Candidates vie for support from voters in Charlotte County

A general election will be held on Monday, September 18, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, and Charlotte County voters will face decisions in two ridings. Incumbent Tony Huntjens of St. Stephen is being challenged for the new Charlotte-Campobello electoral district by Liberal candidate Robert Tinker and New Democratic Party candidate Andrew Graham. In the new electoral district of Charlotte-The Isles, Liberal incumbent Rick Doucet is being challenged by Progressive Conservative candidate Wayne Sturgeon and New Democratic Party candidate Sharon Greenlaw.

Tony Huntjens
A member of the Progressive-Conservative Party, Huntjens says he is running for office again because "as a government, we've been doing some good for the past seven years, and I want to carry on that good." He is especially interested in improving the lives of people with autism, as well as improvements in social assistance. "I look at my own riding and see the advances we made and the money invested," he notes, citing improvements to two local nursing homes, Passamaquoddy Lodge and Lincourt Manor. He has gotten people involved in a committee to manage Minister's Island, on a health committee trying to recruit nurses and doctors for his district, as well as the Southern Corridor Committee for the third bridge in St. Stephen. "This is my whole philosophy. Put ownership in the hands of the local people," summarizes Huntjens.

The incumbent says the liquefied natural gas (LNG) issue is wearing "very, very heavy on the minds of people in the Passamaquoddy Bay area. It's very significant to them. My commitment is to make sure it doesn't slip by us and take place."

Although fishing issues tend to be under the control of the federal government, Huntjens promises to work with local fishermen "to make sure what issues they have are in the forefront." He is also committed to getting Campobello a year-round ferry, so residents can have access to the Canadian mainland without passing through two international border crossings.

"I feel I got a lot of things done in the past seven years, and I'm proud of what I've done. If people want their MLA to work for them, then I'm their man," says Huntjens.

Robert Tinker
Liberal Robert Tinker, who is currently deputy mayor of St. Stephen, was elected to the St. Stephen Town Council in 2001. He cites his nine years of experience as executive assistant to former MLA Ann Breault as well as his joy in helping people as reasons to enter the race.

"There are many issues throughout the riding," says Tinker. "There are two major centers -- St. Stephen and St. Andrews -- and the rest is rural. One [Campobello] is 55 miles through the State of Maine."

LNG is a particularly important topic, and Tinker says of his constituents' opposition, "I got a letter from our leader saying, if the Liberals win, New Brunswick will be the official intervenor."

Another worry brought up by Charlotte County residents is the issue of passports, "particularly to an isolated community like Campobello or a border community like St. Stephen. People are seriously concerned."

If elected, Tinker will work for better rural roads throughout the Charlotte-Campobello riding, and he promises strong representation. "I've been going door-to-door prior to nomination. I've worn out two pairs of shoes," he notes. "There's about 13,000 in the riding, and I'm going to do my level best to meet them all."

Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham, who recently moved from St. Andrews to Saint John, says he jumped into the race because the NDP needed a candidate for the Charlotte-Campobello riding. "They needed someone who could raise some issues."

He is championing alternative energy resources, and he has been attending many LNG meetings since the first LNG terminal was proposed for the U.S. side of Passamaquoddy Bay. Graham will be attending the upcoming NDP national convention in Quebec City and says one of the resolutions he his taking with him is the banning of LNG operations on Passamaquoddy Bay.

Graham is concerned about child poverty, trying to implement a public auto insurance program "with fair rates for New Brunswickers," creating more energy-efficient public transportation, and raising the academic levels in the province's schools. He disagrees with Bernard Lord's plan to give middle-schoolers laptop computers. "That's the wrong thing to do. We need to bring back the basics. We also need to bring back art and music. We're cutting our own culture short."

As for the incident on Grand Manan concerning islanders burning down an alleged drug dealer's house, Graham says, "I don't know what it's like to see what crack is doing to your children. It was a pressure cooker, and they reached their limit."

"I think drugs are more of a symptom of another problem. There's a disconnect between the younger generation and the older one. A disconnect from tradition," he adds. "And often there isn't enough parental guidance because both parents are at work struggling to raise money to pay the rent."
Graham is upset about the province's dismissal of a small-scale woodlot development plan to take over leases Georgia-Pacific was due to give up. "McAdam and every municipality in Southwest New Brunswick agreed with that plan and applied to the province. Instead of accepting it, the province turned it over to Irving. It was the arrogance of the Conservative government to dismiss the hard work and research of these people. If we don't change that type of arrogance, we only have ourselves to blame."

