N.B. NDP Leader Says Economic Recovery Should Focus On Small Businesses

To do this, the NDP proposes the use of a public investment bank, through which funding will be made available to help entrepreneurs who want to start and grow their small, local businesses. When asked if this would boost corporate welfare, he says no.

“I have no interest in giving money to large corporations. I have no interest in giving money to large multinationals. If they want to continue their profits, that’s something that they need to focus on,” he said.

Recovery would also mean investing more in infrastructure to make them more accessible and usable, Thomason said. That includes not only things like roads, bridges and public transit, but also access to high-speed internet, especially in rural areas.

“It’s a real limit especially at the time of COVID when everybody’s going back to school and working remotely,” he said.

During the pandemic, the Atlantic Bubble has “proven to be an amazing tool,” said Thomason, who works in the hospitality sector and has seen the bubble bring more visitors.

“I think it’s a precursor to what can be done when all four Atlantic provinces work together. We have very similar issues as far as population growth and as far as economic stimulus,” he said.

When it comes to moving to a greener economy, the NDP wants to ensure people have the training needed to take up the new jobs that will come. To ensure this, the party wants to see tuition costs for public universities reduced and eventually eliminated.

However, unlike some of the other party leaders, Thomason isn’t keen on small modular nuclear reactors. He says while they offer cleaner options in terms of emission, there is still the question of where the radioactive waste will be stored. Thomason is also concerned the technology could be monopolized by a few companies only.

“Nuclear power and small modular reactors is not something that the NDP is prepared to endorse at this time,” he said.

Instead, the NDP will prioritize wind, solar and tidal energy that is made in the province.

“New Brunswick is very abundant in all three of those.”

When it comes to taxes, Thomason said big and small businesses should be taxed differently, weighted by their income. He also supports a review of the property tax system.

“I think having a review of how much money is split, how much money goes where, and who are paying what sorts of property tax is definitely something the NDP supports,” Thomason said.

When it comes to health care, Thomason said fixing the system that’s “chronically underfunded and understaffed” means topping up funding. He says it’s important for New Brunswickers to have access to the services they need, so ensuring places like Clinic 554 remain open and making it a model of LGBTQ+ and reproductive care across the province are key.

He says while the system in New Brunswick is set up in such a way that family doctors’ offices are “privately owned small businesses,” they provide public services.

“They are funded by the province. This is the one aspect of the economy where I’m okay giving public funds to what is technically a private business,” he said.

“Clinic 554 is not a private clinic. It is a family doctor’s office that provides specific LGBTQ+ and reproductive health that I think more of our family doctors should be providing,” he added.

Thomason says the NDP will also fight for addiction, mental health care and housing access for all.

Inda Intiar is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.