Atlantic premiers call for Liberal vote in N.B.

FREDERICTON • Atlantic Canada’s four Liberal premiers often don’t see eye to eye on major issues, but they were united on Sunday with the message to get out the Liberal vote in Monday’s New Brunswick election.

“Keep it up, and doubledown over the next 24 hours. We can take no vote for granted,” Brian Gallant told supporters at a rally in Moncton Sunday.

He is looking to become the first New Brunswick premier to win a second term since 2003.

The month-long New Brunswick election campaign neared the finish line with a final day of campaigning in what’s seen as a tightening race between the rival Liberals and Progressive Conservatives.

The possibility of votesplitting, as the result of support for third parties, was a common point of discussion over the weekend.

“Vote-splitting could have us waking up Tuesday morning with a Blaine Higgs and Conservative government, maybe propped up by a third party,” Gallant warned. “That, in my opinion, would be the wrong direction for our province.”

In spite of their differences on issues such as the federal carbon tax and softwood lumber, the three Liberal premiers rallied around Gallant.

“There will be close ridings. There will be close votes. There may be people who don’t get around to getting out to vote without the effort that everyone in this room will give,” said Prince Edward Island’s Wade MacLauchlan.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Dwight Ball told the crowd gathered at the Moncton Press Club that he won his first election campaign by just 16 votes.

“So look around this room. It’s easy to wrap your arms around 16 people. That’s the difference tomorrow in some of those ridings,” Ball said. “Let’s not wake up on Tuesday morning and say, ‘Could we have found 16 more votes?’ ”

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil told the crowd that the electorate is volatile and they shouldn’t take any riding for granted.

“I need you to give every ounce of energy you have right to the final tick of the clock to get those votes out. I believe there are more Liberal votes in New Brunswick for tomorrow. The question is, are we up to the challenge to get them out?” he said prompting the crowd to begin chanting “Four more years.”

Gallant spent the rest of the day attending rallies along the east coast of the province, ending with the Liberals’ traditional final rally in Neguac.

Tory Leader Blaine Higgs scheduled a series of rallies through the central and southern part of the province as he looked to close the gap.

The third parties aren’t expected to make big inroads Monday. Going into the election campaign the seat count in the legislature was 24 Liberals, 21 Progressive Conservatives, one Green, one Independent and two vacancies.