Rick Doucet

The New Brunswick government appeared to come down on the side of the biggest mill owners Thursday in the dispute with marketing boards representing woodlot owners. The issue was raised by Green Party Leader David Coon during question period in the legislature Thursday. “Why has the minister of energy and resource development abdicated his legal responsibility to woodlot owners and failed to enforce his own legislation?” Coon asked. …Minister Rick Doucet appeared to admonish Coon for raising the issue at a time when the province is fighting punitive trade tariffs imposed by the U.S. Commerce Department. “It’s about time we started to stand up for the mills in this province,” Doucet said to loud cheers from members of the Liberal caucus.