FREDERICTON – Ahead of the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon, says he hopes New Brunswickers will take this significant opportunity to learn about the history and legacy of residential schools.

“Truth and Reconciliation Day is a time to remember the cultural genocide perpetrated on Indigenous people in Canada by the Indian Residential School system,” said Coon. “It is a significant opportunity for all New Brunswickers to learn about the history and legacy of residential schools, while honouring survivors, their families and communities.”

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FREDERICTON – Green Party leader David Coon says that the impacts of post-tropical storm Fiona illustrate how unprepared New Brunswick is to protect coastal residents from storm surges and coastal flooding.  

“For a province with 5,500 kilometres of coastline, I was incredulous to discover that the Premier’s new climate plan says nothing about protecting coastal communities from storm surges and coastal flooding,” said Coon.  “It’s not a question of if New Brunswick gets hit by another major storm, but when?  The Premier needed to infuse his new climate plan with a sense of urgency.”

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FREDERICTON –Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon says that the success of the provincial government’s new Climate Action Plan will be dependent upon Premier Higgs’ willingness to quickly implement its key measures.

“Since the last Climate Action Plan was released, we have seen five years of dithering by Premiers Gallant and Higgs,” said Coon. “They both refused to take any leadership, such as creating a cabinet committee chaired by the Premier to lead the government’s response. Frankly, I see no indication in the report that Premier Higgs will act urgently to implement this report’s key recommendations either.”

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Fredericton - The Green Party of New Brunswick is thrilled to be celebrating ten years with David Coon leading the party.  

“David has been a visionary leader for Greens in New Brunswick, as well as across the country,” says party president Nicolas Jelic. “His steady character, his caring and compassionate personality, and his ability to bring out the best in people have been critical to the growth of NB Greens this past decade.  As a party, we are excited for where David’s vision will take us in 2024 and beyond.” 

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FREDERICTON – In light of Horizon’s Saint John and Moncton emergency rooms being restricted to individuals with limb- or life-threatening medical needs over the weekend, Green Party leader David Coon and Green caucus health critic Megan Mitton say that Premier Higgs needs to urgently act on implementing the recommendations of Fredericton ER doctor Dr. Yogi Sehgal. On August 10, Dr. Sehgal sent several recommendations to Premier Higgs, Minister Fitch and the regional health authorities after consulting with other frontline staff and patients.

“Last week Premier Higgs praised Dr. Sehgal for the recommendations he presented without saying whether he would actually implement them,” said Coon. “The solutions are already there. It’s time for the Premier to act.”

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The leaders of the British Columbia Greens, the Ontario Greens, the PEI Greens, and the New Brunswick Greens are renewing a call for a windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies that would be redistributed directly to Canadians.

“Canadians are struggling with record-breaking affordability challenges right now, while oil and gas companies are reaping record-breaking profits,” said Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley. “That is why we are calling on the Prime Minister to implement a one-time windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies, with the proceeds returned to Canadians.” 

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Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is hosting an in-person meeting of the Council of Atlantic Premiers (CAP) today in Pictou.  Premier Houston and his colleagues Andrew Furey, Dennis King and Blaine Higgs are discussing affordability, inflation and renewable energy.

Atlantic Canada’s Green leaders are once again calling on the premiers to agree to formal collaboration to accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy and to establish a regional approach to provide public transportation.

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FREDERICTON – As tourists head to New Brunswick’s famous islands to experience a little bit of paradise this summer, all is not well for islanders. New Brunswick’s six island communities continue to be troubled by loss of services and inadequate infrastructure.

“The neglect of the needs of our rural communities by successive governments is all the more evident in New Brunswick’s six island communities, due to their relative isolation from the mainland,” said Green Party leader David Coon. “The Department of Rural Affairs and Community Development that I have proposed would be on top of the problems unique to island communities.”

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FREDERICTON – The Green caucus has been repeatedly calling for preventative health measures to be adopted for alcohol use, and now the Auditor General has found that NB Liquor has failed to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol in New Brunswick as required under the NB Liquor Act. 

“The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Centre of Excellence in Moncton estimates that 200 children experience prenatal exposure to alcohol annually.  The resulting brain damage can occur long before a person knows they are pregnant.  There is no cure, so public education campaigns are the only way of preventing this lifelong disability.  NB Liquor is failing women and children in its public mandate,” said David Coon, Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton-South

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