New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Thursday 23 October 2025
During this sitting of the New Brunswick Legislature (61st Legislature, Second Session), presided over by Speaker Francine Landry, the sole business was the resumption of the adjourned Throne Speech Debate. The Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Savoie, delivered an extensive Address in Reply critiquing the Holt government's first-year record across education, seniors' care, social development, the economy, immigration, transparency, crime, municipal property tax policy, and unfulfilled promises, framing the opposition's role as providing 'friction' and giving the government an 'F for failure.' He closed with tributes to retiring Senator David Adams Richards, after which the debate was adjourned and the House adjourned for the day.
Orders of the Day
Throne Speech Debate — Reply to the Speech from the Throne
Mr. Savoie
Resuming the adjourned debate, the Leader of the Official Opposition opened by recognizing New Brunswickers' accomplishments, offering condolences to bereaved families, and thanking his wife Mary, children, sisters, extended family, and the voters of Saint John East. He then argued the government has established a pattern of failure, citing broken promises on balanced budgets (now projecting at least $3 billion added to debt), the HST holiday revenue loss, removal of the cost of carbon adjustor (which he said nearly doubled), the delayed Mental Health Advocate office, and the promised 10 new collaborative care clinics, contending no genuinely new clinic has opened and that the claimed 10,000 patients taken off wait lists actually total around 7,100 based on the government's own releases. He further criticized unpaid $10,000 nurse bonuses, a bad-faith bargaining complaint, a $50-million cut to Horizon Health, cancellation of the pharmacist care clinic pilot, delays to the lung cancer screening and school lunch programs, and education reforms including librarian firings found to be in bad faith and proposed elimination of grade levels.
Address in Reply to the Throne Speech — Opposition critique
Leader of the Official Opposition
The Opposition Leader delivered an extensive critique of the Holt government's first year, arguing there is no evidence supporting its education reforms (which the Child and Youth Advocate had to force it to change), citing cuts to child protection ($47 million), food banks, the comfort and clothing allowance, and Chimo Helpline, and pointing to the seniors' nursing home crisis.
Economy, immigration, tariff relief and liquor policy
Leader of the Official Opposition
He accused the government of failing to deliver a balanced approach to labour needs, of forcing hardworking immigrant families to leave through its intransigence, of an almost entirely unused $50-million tariff relief plan, and of selling American liquor at a loss and in secrecy despite promising transparency.
Transparency, U.S. contracts and federal dealings
Leader of the Official Opposition
The speaker criticized the government for entering a roughly $1 billion secret-rate electricity contract with Missouri-based PROENERGY/RIGS Energy Atlantic while cancelling a contract with an American firm for Elections New Brunswick, and questioned the value of a $27,000/month U.S. lobbying contract and trips to Washington and Ottawa that produced no exemptions or nation-building projects (including a Canada 2020 event he called a Liberal 'love-in' paid by taxpayers).
Homelessness, mental health, addiction and crime
Leader of the Official Opposition
He argued the government failed on homelessness, housing, mental health and substance abuse, favouring announcements and a task force over concrete action, blaming cities, and opposing red zones in Saint John; he cited rising crime and fear (8% increase in Saint John) and pledged the opposition would bring forward motions to improve mental health and addiction approaches.
Municipal property tax assessment freeze
Leader of the Official Opposition
He condemned the property tax assessment freeze as imposed on municipalities without consultation and not part of the Liberal platform, quoting the UMNB Executive Director that it pressures those with least ability to offset lost revenue and will force municipalities to raise rates.
Transparency failures and RTI blackouts
Leader of the Official Opposition
He said the government blacks out right-to-information responses to the point of uselessness, claiming more information is publicly available from the Trump administration than through an RTI request to the Holt government, contrary to its 'radical transparency' promise.
Additional cuts, refusal of responsibility and delayed promises
Leader of the Official Opposition
He listed further cuts (roadwork, Centennial Bridge sidewalk, Anderson Bridge demolition, TIANB advertising, Ministers Island, MacDonald Farm), accused the government of refusing to accept responsibility and avoiding media accountability, and characterized this year's throne speech as a repeat of last year's with promises (lung cancer screening, Mental Health Advocate, school lunch program, gas tax removal, balanced budget) all deferred; he gave the government an 'F for failure.'
Role of the opposition
Leader of the Official Opposition
He defended the opposition's duty to provide 'friction' and hold government to account, stating opposing something is not opposing the idea but disagreeing on execution, and calling on government members to take responsibility rather than deflect or vilify him for stating facts.
Tribute to retiring Senator David Adams Richards
Leader of the Official Opposition
He honoured retiring Senator David Adams Richards, quoting Senators Leo Housakos, Judy White and Denise Batters on Richards' defence of free expression, resistance to ideological conformity, and recognition that no one holds a monopoly on truth.
Adjournment of debate and of the House
Multiple
Mr. Coon moved the adjournment of the debate, Mr. M. LeBlanc proposed the adjournment of the House, and the Speaker reminded members of a Legislative Library reception marking the opening of the second session before the House adjourned at 1:52 p.m.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search New Brunswick Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.