Liberal Opposition leader Susan Holt says the Premier’s decision not to call a fall election came as no surprise.

“We’ve had the sense that was where the Premier was going to land. And we’re glad he’s finally provided New Brunswickers with some clarity.”

Speculation swirled for months that New Brunswickers would be going to the poll earlier than the scheduled election date in October 2024.

But Premier Blaine Higgs confirmed on Friday to Reporters that there would be no election call in 2023.

Holt says, “We saw the work of government grind to a halt and we saw things cancelled. We saw things stop happening as the Premier tried to figure out whether he wanted to call an election or not, and that kind of uncertainty for New Brunswickers who were expecting something to come up from governments and expecting to see progress on critical issues. When all of that stalled, it created a lot of stress for people.”

She adds they think the Premier got cold feet and moved into a period of indecision, “So now we’re glad he’s finally taken a decision and shared that with New Brunswickers.”

Her hope is that the government will now begin to act on commitments they’ve made.

“They’ve made a commitment to advance collaborative care in communities that need it, and are waiting for it. We’d like to see them get to work on housing. We have known about the housing crisis for years. They have spent years talking, consulting, and building a strategy but not yet building a budget. We need to see boots on the ground, and hammers and nails getting housing built for New Brunswickers.”

Her hope is that the Premier takes the time before the next election to act on the priorities of New Brunswickers.