Pages tagged "Premier Higgs"
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Premier Higgs needs protect most vulnerable as he removes COVID restrictions
Posted on News by Julie Guillemet · February 16, 2022 9:00 AMFREDERICTON – As Premier Higgs relaxes COVID-19 measures for the general population, NB Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon says he must put in place a plan that will protect those most vulnerable to serious illness, hospitalizations and death.
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Government needs to immediately offer support for those that are hardest hit by Level 3
Posted on News by Julie Guillemet · January 13, 2022 3:00 PMFREDERICTON – With the announcement that the province will go to Level 3 COVID restrictions this week, NB Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon says that the government must immediately offer financial support for the people and businesses who will be hardest hit by the move, including small businesses, the hospitality sector, artists and their performance venues, and those who will lose their income.
“While this is a necessary public health measure to try to slow the spread of Omicron and ease the pressure on our healthcare system, it will have a significant negative effect on both businesses and workers in those sectors that will be closed over the next few weeks,” said Coon. “The Premier must loosen the purse strings to support those in need, to reduce the hardship they will face.”
Kevin Arseneau, the Green Caucus Advocate on matters of Developing and Strengthening Communities, has been meeting with, and hearing from, families, people in the arts & culture community, as well as small business owners about how dire their situation is.
“We are going on two years that these sectors have been negatively affected by the pandemic, and for two years Premier Higgs has completely ignored their needs.” said Arseneau. “Now is the time for him to step up and begrudgingly support those who are most in need.”
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Premier must accept and fully implement Official Languages Act review recommendations
Posted on News by Julie Guillemet · December 15, 2021 4:00 PMFREDERICTON – Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon urges Premier Higgs to accept the recommendations from the Commissioners of the Official Languages Act and move to fully implement them.
“I am happy that Commissioners Finn and McLaughlin have recognized many of the improvements that my Caucus colleagues and I have been calling for,” said Coon. “Now it is incumbent upon Premier Higgs, who is the Minister in charge of Official Languages, to accept these recommendations and implement them with sufficient resources.”
The first recommendation in the report is to establish a Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly on Official Languages. The creation of such a committee was first called for by Kent North MLA Kevin Arseneau in the Legislature on June 6, 2019.
“For over two years I have been trying to convince the Premier and all Members of the House, with the support of my caucus colleagues, of the necessity of a Standing Committee on Official Languages to facilitate further discussion of official languages by MLAs,” said Arseneau. “Premier Higgs needs to accept this recommendation from his commissioners and bring a motion for its creation to the Legislative Assembly this week, so the new committee can get to work in the New Year.”
“We are glad to have had the opportunity to send a submission to and meet with the commissioners,” added Arseneau. “We thank them for their work. It is now up to legislators to take action. Our caucus is impatient to move in the direction of substantive equality.”