A Progressive Conservative riding president says Premier Blaine Higgs risks repeating the party’s catastrophic 1987 campaign if he remains leader.
“Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” said Marc Savoie, referencing the provincial election 36 years ago when Tory Premier Richard Hatfield lost every single riding.
“In my personal opinion, Richard Hatfield was one of the greatest premiers in the province, but didn’t know when to step away and practically destroyed the party for the next 10 years,” said Savoie, president of the party’s Moncton East association. “We feel this is where we’re headed right now.”
Savoie said comparisons between Higgs and the 1987 vote were openly stated at the party’s provincial council meeting this past Sunday. On Thursday, 26 riding association presidents submitted paperwork officially prompting the start of a leadership review process.
Premier Higgs was not made available for an interview on Thursday. In a written statement, Higgs said he wasn’t surprised to learn paperwork had been filed.
“The process leading to a leadership review is long and detailed,” said Higgs, in the statement. “In the meantime, I will continue to focus on the priorities of our province and acting in the best interests of all New Brunswickers.”
Savoie said Higgs’ successes as premier have been overshadowed by three years of “autocratic leadership.”
In his statement, Higgs said he stood by his government’s controversial changes to Policy 713 which take effect July 1. Savoie said Policy 713 changes were one of several concerns prompting the 26 riding association presidents to file paperwork, also mentioning abandoned reforms to rural healthcare, French immersion, and elected school boards in the Anglophone school sector.
Savoie said "condescension and neglect" toward Francophone and Indigenous communities under Higgs’ leadership had led to "barely breathing” riding associations in northern New Brunswick.
“It’s time for him to see what he’s done and go out on a note where he doesn’t destroy his legacy,” said Savoie.
The next step in the leadership review process is a vote at the party’s next provincial council meeting, where a two-thirds majority vote would determine if any leadership vote actually happened. Savoie said he expected the next council meeting would happen in September, but had asked for a meeting to be scheduled as early as July. Savoie said that request had been rejected.
Progressive Conservative party president Erika Hachey offered no comment when asked about the review process on Thursday.
