New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Tuesday 12 May 2026
The New Brunswick House of Assembly's daily sitting on May 12, 2026 featured Members' Statements dominated by Progressive Conservative criticism of the Holt government's tourism decisions, including the closure or divestment of Cape Enrage, North Lake Provincial Park, The Anchorage Provincial Park, Doak House, and sites in Saint Andrews. Government members countered with statements highlighting investments in paramedicine bursaries, wildfire preparedness, and affordability measures. The sitting also reverted, by unanimous consent, to Introduction of Guests to welcome visitors from the Sussex region.
Members' Statements
Saint Andrews tourism and heritage sites
Ms. Bockus
Criticized the Holt government for targeting Sheriff Andrews House and Ministers Island in Saint Andrews to save money while spending over $1.5 million in Toronto promoting the province, calling the government uninformed and incompetent.
Out-of-province travel costs for health care
Mr. Coon
Highlighted the financial burden on families who must travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres out of province for essential care with little support, sharing testimonies from families and urging the Department of Health to do more.
Paramedicine tuition bursary program
Mr. Robichaud
Announced expanded eligibility for the tuition bursary program for paramedicine and emergency medical technology students, noting 49 students have been supported to strengthen ambulance services in rural New Brunswick.
Government tourism decisions and Anchorage Provincial Park
Mr. Lee
Accused the Premier of making poor choices, particularly in dropping Anchorage Provincial Park, and noted tourism was not mentioned in the government's election platform.
Affordability measures
Ms. Wilcott
Defended the government's affordability initiatives—a 3% rent cap, 10% electricity rebate, frozen property tax assessments, and a 10-cent-per-litre gas reduction—all of which she said the Conservatives opposed.
Cape Enrage closure
Ms. S. Wilson
Lamented the loss of Cape Enrage's tourism attractions and jobs, accusing the Holt government of a culture of cancellation targeting Progressive Conservative ridings.
Wildfire preparedness investment
Mr. Bourque
Announced a $6.7 million investment to strengthen wildfire preparedness, including converting 74 seasonal forest ranger positions to permanent year-round jobs and adding four Fire Boss planes.
Tourism policy criticism
Mr. Ames
Gave the Premier a 'triple-D' grade for tourism—defund, divest, destroy—and criticized the closure of North Lake Provincial Park and Doak House, characterizing it as revenge against the former Premier.
Emergency services and paramedic bursary program
Mr. Mallet
Reiterated the government's expansion of the bursary program for paramedic and emergency medical technician students, noting 49 approvals and the need for a large-scale ambulance service in a rural province.
Doak House closure and New Brunswick Day
Ms. M. Wilson
Criticized the vengeful closing of Doak House and other tourism sites, questioning whether communities would risk applying to host New Brunswick Day 2026 given the government's pattern of closures.
Saint Andrews tourism and heritage sites
Ms. Bockus
Criticized the Holt government for targeting Sheriff Andrews House and Ministers Island in Saint Andrews to save money while spending over $1.5 million in Toronto promoting tourism, calling the governance uninformed and incompetent.
Out-of-province travel costs for health care
Mr. Coon
Shared stories from families forced to travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres out of province for essential care with little financial support, urging the Department of Health to do more to help them.
Ambulance services and paramedicine bursary expansion
Mr. Robichaud
Highlighted the government's expansion of tuition bursary eligibility for paramedicine and emergency medical technology students, noting 49 students supported to improve emergency coverage in rural New Brunswick.
Anchorage Provincial Park and tourism criticism
Mr. Lee
Criticized the Holt government's decision to drop Anchorage Provincial Park as a poor choice and noted tourism was not mentioned in the Premier's election platform.
Affordability measures
Ms. Wilcott
Defended government affordability initiatives—a 3% rent cap, 10% electricity rebate, frozen property tax assessments, and a 10¢ per litre gas reduction—all of which she said the Conservatives opposed.
Cape Enrage closure
Ms. S. Wilson
Lamented the loss of Cape Enrage tourism attractions and jobs, alleging the closure decision was influenced by the area's history of voting Progressive Conservative.
Wildfire preparedness investment
Mr. Bourque
Announced a $6.7 million investment to strengthen wildfire preparedness, converting 74 seasonal forest ranger positions to permanent year-round roles and adding four Fire Boss planes.
North Lake Provincial Park and Doak House closures
Mr. Ames
Gave the Premier a 'triple-D' grade—defund, divest, destroy—on tourism and alleged the closure of North Lake Provincial Park was revenge against the former Premier, inviting the Premier to visit the park.
Emergency services and paramedic bursary program
Mr. Mallet
Reiterated the government's expansion of bursary eligibility for paramedic and emergency medical students, noting 49 students approved to provide stable ambulance coverage for rural New Brunswick.
Doak House closure and New Brunswick Day
Ms. M. Wilson
Criticized the vengeful closure of Doak House and a series of tourism site closures, questioning whether communities would apply to host New Brunswick Day 2026 for fear of retaliation.
Routine Proceedings
Revert to Introduction of Guests
Ms. M. Johnson
Sought and received unanimous consent to revert to Introduction of Guests, after which Ms. Scott-Wallace welcomed special guests from the Sussex region to the Legislature.
Revert to Introduction of Guests
Ms. M. Johnson
Requested and received unanimous consent to revert to Introduction of Guests.
Introduction of Guests
Ms. Scott-Wallace
Welcomed special guests to the Legislature from the Sussex region, praising them as hard workers in the community.
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 Hansard — May 12, 2026 — afternoon (Legislature 61, Session 2), 37 2026-05-12b.