Podcast: Why Kris Austin Believes Minority Government Is Good For Business In New Brunswick
In the second of five “Home Office” conversations with party leaders, Huddle editor Mark Leger speaks with People’s Alliance Leader Kris Austin. The party is best known for its criticisms of official bilingualism, but Kris also argues for lower business taxes and responsible development of natural gas resources and pipelines as a transition to more green forms of energy.
“Renewable development is the next stage of energy,” says Kris. “That’s clear. I’m not going to be naive and say that oil is something we should rely on for generations to come. Oil is eventually is going to be phased out. Technology is going to get better, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be using solar, wind and tidal….but there’s got to be a transition there and you can’t just have a hard cutoff, you have to be able to transition out of fossil fuels and into renewable energy as technology advances.”
David Coon of the Green Party and Kris Austin may not see eye-to-eye on energy issues but they both believe a minority government works best for the people of the province. However, the People’s Alliance leader says he is a more natural partner for the PCs if Higgs’ party is re-elected.
“It’s the first minority government in 100 years and it’s been an exceptional government,” says Kris. “The vast majority of people in this province recognize that. The legislature has worked very well. My argument is why go back to majorities when minorities are working so well… We have said we will provide stability when we can find like-minded parties as the PCs have been the last two years.”
The podcast begins with a conversation between Mark and reporter Inda Intiar about election priorities in Moncton, which includes solving the homelessness issue there. The chat with Kris begins around the six-minute mark.
The Huddle “Home Office” podcast, available on Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher and Apple podcast platforms, features conversations with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia community leaders, entrepreneurs, analysts and Huddle reporters about the issues and events that accelerate and enrich the growth of the region’s economy and culture.
Other podcasts in this series:
- Why David Coon Is Campaigning For A Green ‘Minority’ Government In N.B.
- Kevin Vickers On Economic Growth, Progressive Social Change And Morning Runs
- Mackenzie Thomason On Minimum Wage, The Irvings And Campaigning With A Metre Stick
- Blaine Higgs On Transgender Rights, Clinic 554, Glyphosate Spraying And Growing The Economy