Carpooling helps N.B. candidates cover riding

Last Updated: Thursday, January 12, 2006 | 4:23 PM ET

CBC News

Two federal candidates in New Brunswick are taking their party's environmental platforms seriously – cozying up in a campaign carpool to save gas money and cut down on pollution.

Fundy Royal Green party candidate Patty Donovan pitched the carpool idea at a meeting with her three opponents and Elections Canada, where they all met for the first time.

The riding covers a huge territory, stretching along the Bay of Fundy coastline between Albert Country and Saint John. Donovan says it makes sense to drive places together.

"I said, if we're all going to the same place at the same time, why don't we carpool? It's better for the environment, and it's cheaper," she says.

Donovan didn't have any takers from the Liberal or Conservative candidates, but the NDP's Rob Moir was keen.

"We said we'd certainly be interested. An e-mail later and we'd set it up," he said.

Early Wednesday morning, one of Moir's campaign volunteers picked him up at home in a Ford Focus station wagon. They drove to the local Co-op, where they picked up Donovan. Then the candidates spent the day together, driving to a debate in Moncton that afternoon, and to another debate in Hampton.

Donovan says there was more hot air inside the car than what came out of the wagon's exhaust pipe. "[It was] a riot. We had so much fun. Some was politics, some was arguing, but most was listening."

Moir's staff says the group would have taken his forest green Toyoto Echo, because of the better mileage, but both sides had campaign signs to carry and the wagon had more room in the back.