The last time Evelyne Godfrey ran for the NDP she was vying for a federal seat in parliament. This time, the Port Elgin archeologist is running for the New Brunswick NDP as they attempt to rebuild their position as a significant third party in the province.
Godfrey says it’s going well so far, even suggesting that NDP leader Alex White might beat Blaine Higgs in the Quispamsis riding. “I think [he] has a good chance of defeating the current premier and taking that seat,” says Godfrey.
Last Thursday CHMA stopped by the Mount Allison campus to sit in with Godfrey on a campaign event, and hear about her campaign plans and policies:
Godfrey says the party has gone “back to square one” and written a platform that she compares to UK politician Jeremy Corbyn’s 2019 Labour party platform. “We put a lot of effort into this platform,” says Godfrey, “and I think what we’ve made is really, really good.”
“We’re trying to address the cost of living. We’ve got healthcare policies that will lead to fundamental reform in the province. We’ve got a lot of environmental policies. That’s what our entire budget is based around, creating green jobs for the clean energy transition,” says Godfrey. “And we’ve got a lot of policies relating to housing. It’s all got to do with reducing the cost of living, because that’s what people are struggling with in New Brunswick right now.”
Godfrey doesn’t say which NDP platform proposals she would push hardest if elected, but says the party will lobby for all policies to get considered by legislators, including having New Brunswick implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Indigenous People.
“Our entire plan for the province is based on raising the revenue from the wealthiest 1% in the province,” says Godfrey, “from the big corporations, from Big Oil, from the banks and from the parts of society who are able to pay for it.”
“A successful society is one that that has decent health care and education and housing for everyone,” says Godfrey, “and that’s what sets us apart.”
“We are a party of the left. We are a socialist party. Our business model is a model of cooperative funding, of community funding, and public funding,” says Godfrey. “We think healthcare in particular, but also education and also rented housing to a great extent, are things that are human rights that everyone should be entitled to.”
The New Brunswick provincial election is happening on October 21st. People in the Mount Allison community can vote at a campus poll this week at Tweedie Hall, and anyone can vote anytime at the Tantramar returning office at 95 Bridge Street in Sackville.
NOTE: Tantramar Report has brought you the voices of four of the five candidates for the riding of Tantramar during their campaigns. Libertarian candidate Donna Allen has opted not to participate in an interview.
