New Brunswick’s premier is still unsure about whether he will reoffer in the next provincial election in 2024.
That is despite recent media reports suggesting Blaine Higgs will make an announcement early in the new year.
“No, I have not made that final decision yet,” Higgs said in a year-end interview with our newsroom.
In September, Higgs told Brunswick News he would “identify what my plans” during the State of the Province address, which is set for early February.
But when we asked if he decided when the announcement would happen, the premier was less committed to giving a specific date.
“If a new leader were going to happen, I’d have to do it in plenty of time to allow that to take place if I was not going to reoffer, but at this stage, I haven’t made that decision,” said Higgs.
“I would not leave it, obviously, until the last minute and put anybody in a bad spot there.”
The premier’s comments come after the Acadian Society of New Brunswick released an open letter with nearly 50 signatories asking the Progressive Conservatives to hold a leadership review.
The letter — signed mainly by francophone groups, mayors and unions — said Higgs is “sowing discord” between the province’s linguistic and cultural communities.
It cites the premier’s lack of respect on issues such as the Official Languages Act, French immersion and the relationship with First Nations.
Higgs was first elected MLA of Quispamsis in 2010 and won the Progressive Conservative Party leadership in 2016, defeating former Saint John mayor Mel Norton on the third ballot.
The party won the most seats in the 2018 provincial election, but the Liberals attempted to retain power as a minority government.
But the Liberals lost power less than two months later after the PCs and the People’s Alliance teamed up on a non-confidence vote.
Higgs earned his second, even stronger, mandate in Sept. 2020 after calling a snap election in the midst of the pandemic.
