Liberal pledge of 5,000 jobs comes with caveat

The Progressive Conservative Opposition is accusing Premier Brian Gallant of already backing away from a key election promise.

Gallant's Liberals said in September, job creation was their top priority and that their policies would create 5,000 jobs during their first year in office.

But the Conference Board of Canada is predicting a net gain of only 1,600 jobs in New Brunswick in the coming year.

Interim PC Leader Bruce Fitch grilled Gallant on the issue Thursday, during the first question period under the new government.

"Mr. Speaker, would the premier like to change the promise that he made in his platform of creating 5,000 new jobs in the first year of his mandate?"

Gallant told the legislature he wasn't exactly promising 5,000 jobs.

"It's an independent analysis that told us 5,000 jobs would be created by the things that we are going to put in place as a government, Mr. Speaker. There was never a promise of a net gain of 5,000 jobs," he said.

The premier says Liberal policies will create those jobs, but the total could be offset by job losses elsewhere.

The Tories contend that's a caveat Gallant didn't mention during the campaign and his latest comments signal a retreat from a key commitment.