People's Alliance of New Brunswick leader Kris Austin had no idea just 10 years ago when he began his career in politics and started his own political party that he would be playing such a pivotal role in provincial politics. Fast-forward a decade and the People's Alliance now has three seats in the provincial legislature and holds the balance of power in Premier Blaine Higgs' Progressive Conservative minority government. Austin recently sat down with CHCO-TV's Vicki Hogarth for an exclusive interview for the newsmagazine show Southwest Magazine to discuss candidly his fascinating career in provincial politics since forming his began shaking up New Brunswick politics in 2010 with the founding of PANB.

With an upcoming byelection in the riding of St. Croix in Southwest New Brunswick--and the possibility of the Higgs' government calling for a general election--Austin believes the People's Alliance will gain even more ground in the legislature. Austin is hopeful his party's candidate for the St. Croix riding, Rod Cumberland, will easily be voted in as the new MLA, taking the place left vacant after the death of the late Greg Thompson of the PC Party in September 2019. Cumberland has made a name for himself across the province for his strong stance against the use of glyphosate in the New Brunswick's forestry industry and for his headline-making work as a wildlife biologist.

Although Austin believes the mainstream media has not always been fair in their coverage of the People's Alliance, Austin credits his party's transparent platform and practical values for ultimately creating a political movement that continues to attract more and more supporters each year across New Brunswick. Austin opened up to Hogarth about the media's unfair portrayal of PANB's approach to bilingualism and their sometimes controversial openness to negotiating with the Higgs' government in order to move policy forward.

Premiere date: January 27, 2020

Southwest Magazine is a newsmagazine television program produced by and broadcast on Charlotte County Television (CHCO-TV) that covers public affairs and human interest stories relevant to New Brunswickers. Host Vicki Hogarth sits down with wide range of local community leaders, politicians and cultural icons for in-depth interviews that explore how these public figures are shaping New Brunswick and beyond.