Ahead of the upcoming New Brunswick provincial elections this Monday, David Coon and the Green Party have made environmental health and access a pivotal campaign issue. Within the past three weeks, Coon has emphasized his intention to pass a “Right to a Healthy Environment” bill into law if the Green Party comes out on top in the election.
This proposal originally stems from the Green Party’s Bill-19, an unsuccessful bill with a similar point of focus that was ultimately voted down by the incumbent Progressive Conservative government last year. If successful, it would enshrine access to a clean, healthy natural environment as a legal right.
Coon, while campaigning in St. John, said while announcing the proposal that “over the years, we have seen government after government cover up environmental contamination to the detriment of the health of New Brunswickers, particularly of children, who are at a much greater risk to environmental contaminants.
”Drawing on concerns over water and air pollution, Coon promised to create the position of an environmental commissioner to address worries or concerns the public may have. He also compared the long term health impacts of ignoring pollution to an increase in abnormal neurological illnesses throughout the province in recent years.
Coon has claimed that a lack of government oversight led to premature deaths, early onset cancers and drew attention to potential drinking water contamination through slow updates to regulation and decaying infrastructure. Lambasting the economic priorities of previous Conservative and Liberal provincial governments, he said “it’s time for a Green government that will put the health of New Brunswickers over the profits of industry.”
According to the provincial Green Party platform located on their website, a potential government would prioritize air, water, and soil pollution, shift Public Health New Brunswick’s focus to include health issues stemming from these pollutants, and create a provincial radon gas testing process that ensures all households with under an annual income of $100,000 are eligible for government funding to have their homes tested.
In addition, the Green Party plans on implementing an Indoor Air Quality Act that would set regulatory standards for systems such as ventilation in all provincially funded buildings, a lingering concern for many after the Covid-19 pandemic made building ventilation a pressing health issue. It remains to be seen if these campaign promises will sway voters, but it seems that the Green Party believes it will, enough to make it a focal point.
