability through the free flow of questions and answers.”
“The big development in Canadian politics, but it’s really western democratic politics, is each party’s single-minded messaging,” he said. “The party’s backrooms formulate very concise, pithy messages that they want the voters to hear. And that becomes the great code. It is the North Pole for communication with the public.
“It’s a tight, concise message, and governments really try not to be put off that particular approach. Spontaneous scrums are designed to put the government off their message. That’s what accountability and questions and answers are all about.”
– This story from Brunswick News was written by Local Journalism Initiative Reporter John Chilibeck with files from Barbara Simpson.
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. Source: The Daily Gleaner
October 31, 2025
Premier Holt addressing gas plant opponents last month outside the NB legislature. Photo: Warktimes
Premier Susan Holt shunned reporters after closing debate on the throne speech Friday, a document that stated her Liberal government had “worked hard to earn the trust of New Brunswickers through transparency,” in its first year in power.
Traditionally, after the throne speech debate is over, New Brunswick’s premier speaks to reporters in the legislature’s grand foyer, just outside the House. The speech outlines the government’s vision for the year.
And normally after House proceedings are finished, the press gallery asks to interview several cabinet ministers. It’s a common practice stretching back decades.
On Friday morning, reporters from Brunswick News, CBC, Radio-Canada, Acadie Nouvelle and CTV requested to talk to a number of politicians on a variety of issues. The government’s handler jotted down the requests and relayed them back to the House and its antechambers, where the politicians were, as he normally does.
Gas plant questions
Brunswick News requested to speak to Holt about her comments on Thursday that she had “questions” about NB Power’s proposed gas plant that’s raised concerns in Tantramar, without enumerating what those questions were.
The request was for five different cabinet ministers.
Initially, government spokesman Bruce Macfarlane said the premier would scrum with reporters. But about 10 minutes later, Katie Beers, her press secretary, told the media she wouldn’t be coming out and had already left the building. The same was true of all the cabinet ministers.
Beers said Holt wasn’t appearing because no journalist had requested to interview her specifically about the throne speech, which spoke of her government’s accomplishments and its plans for next year. The speech had already been widely reported when it was first delivered more than a week ago.
Opposition leader pounces
PC leader Glen Savoie, NB legislative assembly. Photo: Stephen MacGillivray Photography & Video
http://www.stevemacphoto.com
Glen Savoie, the interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives, pounced.
“Are you surprised? We saw this happen all summer. This is a government that tries to evade responsibility and transparency at every single turn,” said the Saint John politician who leads the biggest opposition party in the House.
On Thursday evening, the premier held a Facebook Live session for one hour in which she answered pre-submitted questions from New Brunswickers. People voted beforehand to choose their favourite questions.
“It is extremely helpful for us to know what’s on your mind and what questions you’re asking because they are sometimes different from the questions the media is asking,” Holt said at one point.
“We make ourselves available to media, we make ourselves available to you to hear your questions and to learn from what you want to know to make sure we can get you the information you’re looking for and that we’re doing the work that you want us to be doing on the things that matter most to you.”
Savoie said he didn’t bother listening to her talk, now a regular feature about once a month.
“You mean her personally scrubbed opportunity to put her lines out without her ever being asked a legitimate question by a reporter? No, I don’t watch those.”
Brunswick News asked Beers whether she would formally respond to Savoie’s criticisms, but she declined comment.
“We don’t answer to everything they say.”
Mitton: ‘completely unacceptable’
Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton addressing an anti-gas plant meeting in August at the Midgic Baptist Church. Photo: Warktimes
Megan Mitton, of the small opposition Green party, wasn’t impressed with the Liberal no-show.
“It’s completely unacceptable, and it flies in the face of the claims of transparency and accountability. It’s really disappointing. We can’t have a strong democracy without having the media be able to ask questions directly to the premier and to cabinet ministers. And, so, I’m pretty shocked to see no one show up from the government.”
It wasn’t the first time the Holt government has been slammed for ignoring reporters.
During an opposition grilling in question period last week, Holt said all the ministers and her caucus members were “prepared to speak on the work that they’re doing and available to speak to media upon request.”
The premier added that she had made herself “available at a drop of a hat consistently to every media outlet that asks, as our schedules can allow, because we also have to do work at the same time.”
Cabinet ministers, she said, were sometimes too busy to do interviews.
Politicians use social media
Thomas Bateman, a political science professor at St. Thomas University, said there was nothing unconstitutional about the premier shunning journalists, pointing out that open debate happens in the House, where protections for MLAs are at their greatest.
However, he said the expectation of a modern parliamentary democracy was for politicians to speak openly to reporters.
“This escapade today seems to be out of the norm. But it’s not unusual for government to proclaim transparency all the time and yet not practice it.”
Professor Thomas Bateman. Photo: St. Thomas University
The academic said all governments require secrecy to formulate, debate and refine policy proposals before they’re announced to the public because “privacy breeds candour, and candour usually improves the quality of discussion regarding government matters.”
But he added that governments couldn’t dwell in the private realm all the time because they’re accountable to the assembly and voters.
“Every single government, when it comes into office, says they’re going to do politics differently,” Bateman said. “When it commits itself to more availability, more transparency, more honesty, and so on and so forth, it’s just asking for it when it opts not to do so.”
Like other observers, he’s noticed politicians nowadays frequently ignore the traditional media in favour of going directly to the public on social media.
He said it amounted to “message discipline trope versus accountability through the free flow of questions and answers.”
“The big development in Canadian politics, but it’s really western democratic politics, is each party’s single-minded messaging,” he said. “The party’s backrooms formulate very concise, pithy messages that they want the voters to hear. And that becomes the great code. It is the North Pole for communication with the public.
“It’s a tight, concise message, and governments really try not to be put off that particular approach. Spontaneous scrums are designed to put the government off their message. That’s what accountability and questions and answers are all about.”
– This story from Brunswick News was written by Local Journalism Initiative Reporter John Chilibeck with files from Barbara Simpson.