New Brunswick's provincial cabinet might take up an invitation to meet on Campobello Island, according to Premier Susan Holt. "We've had a lovely invitation from the people of Campobello to bring cabinet to the island," she said at a legislative committee meeting in Fredericton on April 22 to consider budget estimates for the provincial Executive Council Office.
      She added, "I think it [the invitation] was tied to a specific event or activity, but it came in at just the time as we were talking about moving cabinet around the province and getting meetings into different communities." Meeting outside the provincial capital would allow the 19 cabinet ministers to meet people where they live, especially in places impacted by the tariff war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump.
      This road trip was not a done deal, "but I did just receive an invitation for us to bring cabinet there, so we're looking at whether we can make that happen, and I will be sure to keep you posted," the premier responded to a query from Progressive Conservative MLA Kathy Bockus, whose Saint Croix riding includes Campobello Island. The premier did not say who extended the invitation, but Bockus said that the proposed trip "might give you some food for thought" on the need for better ferry service for Campobello Island.
      Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson said at a committee meeting in Fredericton on April 3 that he spoke to Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews at a Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick meeting where the minister offered to go to the island to discuss tariffs, ferries and other issues facing people on this bit of New Brunswick off the coast of Maine. Matthews is saying little. "I'm not commenting at the moment about anything to do with ferries," he wrote in a text message.
      Chiasson, responding to questions from Progressive Conservative Opposition critic Bill Oliver on April 3, stated that he directed his staff to look for ways to get the privately run seasonal ferry linking Campobello to Deer Island "up and running as soon as possible." East Coast Ferries runs this service, usually from mid June until some time in September, although it was extended when Canada and the United States imposed restrictions at the border due to the pandemic. The Campobello Deer Island summer ferry does offer an alternative way for Campobello Island residents to get to the Canadian mainland without crossing the international bridge to Lubec, then driving to Calais to cross the St. Croix River to St. Stephen.
      A round-trip by road means crossing the border four times, which can be an expensive proposition in this time of tariffs and counter tariffs. On April 8, federal Finance Minister Francois Philippe Champagne announced relief from Canada's counter tariffs for Campobello residents, allowing them to continue buying groceries, gasoline and other necessities in nearby Maine. Oliver argued in favour of "a little bit of a subsidy" for the seasonal ferry, stating that the round-trip fare adds up to $54. Grand Manan residents get a break on ferry prices, and there are no fares on the Deer Island ferry to the mainland, he said.
      East Coast Ferries has since announced that it will begin its seasonal Deer Island Campobello ferry service on Thursday, May 1.

Year-round ferry eyed
      Chiasson said at the April 3 committee meeting that he had also directed staff to look into possibilities for a year round ferry running between Campobello Island and the New Brunswick mainland. "And I can tell you that our premier has also been weighing in on this because of the constitutional right of the people of Campobello have to access to the rest of Canada," Chiasson said, adding that Holt "has raised it on numerous occasions with the federal government, their responsibility vis a vis assuring the people of Campobello access to the mainland."
      "I will entertain those discussions again with the mayor. Staff is looking at how we can facilitate a year round service, and the premier continues to speak with the federal government about their responsibility as it pertains to connecting those people to the mainland," the minister said.
      Oliver said that a year round ferry service would divert traffic from the bridge to Lubec which would, in turn, reduce maintenance costs on the structure built in 1962. He contended that could help offset the annual cost of a ferry service, which he placed at $2 million a year, citing a 2019 study.
      "A ferry would boost economic resilience. Residents currently face challenges like U.S. border restrictions and tariffs. The year round ferry would provide a direct connection to mainland New Brunswick, bypassing the need for residents to travel through Maine by the bridge. By shifting the primary travel burden to a ferry, dependence on the bridge and its associated logistical and economic pressures could meaningfully decrease, likely easing the long term financial strains of keeping it operational," he said.
      A year round ferry for Campobello Island is an issue -- or maybe a non issue -- in the federal election campaign in the Saint John St. Croix riding. The four contenders who took part in the all candidates event in St. Stephen agreed that the Canadian government should help pay for a ferry linking Campobello Island to the rest of the country.