Shawn.Graham@gnb.ca
Dear Premier Graham :
As per an E-mail from your office before the Election,please confirm that within 4 weeks, of taking office, you will have "a recomendation from the Department of Environment officials on which of the four options, outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessment, would best accomplish our goal."
I trust that these recomendations will be acted upon without undue delay.
The people of New Brunswick has waited too long for action to be taken on the Peticodiac Causeway Gates.
Yours Truely,
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Thank you for your e-mail and interest in our policy on the Petitcodiac River restoration. A Liberal Government would immediately start the process for the restoration of the Petitcodiac River. This will be the most important river restoration ever undertaken in New Brunswick, and Canada.
The project to restore fish passage, the tidal bore and the river ecosystem will trigger one of the largest capital projects to ever take place in this region. The economic benefits of this project, including construction of a partial bridge on the causeway, reconstruction of the agricultural dykes on the headpond and erosion protection measures will improve the entire region.
Within four weeks of taking office, I will want a recommendation from Department of Environment officials on which of the four options, outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessment, would best accomplish our goal.
This is a unique opportunity for us to leave a lasting positive environmental legacy to, not just our children, but generations of New Brunswickers to come. A Liberal Government will be a leader in restoring our natural resource legacy for the people of New Brunswick.
You can find out more about our environmental initiatives at www.nbliberal.ca.
Sincerely,
Shawn Graham
Leader of the Official OppositionShawn.Graham@gnb.ca
WWJD wrote:It's not about Liberals or Conservatives...HOWEVER, liberals have more left wing radicals who enjoy slaughtering children and allowing men to marry men and women to marry women than any other party!Also, trying to ban the Bible as "hate literature"?How left wing is that?!I know; those statements bother some... but then again, I'm bothered by those who SUPPORT those issues...Shawn "I'll promise anything for a vote!" Graham....the worst thing for NB'ers.
...and there are no radicals on the right??
I actually agree with some of what you said, but I think most of what you're talking about has more to do with the federal level of politics than the provincial level.
And I HATE the idea that Canada would have lost a lot of kids in Iraq if it were Harper's original decision when the war started. And that's what I mean by radicals on the right. I agree there are extreme radicals on the left. But they exist on both sides. Hey, I don't agree with abortion, gay marriage or the exclusion of the Bible either. And I don't believe in illegal war or capital punishment. So, I have no single party that speaks for me entirely, same with a lot of us. I guess you just have to weigh your options and speak up about what you disagree with.
But this whole use of the words "liberal" and "left wing" as derogatory adjectives is complete and total nonsense and pointlessly lumps everyone together into one judgmental basket.
2006/09/22
MLA-elect Mike Murphy says he's confident a new Liberal government will be able to pick an option for the restoration of the Petitcodiac River within four weeks of formally taking office.
The Moncton North politician had harsh words for the former Conservative government and is certain a Liberal government will be able to pick an option in a month when the Tories failed to make a decision over six months.
"We're competent and they weren't," he quipped.
Once cabinet approves an option the province will then turn to the federal government to lobby for funding for the restoration. Murphy said Ottawa has a large role to play in terms of funding and he'll be at the table ready to fight for the project.
"I'm willing, within this new government, to take any measure, make any move, make any statement or go anywhere to advance the cause of (Saint John) Harbour clean-up and Petitcodiac," he said, adding he'll work with MP Brian Murphy to secure funding.
Premier-designate Shawn Graham wouldn't commit to Murphy's timeline but did say the river restoration is a priority.
Graham said he'll ask his new minister of environment to sit down with department officials to pick one of the four options outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessment as soon as possible.
"There is a lot of energy within our caucus right now, everyone wants to hit the ground running," he said. "As premier, though, I have to make the best decisions on a number of files and I'm going to do the due diligence before making specific timelines. But it is going to be a priority."
Since the long-awaited EIA report recommended opening up the river, the province has been faced with the decision of which of the multi-million dollar options to consider and how to finance the project. The province has always maintained the position that the federal government should help pay for the project.