Rick Doucet
In the new electoral district of Charlotte-The Isles, Liberal incumbent Eric Allaby has stepped aside so incumbent Rick Doucet, another member of the Liberal Party, can run for the merged district seat. Doucet, who has been critic for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, is being challenged by the Progressive Conservative candidate Wayne Sturgeon of Grand Manan and NDP candidate Sharon Greenlaw, also of Grand Manan.

"I try to provide my constituency with very solid representation," says incumbent Rick Doucet. "I've taken on issues with a passion C housing needs, the social security issue C I won't stop until I get it fixed."

"LNG wants the government to just sit idly by, but I think the provincial government can help in an intervenor status. My constituents have made it loud and clear they don't want an LNG [in the area]."

Doucet says the recent outbreak of violence on Grand Manan which led to arson of an alleged drug dealer's home "opened up all of our eyes. It's not just a problem there. Together we need to dry up the demand for drugs, then that will dry up the drug dealers."
A strong advocate for improving the highway in Pennfield, Doucet says, "In the past seven years, not one red nickel has been spent there." Another transportation issue is the need for another Grand Manan ferry.

During his travels throughout the Charlotte-The Isles riding, the Liberal points out, "One of the sad realities is that a lot of people are leaving. I go to people's houses, knock on the door, and find out that the house has been sold, and the previous owners have moved. I talk to wives who say their husbands have gone out west for employment. The worst is when I see an empty house. We have lost people."

Doucet was a business owner, but says he couldn't serve two masters and sold his operation so he could devote his time to politics. "If I'm helping just one person, it's worth it."

Wayne Sturgeon
Progressive-Conservative candidate Wayne Sturgeon says he is in the race because "I heard people tell me in the last five or six years that they could see me doing this some day. After the last provincial election, and after much prayer, I told people that I was running."
Since March, Sturgeon has traveled from one end of Charlotte County to the other asking people about their concerns. "There are a lot of individual regional needs," he notes. "Upgrading Fundy Arena in Blacks Harbour, improving Deer Island roads, getting roads bushed in the more rural areas of the riding and, of course, getting a new ferry on Grand Manan. And the more I get to meet people around the riding, the more [concerns] they have in common -- youth, seniors, health care, better roads."

Sturgeon believes the issue of drug addiction is related to improving the lives of the area's youth. "It's a problem everywhere. People get fed up."

Although he entered the race knowing little about LNGs, the PC candidate says he's been doing a lot of homework on the subject. "We already have letters sent out from the provincial and federal government. We're not going to let it happen," he points out, referring to his majority government. "No means no."

A religious man, Sturgeon is a carpenter by trade and has worked for years in the aquaculture industry and as part of a lobster fishing crew. He is active in his community, especially with youth activities.

"If I'm the representative after September 18, I will be seeking ways to bring employment and industry to this area of Charlotte County. People here should know that if I am their representative, I will have a staffed office in St. George. People will have a place to [voice] their concerns."

Sharon Greenlaw
"They asked if I would run," explains NDP candidate Sharon Greenlaw of why she entered the race. "Also, my grandmother [Alma Etta Benson] was one of the first women to vote, so when the opportunity came, I decided to run in her honor and also be an example to my seven daughters."

"I've been amazed at the great reception I've gotten," she adds.
Greenlaw says she is concerned with the economic plight of the elderly in her area. "Basically, they have a poverty income. I've been told that some are living on as little as $12,000 a year."

She would like to see ferry service on Deer Island and Grand Manan "stabilized" and have a ferry stationed in Blacks Harbour and one in North Head throughout the year. "And they should take the fare off the Grand Manan ferry. It's a provincial highway," she says of the sea lane.

As for the recent vigilante justice incident on Grand Manan, Greenlaw says, "I've been working with the legal defense people. I support clearer communication between the RCMP and the public. A priority matrix needs to be set up, so that when something keeps getting reported, it goes to the head of the line."

"I've been active in the Boys and Girls Club, getting the library here and fighting LNG," she notes. "So, no matter whether I'm elected or not, I will still work for those."

Voting requirements
For new voters in New Brunswick, whether new to the province or those who have turned 18 since the last provincial or municipal election or who are new Canadian citizens, election officials need to see them in person to add them to the voting list. Where it is convenient, voters can visit their district returning office to get added, or they can take identification with them when they go to the polls to vote and have their name added then. Identification with the voter's name, current address and signature is required.