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CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT and Responsible Government
10

Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

Nov 18, 2014

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“In politics, we learn a lot about how to govern when
we take the time to listen and reach out to people we
are elected to represent. By engaging people who are
most affected we get better solutions.”

David Alward
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Page 1: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

Citizenengagementand Responsible government

Page 2: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

“in politics, we learn a lot about how to govern when we take the time to listen and reach out to people we are elected to represent. By engaging people who are most affected we get better solutions.”

David alward

Page 3: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

message from David alwardLast fall our Party held a wide-ranging and open debate on new policies that would form the foundation of our next election platform. Throughout the consultation process people told us that they wanted common sense policies and solutions, they wanted a government that would listen to their concerns, and more importantly, they wanted to be treated with respect and sincerity.

I want to lead a New Brunswick where people have more say over the decisions in their lives, a New Brunswick where families and communities are stronger, and a New Brunswick where people will gain further responsibility for shaping our future together.

In the pages that follow I will share my vision for Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government in the Province of New Brunswick. I commit that if elected Premier, I will begin introducing these reforms immediately.

There are six major elements of government and democratic reform including:

Fixing the • governance system to include more voices;

Better citizen engagement through • voting;

Improving the • information available to citizens;

Shedding more light on our public • finances;

Increased • transparency of decision-making; and

Creating a reasonable • compensation package for politicians.

I welcome and encourage your feedback as we continue to discuss these and other ideas over the coming months.

Sincerely

David Alward

Page 4: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

more inclusive and Democratic governanceintroductionWe need to do more to put people at the heart of decision-making in this province. This means including under-represented groups in our institutions, ensuring that political voices are heard so they don’t feel shut out of the process, and making the Legislative Assembly more relevant and meaningful, not only at election time, but all of the time.

Progressive Conservatives believe in a governance model that is both collaborative and engaging. It must be accountable and transparent. But more importantly, our governance model must keep up with the times, and be representative of the people it serves.

a new PC government will:Propose new ways of making the People’s House •more collaborative, such as allowing third parties to pose questions to Ministers, to have a voice through committee participation, and including all parties in major initiatives.

Ensure that First Nations people have a true partner •in government, by having the Premier take on direct responsibility for Aboriginal Affairs.

Empower civil servants to have greater decision-•making authority and input, support front-line workers, and ensure that their ideas are heard and recognized.

Introduce evaluation mechanisms for any new •programs introduced in order to give tools to civil servants to determine the effectiveness of the service the public receives.

Page 5: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

Make amendments to government bills “free votes.”•Extend the number of hours allocated to debating •the budget from 80 to 120.

Amend the process by which regulations are •approved by Cabinet, ensuring that time is allowed for public input and suggestions.

Support our non-profit and community •organizations through capacity building, training & development, and measures to address funding challenges.

Work together on new volunteer-friendly laws and •regulations.

Work with curriculum experts and stakeholders to •ensure that civics education in our schools has a strong component on citizen engagement and the role of responsible government.

Introduce a new community volunteer service •requirement to receive a New Brunswick High School diploma.

Page 6: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

improving the information Shared With new BrunswickersintroductionIt should not be difficult for people to engage with their government. Unfortunately the system forces those who want to obtain information to jump through a number of hoops and in some cases spend hundreds of dollars. We need to make the process simpler, more efficient and pro-active.

Citizen engagement is too important to simply be the responsibility of one Minister – it is the responsibility of all Ministers, in fact, it is the responsibility of everyone within government.

Progressive Conservatives believe we can and should do more to bring more New Brunswickers into the political process by reforming how information is shared. Furthermore, government should improve use of online technologies to proactively seek out the will of the people.

a new PC government will:Remove fees associated with Right to Information •Requests.

Make more documents and statements available •online.

Create a new Citizen Engagement Unit within •the Executive Council Office, reporting directly to the Premier.

Create a culture of engagement within all •government departments.

Mandate every department and agency of •government to hold a minimum of two public town hall meetings every year as well as two roundtables per year with stakeholder groups.

Hold public Cabinet meetings at locations around •the province on a quarterly basis.

Make the rationale for final recommendations on •funding private companies through Business New Brunswick open and accessible for all future lending and funding decisions.

