Premier since 2018, Blaine Higgs is asking voters for a third term in office, and he regularly boasted to the two other party leaders that his six balanced budgets have permitted his government to save money on debt payments and make important investments in such things as the health system.

"But there is more to do," Higgs said, adding that the province's two health networks have to learn to work together instead of in competition.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt shot back quickly, saying little has improved in six years and that nurses "don't trust you."

"You've completely disrespected nurses," the Liberal leader said during the discussion at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, hosted by CTV. "You told them that if they wanted to earn more money they should move to Alberta."

When the two health networks presented Higgs with ways to improve working conditions for nurses, she said, "you rejected every single one and chose to spend $173 million on travel nurses."

Green Party Leader David Coon told Higgs about a person he met who waited 27 hours for care at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.

"We are in a state of emergency with our health-care system, we need to treat it with that kind of urgency," Coon said, adding that his party has promised to spend $380 million a year on health.

On housing, Holt said Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are building homes at twice the rate of New Brunswick. "We're standing still while the provinces alongside us are passing us by." She said both provinces have removed the provincial sales tax on multi-unit housing starts, one of her party's promises.

Higgs said that promise is part of Holt's "nothing new platform." He said New Brunswick was on pace to build up to 6,000 homes this year, a rate he said cannot be exceeded because of labour shortages. Removing the provincial sales tax would take away $170 million from provincial coffers, he said, adding that the tax savings wouldn't go to renters.

"What is the program there?" Higgs asked Holt. "If we can't build more we just give tax dollars away? We're building to the maximum point right now."

Reacting to labour shortages, Coon said his party is promising to "fast-track the certification process" for skilled workers in the construction industry. "All across this province we have tradespeople who aren't working."

To get more affordable housing, Coon said, his party will tie property taxes to the price of rent. "If you build an apartment offering lower rent, you will pay lower property taxes; if you're building luxury apartments, higher rent, higher rental income, you will pay higher taxes. This is what will drive the private sector to build more affordable housing."

The discussion moderator, CTV senior anchor Todd Battis, asked why Higgs's tax cut promise -- to drop the harmonized sales tax by two points, to 13 per cent from 15 per cent -- wasn't more broad and targeted to people who really need the money.

Higgs said his government has reduced income taxes by $370 million a year and made it cheaper to hire employees. He said his HST promise "would be worth about $1,000 per family."

On public safety, Higgs was forced to defend his policy of rejecting new applications for supervised drug-consumption sites, and his promise to introduce legislation to force severely addicted people into treatment.

Holt asked Higgs where he would get the money and resources to open up beds to force people into treatment "when we don't even have the beds for the people who want to be there." There are about 200 people waiting for addiction care, she said.

Coon said he was on a ride-along with the Fredericton police, and noted the large amount of area a single officer has to cover. "They need the opportunity to have community police officers to do that ... on-the-ground work, and that's going to make a difference."

Higgs defended his government's record, saying public safety officers have been retrained to give them policing authority, adding that they are out on the streets and visible in communities.

The election is Oct. 21.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.