‘Stop the drama’: N.B. Liberals want Premier Blaine Higgs to focus on governing

New Brunswick Liberal party Leader Susan Holt says that it’s time for Premier Blaine Higgs to return his focus to addressing issues important to the province.

“It’s time for the Higgs government to stop the drama, to deal with their internal turmoil and get back to working on New Brunswickers priorities,” Holt told reporters on the eve of the latest session of the legislative assembly.

Higgs is scheduled to deliver the speech from the throne on Tuesday, following months of instability and uncertainty surrounding his caucus and his party. In the spring, six government MLAs raised concerns over Higgs’ handling of a review of school gender identity policy and two cabinet ministers resigned over Higgs’ leadership style.

Some high ranking members in the Progressive Conservative party also pushed to trigger a review of Higgs leadership, though that was ultimately unsucessful.

The premier is rumored to have been considering a snap election over the last month, in part due to his concerns that the six rebel MLAs could make passing legislation difficult.

But with the legislature back, Holt said it’s time to focus on addressing the issues that are top of mind for the province. Holt presented reporters with a list of six priority areas the party wants to see addressed in the throne speech: health care, housing, cost of living, education, clean air and water protections and progress on municipal fiscal reform.

But Holt said she’s not sure that the caucus troubles are behind the premier.

“I haven’t seen a change in the premier and this is a drama of his causing,” she said.

“He hasn’t been able to lead a time, he hasn’t been able to engage with New Brunswickers or experts. He’s focused on what he thinks is best and is not prepared to listen to his team members or anybody else and I don’t see that changing.”

Green Leader David Coon says he wants to see concrete solutions to address housing, health care and climate change offered in the throne speech. But Coon said he believes that finding meaningful progress on those issues inside the legislature will be difficult.

“I’m getting the impression from the premier that he wants to go to an election, one way or another,” he said.

“That suggests to me, if the premier is focused on going to an election, then the progress will be slow and chaotic.”

Higgs is in Ottawa on Monday for meetings with the federal government, but will be back in time for the throne speech on Tuesday.