Page 7: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

introductionThe cornerstone of our democratic system is the ability of citizens to freely express their opinions at the ballot box. Over the past four years we have seen a number of opportunities to engage New Brunswickers through voting tossed aside because of political expediency and self-interest.

Progressive Conservatives believe that New Brunswickers are capable of making decisions for themselves, and should be given the opportunity to decide how government should respond to major challenges.

a new PC government will:Create a permanent New Brunswick Referendum •Act to give citizens and governments the tools they need to address fundamental democratic issues.

Introduce legislation requiring any MLA who wants •to cross the floor to either sit as an independent or run in a by-election.

Reinstate elected members to the Regional Health •Authority Boards.

Provide for greater empowerment of local •communities in organizations like District Education Councils, Community Economic Development Agencies, as well as the new Social Inclusion Networks.

improving Citizen engagement through Voting

Page 8: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

introductionThere have been far too many examples of questionable deal making behind closed doors over the past four years. Losing taxpayer money on a golf course, buying a new luxury airplane, putting a well-known, paid lobbyist in charge of the government’s agenda. All are examples that make New Brunswickers ask the question, who’s interests are being served?

Progressive Conservatives believe that the people of New Brunswick deserve to know why their government makes certain decisions. New Brunswickers should have more opportunities to participate in the governance of our province and its institutions. New Brunswickers deserve to know who is being paid to attempt to influence government decisions.

a new PC government will:Open up the provincial tendering process and •improve the rules to put New Brunswick businesses and professionals first with a fair chance to bid.

Make the results of tendering decisions more •transparent by changing the way the final contracts are publicized and communicated.

Expand the current online requests for nominations •to provincial agencies, boards and commissions to include more organizations.

Actively engage with important stakeholder groups •such as the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Council on the Status of Disabled Persons, and the First Nations of New Brunswick to enhance the inclusiveness of our government’s decision-making authorities.

Create a New Brunswick Lobbyist Registry.•Adopt legislation requiring Elections New Brunswick •to publicize regular electoral finance reports.

Introduce legislation creating a stand-alone Office of •the Child and Youth Advocate.

Enhance the role of the provincial Ombudsman •providing new powers to oversee senior care in New Brunswick.

Adopt legislation making the New Brunswick •Human Rights Commission an Office of the Legislative Assembly.

more Open and transparent government

Page 9: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

introductionIt is shameful how the Shawn Graham Liberals have managed the public purse. They have squandered away millions of taxpayer dollars on poor investment decisions and frivolous spending, adding billions to the province’s debt – and what is worse, we still don’t know how bad things are.

Progressive Conservatives believe that we must live within our means and that a true accounting of our province’s finances should be published well in advance of an election.

a new PC government will:Require that the Auditor General produce a special •report on the province’s finances 60 days before each fixed election date.

Propose new laws to start down the road to •balanced budgets within four years.

Increase the frequency of financial reports so that •New Brunswickers can judge our performance.

Propose new rules on how much the provincial •government can spend in any one year, including a new legislated cap on total spending that can only be exceeded under special circumstances and a vote with a super-majority of MLAs voting in favour.

Responsible management of our Public Finances

Page 10: Citizen Engagement and Responsible Government

introductionJustice Ryan said it best in his 2008 report when he said:

“It is essential that civic-minded persons continue to be attracted to serve the people of New Brunswick and that they receive fair and reasonable compensation for their public service. The compensation levels should not be so small that they discourage qualified candidates from running, or so generous as to be a major inducement for seeking office.”

Progressive Conservatives believe that while politicians should receive reasonable and fair compensation, they should not be in charge of approving increases to their own pay and benefits.

a new PC government will:Implement the recommendations of the •Independent Panel Reviewing MLA Pension and Severance Packages.

Ensure that any MLA who chooses to retire from •office, or who accepts a federal or provincial appointment, or who is at the age of 60 and starts collecting an MLA pension will not be eligible for a re-establishment allowance.

Will ensure that the Provincial Cabinet not exceed •15 Ministers plus the Premier.

Introduce an immediate ban on all unnecessary •out-of-province travel by Cabinet Ministers to cut expenditures by at least 50% over the next two years.

Amend conflict of interest rules to ensure there •are no loopholes or ambiguities concerning direct family members of Cabinet Ministers who are board members or employees of companies receiving government funding.

more Responsible Compensation