N.B. premier ‘hopeful’ early election not needed, despite continued dissent in party

After getting his campaign bus ready, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said Tuesday he was hopeful he wouldn’t need to call an early election and could instead make progress on his government’s agenda.

For weeks the spectre of a snap election loomed over the province, after six members of the Progressive Conservatives broke ranks over Higgs’s decision to require that students get parental consent before teachers can use their preferred first names and pronouns.

But following the throne speech and the opening of a new session of the legislature, Higgs said he was ready to govern despite the ongoing dissent in his party.

“I’m hopeful, this is a good start,” he told reporters about the throne speech delivered by Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy. “I’m hopeful that we look at this as a greater good and the bigger prize here is the benefit for the province for us to stay focused.”

In June, Higgs upended New Brunswick politics after his government decided to modify Policy 713, on gender identity in schools. The changes led to widespread criticism across Canada, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the province’s child and youth advocate, who said that forcing non-binary and transgender students to use a name they don’t identify with is a violation of their Charter rights.

Six members of the Tory cabinet openly revolted, and two of them – Dorothy Shephard, who served as social development minister, and Trevor Holder, who had been labour minister – resigned from cabinet. In response, Higgs left the province wondering throughout the summer whether he would call an election, after he said he couldn’t govern with members of his caucus criticizing him in public.

Higgs said he had reached out to the six dissidents and that one of them, Daniel Allain, agreed to a meeting. But the premier suggested there were still members of his party who remained offside.

“We have to recognize that there will be differences, but we have to find a way to manage them,” Higgs said.

For his part, Allain told reporters it was time someone “budged.”

“Over the summer the premier was not talking to some of the six of us,” Allain said. “And he reached out and said, ‘Daniel, do you want to talk?’ … I think somebody had to move and last week, I went to talk to the premier.”

And while no deals were made, both of them realized there were more issues on which they agreed than disagreed, he said. During two caucus meetings in the last three days, things were “more structured,” he added.

“We’re seeing a lot more discussion. And it’s going in a right direction, actually.”

The result of those discussions and meetings was seemingly reflected in the throne speech, which discussed the need to build a better education system and create inclusive and safe communities. Higgs’s government said it will enhance the visibility of police officers across the province, and disrupt the illegal sale of drugs, cannabis and tobacco products. And it pledged to limit property-tax increases.

The government made only passing reference to the gender policy in schools, saying it was committed to a safe and welcoming learning environment for students while respecting the role of parents.

But the speech did not directly address the health-care or housing crises.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt said the throne speech had “absolutely nothing” in it to help make life affordable for New Brunswickers, or even address their housing and health-care needs.

“It’s clear we have a premier focused on his ambitions and not doing the work of government because the speech from the throne looks like it was written over the weekend,” she said.

Green Leader David Coon said the speech was “devoid of any content.”

“It’s supposed to lay out a vision, a program of what this government intends to do, to address the real issues … it had none of that,” he said.

J.P. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John, called the throne speech a “confident document,” adding it didn’t reflect the turmoil the government faced over the summer.

“It doesn’t feel, definitely, feel like a document that’s reflective of a government that’s on the verge of collapse.”

It is remarkable for what it doesn’t have, Lewis noted.

“That could also be just a mode of operation for the premier … the less details you put in an election platform, the more flexible it allows your government to be.”

Andrea Anderson-Mason, member for Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West, was among the six Tory dissenters. She said she would vote for the throne speech but walked away when asked whether she still disagreed with the premier on Policy 713.

And while Higgs may not be immediately ready to trigger an early vote – he has to call an election on or before Oct. 21, 2024 – he said he will “continue to be prepared … because we can’t have our government held at ransom.”

As for what will happen to his campaign bus, Higgs said, “Time will tell.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2023.