The report offered a number of options to get the river flowing ranging in price from $34 million to $107 million and include changing the causeway to widen the river flow beneath it to replacing the structure with a new bridge.
Murphy has said he personally favours a bridge span being constructed along the river but said he'll wait to see which option cabinet chooses.
After waiting almost a year for the former Conservative government to choose an option for the restoration, Riverkeeper Daniel LeBlanc said he's pleased with the Liberal commitment.
"I certainly don't think four weeks is an unreasonable amount of time," he said. "Once the new minister of environment is appointed perhaps he will make the recommendation to cabinet and basically it just has to work with staff and come up with one of the options. It's not very complicated."
LeBlanc said he understand the province will then have to lobby Ottawa for funding for the project, but said he's encouraged by Murphy's comments.
He also questioned why the Conservatives were unable to pick an option, saying he suspects there were strong divisions in cabinet on whether to restore the river.
"Basically everybody was expecting this decision to be made six months ago. And nobody is able to provide us with any clear answer on why it took six months more to come to a decision," he said.
LeBlanc also said the Liberals are giving as much attention to the Petitcodiac as they are to the clean-up of Saint John Harbour.
Graham has promised that on his first day of office he'll draft a legally-binding letter outlining his commitment to cleaning up the Saint John Harbour.
Read that in the paper today.
The Lord government took way to long to do nothing.
Looks like the Librals will get things moving fairly quickly.
I am a Conservative,not a PC, so it was hard for me to vote for him.
Believe me, I will be keeping everything crossed..
well we are now totally ****
and do you think they will really do something about the causeway now that they are in power NOT
well now back to higher gas prices , electric will go up , and also car insurance will skyrocket again
so much for a boom it will be depression again
probably everytime liberal here in power everything went skyrocket high
so i am not optimist on this time either
GlassHalfFull wrote:He is taking 3 cents off of the gas prices from day one, so I don't see how that is higher gas prices.
thart was already in the works
You know what? The Liberals did and did not win. They have power in Fredericton, but the Conservatives won the popular vote. I thought Graham was arrogant in his speech in saying New Brunswickers have spoken and it's time for a change. What this election told us was that New Brunswickers weren't confident in either party and that the Liberals and Conservatives have to work together and quit acting so juvenile in legislature.
Lord will be back in some capacity. I hope he takes some time to be with his family, and maybe in about 10 years takes a run at federal politics. Graham's inability to lead his party will speak for itself in the coming months.
I don't know why everyone is afraid of Graham.
He came into politics the same time as Lord.
Lord was young and amazed everyone at his abilities, as he took hold of the PC party and braught them to power.
That is the same story as Graham is now writing.
Graham has been training for this job for 4+ years. He knows what he is doing and is raring to go.
This will be a glorious time for New Brunswick, change is needed.
The popular vote was vitually tied. The electoral vote was not.
What annoys me about Graham is that all of his ideas were virtually identical to Lord's. He just repackaged them and claimed them as his own -- a perfect example being the cut in gas prices. He comes off as very unoriginal in his thinking and was more of a spoiled brat as opposition leader than he was constructive.
He's got to prove himself with me and indeed with the people who voted for him. I would have voted for Gene Devereux had Graham not been leader.
In my opinion, people like Tanker Malley (appropriate name, given the circumstances) and Brenda Fowlie sunk the Conservatives with their ineptitude and careless handling of their work for the public. They won the election for the Liberals more than Graham did.
I thought LJR's widow was going to have kittens last night when they interviewed her. Saying how she had prayed to Louie to win the Election for Graham.
Then they brought out old Ray Frenette to glote. That was bad. Graham had quickly distance himself from these people and any connection to that little tiny perfect little prick,Frank.
Lord had the power to do things, such as the gas tax, but he did nothing. Therefore he loses power.
Lets give Graham a chance, don't burn the bridge before its built. This could be a great thing for all of us.
Obviously a man who didn't vote Liberal.....hmmmm?