FREDERICTON, N.B.- The Liberals and Conservatives are trading punches ahead of the fall sitting of the New Brunswick legislature.

Premier David Alward told the Tory’s annual meeting on the weekend the same people supporting new Liberal Leader Brian Gallant were behind former Premier Shawn Graham when the provincial debt grew by billions of dollars.

Donald Arsenault is a veteran Liberal MLA. “For them to take cheap shots at our party and our new leader, it’s very easy to see that he is afraid of Brian Gallant and his new approach of doing things”, says Arseneault.

Gallant has said he would like to work with the governing Conservatives on economic issues, something the premier distanced himself from on the weekend.