After nearly a month of assuring and reassuring his electorate, Premier Blaine Higgs has called for an election for September 14th. Despite going back on his word, it may prove to be a smart move on the part of the former Irving man. Should the New Brunswick electorate reflect poll findings south of the border; left leaning votes are less likely to risk the transmission of Covid 19 by going out to vote than their right leaning counterparts.
It has been a very difficult four years for the embattled premier. He narrowly held on to his minority government by working in lockstep with the far-right fringe People’s Party of New Brunswick. Higgs has had difficulty passing legislation through the legislature and has seen several big ticket bills defeated and drew the ire of large swaths of the populace.
Higgs’ Progressive Conservatives raised much controversy when they announced a decision to close several emergency rooms in rural areas between certain times in a cost saving effort. The attempted cuts were seen by many as a partisan decision as Liberal ridings were targeted. In February, just a month before the global outbreak of Covid 19, Higgs back out at the last moment due to “good conscience”.
In June, Higgs announced that his party would no longer be moving forward with their controversial power grab with Bill 49. The bill would have increased the power of government and police during the Covid crisis despite the relative low numbers of the virus in the province and the seeming lack of necessity for such powers.
Almost immediately after the government ceased their power grab, the government was defeated on another highly controversial bill which would have seen mandatory vaccinations. Liberals and Progressive Conservatives enjoyed a free vote and saw members from both parties vote in favour of and against Bill 11. The Bill was the brainchild of former New Democrat leader and current PC Minister of Education Dominic Cardy.
Despite all of Higgs’ many failings and controversies; his party remains in the best standing among the four parties represented in the legislature. Kevin Vickers, leader of the Liberals has had difficulty in gaining popularity and improving the party standing left behind by Brian Gallant. Kris Austin and the PANB has not been able to gain much traction beyond his fringe supporter base. David Coon’s Green Party popularity is in doubt over repeated abstentions. The New Democrats are certainly in the worst shape of any New Brunswick party with no representation in the legislature.
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