The New Brunswick legislature has finished their spring session, adjourning for the summer following a particularly contentious day in the house.
“It was like a gong show today,” said Green Party Leader David Coon. “It’s nasty in there these days.”
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Premier Brian Gallant and opposition leader Bruce Fitch spent a large portion of question period Friday trading barbs over which party was less interested in working through assembly business.
“The opposition thinks that they’re stuck here in July,” Gallant said. “We don’t mind working during the summer.”
“The government just asked for leave, they could withdraw their motion to adjourn today and come back next week and debate,” said Fitch.
Recently the motion to create a committee tasked with looking into and finding recommendations on electoral reform was presented.
While the committee would include all three elected parties, a decision that Gallant called “a very fair and non-partisan approach”, the opposition rejected the offer.
“Yesterday they seemed to have all the time to talk to Mr. Coon but never talked to us,” Fitch said of a lack of cooperation between the two main parties.
“This government doesn’t want to sit down and talk with any of the opposition, especially us on anything from soup to nuts.”
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Gallant said the Tories refusal to take part is short-sighted and misses the point.
“The opposition and the third party would have the majority,” the Premier explained.
“Anything that would be put forward in this committee would need two of the three parties to be involved and agree with.”
The province says the opposition has until July 29 to change their mind and submit MLA’s names to the committee.
The legislature will remain adjourned until November 2.
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