People's Alliance supports resource development, but promises opt-out referendum

The leader of the People's Alliance says his party supports responsible resource development in New Brunswick, but will not force it upon all communities.

"We don't want to shove these things down people's throat," said Kris Austin.

"We want to give people the opportunity to bow out if they choose to in a certain region of the province."

He made the comments while discussing his party's platform earlier this weekthe final stretch of the election campaign.

Austin, a former church pastor,is seeking his first win on Sept. 24, after losing in his home riding of Fredericton-Grand Lake by just 26 votes in 2014.

He believes his party's "common-sense policies," which rangefrom tax reformto the elimination of language duality in government services, are starting to resonate with people.

"I think like any new thing, it takes time to build and to get the message out."

Memberships and candidates are about double what they were in the last provincial election.

Environmental protections

The party's16-page platform document has no plank dedicated to the environment, but if elected, Austin said the People's Alliance would ensure environmental protections are in place for any resource development.

That includes mitigating any risks associated with hydraulic fracturing used in shale gas exploration, he said.

Hydraulic fracturing, also known ashydro-frackingorfracking, is a process that involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure. The processcreates cracks in shale rock formations and allows companies to extract natural gas from areas that would otherwise go untapped.

Opponents of the shale gas industry have long argued the fracking process can contaminate groundwater.

2018 Election: Harry Forestell interviews Kris Austin

6 years ago

Duration 11:12

CBC's Harry Forestell talks to People's Alliance leader Kris Austin.

Austin acknowledgedit's a contentious, divisive issue, but also said his party can't just walk away from an opportunity to increase revenue and create jobs.

He was quick to add, however, that the People's Alliance has "no intention of fracking at this point" because the market has bottomed out and there wouldn't be enough royalties coming into the province to make it worthwhile.

"When the time comes," he believes any concerns couldbe addressed through a referendum based on electoral district or county.

By that time, the technology may have also changed, he said, citing propane gel fracking as an example of one of the newer, "less risky" methods.

"What we don't want to do is just close the doors to all industry," he said. "We have to be able to be open-minded."

Abolish double tax and 'corporate handouts'

Austin plans to reform the tax system by abolishing the small business tax, as well as the "archaic and burdensome" double tax for property owners, includinglandlords.

That would coincide with a three-year freeze on rental rates, putting more money in people's pockets for them to invest in the local economy, he said.

Austin does not plan to push landlords to lower rents, but contends the market will "correct itself" after thethree-year rent freeze because there will be more competition among landlords to fill vacancies.

A People's Alliance government would also put an end to the estimated $200 million in"corporate handouts" to companies that often come to New Brunswick for a year or two until the subsidies run out before packing up and leaving, said Austin.

Former governments have been "willy-nilly" about givingmoney out, hoping that it would generate job growth, he said.

"The result is dismal. Unemployment last month was 8.3 per cent,we lost over 1,000 jobs. It's not working."

Instead, hisparty would use a portion of the corporate subsidy savings to give struggling local businesses "a hand up" and to attract new businesses.

It would also give the office of the auditor general an extra $2 million a year to study what subsidy programs work well and why, and to search for efficiencies, he said.

Create bilingual health authority

Austin contends ending duality in school bus systems and health care could also save millions annually.

To that end, he has pledged to merge the anglophone Horizon Health Network and francophoneVitalitto create a bilingual health authority.

"We're not talking about closing any hospitals, we're not talking about removing any doctors,or laying off any nursesquite the opposite," he said. The savings from mergers could be reinvested in front-line services.

Hospitalscould be managed in whichever language is most common in that region and translation services could be provided for meetings, if necessary, said Austin.

The People's Alliance is fielding 30 candidates, up from 18 in the last election, but has no candidates in 19 ridings, including seven of the northern, predominantlyfrancophone ones.

"That is unfortunate, I'll be the first to admit it," said Austin. But his party is working hard to clarify its message in those regions, he said.

Other platform promises include getting back to basics in education by reintroducing the trades and home economics, and ending the free tuition program, offering tax credits instead to graduates who stay in New Brunswick.

The People's Alliance, formed in 2010,has never held a seat in the legislature.

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