A Conversation with New Brunswick Socialist Caucus NDP Provincial Candidates

Oct 1, 2024 | by Flo Schade

Chris Wanamaker, running in Fundy-The Isles-Saint John-Lorneville:

1. How has recent upheaval in federal political dynamics affected the provincial election? 

Josh Floyd and I protested the visit of Pierre Polievre to Saint John in March during which Polievre made headlines by opposing the Liberal carbon tax ahead of the provincial election campaign. Many NB NDP supporters welcome the end of the confidence-supply deal because they see the need for the NDP both here and elsewhere to differentiate itself from the Liberals and PCs, especially here because the former right-wing leader of the NB NDP, Dominic Cardy left the party in 2017 to join the NB PCs and accepted the position of Education Minister. Demonstrations in support of Gaza continue to be held weekly in Saint John and Fredericton. 

2. How is your campaign different from the standard NDP candidate program on the important issues of housing, healthcare, and education? 

I am emphasizing the following NB NDP policies: (a) reinstate the rent cap, (b) make sure mental health and addiction recovery support is available to all, (c) stop the privatization of health care, (d) integrate nursing homes and home care as part of Medicare, (e) oppose changes to Bill 713 legislated by the NB PC. The changes forbade NB teachers from using student's preferred pronounces without parental consent if they under 16 years of age. 

3. What strategies would you employ to advance working class priorities within a status quo political environment?  

A province-wide strike by CUPE in 2021 strengthened the relationship between the NB NDP and CUPE .The NB NDP therefore, can gain some traction with workers by showing how it would make unionizing easier, eliminating new regulations the NB PCs have put into place which make it harder for workers to strike and organize. It also can continue to ally with ACORN, the Association of Community Activists for Reform Now to help institute rent control. It may be that the NB NDP will focus its resources on two or three key ridings to be able to elect at least one MLA. If it were up to me, I would make media relations training available to all candidates so as to increase their ability to engage the media effectively. 

Josh Floyd, running in Saint John East:

As many of you know we are about to face an election campaign in New Brunswick like none that has come before it. There have been rising attacks by the Higgs government which has drifted to the far right against workers, 2SLGBTQIA+ Community, visible minorities, First Nations, and many more communities. The austerity policies of the Higgs government is putting New Brunswick backwards and Saint John is suffering; people can not afford sky rocketing rent, our teachers are burnt-out, and our healthcare system is in crisis. That just scratches the surface while the millionaire freinds of the PCs get corporate handouts regular everyday people like you and me are struggling to stay a float. 

I am up against Minister Glen Savoie, the government House Leader directly in Blaine Higgs inner circle who is rewarded with more and more Ministries despite the fact he is never seen in the riding he has represented since 2010. He is in short Blaine Higgs biggest enabler being the one responsible for what government bills make it to the house, he was directly involved in making Bill 17 and 23 which are attacks against workers. Not only that when the right for our 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to be protected was taken away he was the first to vote in favor of it, shame!

Time and time again East siders come to me and ask who is our MLA? I am not surprised many do not know as he is nearly non existent outside of elections. I have reached out to his office many times to be met with silence even prior to running as a candidate. Where is he when working families are struggling or when there are issues about the Refinery amongst other things he is nowhere to be found. While he spends his time voting against the working people of Saint John East I spend my time in the trenches for progressive change standing in solidarity with our public sector workers. 

I am a fighter for equality in the province having helped to ignite the movement against the austerity and divisive policies of Blaine Higgs, I am a co-author of the petition calling on Premier Higgs to resign; a petition that has garnered over 20,000 signatures. I come from a family with deep ties to organized labour with many public service workers and I am a near life long resident of Saint John East having lived in Champlain Heights, Highmeadow Park, Heatherway, and now Loch Lomond. I am known for my determination, activism, and dedication as well as being a regular everyday person not a member of the wealthy elite as some other candidates in our riding are. I have been a member of the NB NDP for a decade staring activism before I even graduated high school, and in addition to my many duties in the NDP I am serving my second term as a member of the Central Committee of Socialist Action Canada. In the past I have also been a local volunteer having volunteered for the Fundy Sound Music Festival as well as 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft in Saint John.  

I decided to run again after not seeing Glen Savoie publicly in the riding over this term. I strongly feel Saint John East deserves better and needs an MLA who is constituency focused putting the people of the riding first. An MLA's focus should be the people who elected them not being one of the biggest enablers of a government that has lost the trust of the people and seeks to single out our most vulnerable populations. I wish to offer a progressive alternative who comes from the middle class and can speak for our issues and not the issues of the wealthy 1%.