Higgs says he'll stay on as New Brunswick's PC leader to fight next election

Blaine Higgs is staying.

The New Brunswick premier announced Friday he will remain as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and seek another mandate in the next provincial election.

There's been speculation for months about whether Higgs, who will be 70 years old next March, would retire before the next election.

In February, at the annual state of the province speech, he teased the crowd by exiting the stage to the Clash song Should I Stay or Should I Go?

WATCH | Higgs takes questions about his decision to stay:

Higgs on his decision to stay

1 year ago

Duration 1:05

Premier Blaine Higgs addresses questions about him staying on as leader of the PC party and seeking another mandate in the next election.

The question "has become increasingly relevant with the internal dissent that our government has experienced in the last six months," Higgs said in a statement on social media Friday.

"With the encouragement of many colleagues and people from across this province, I am confirming my intention to remain as leader and to reoffer in the next provincial election."

Higgs cited the province's economic and population growth during his time as premier and said it was important to "continue to build on this momentum."

The next election is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2024, though Higgs's statement didn't mention that date and did not rule out an earlier campaign.

He told reporters that a recent rebellion by six MLAs in his caucus "remains a big concern." Those members will be in a position to delay legislation when the legislature reconvenes in October.

"This looks like a guy who's got an election on his mind," Liberal Leader Susan Holt said.

"I don't want to get into the premier's head. It's not an attractive place to me. But that's the vibe."

She said the timing of the announcement was "poor." 

"I think it's sad the premier is focused on his political ambitions when New Brunswickers are trying to prepare for a potentially dangerous storm and trying to deal with a nasty industrial fire in Saint John," she said.

Higgs said during a Hurricane Lee briefing Friday that he had talked to several people about the decision in recent days and decided to make the announcement "to end that debate before it became a story without my confirmation." 

Quitting would be honourable thing, Coon says

Green Leader David Coon said Higgs's decision prompted one Fredericton resident to call him and offer to volunteer for his local riding campaign.

"The honourable thing would be to step down, given the tumult in the province, the division he's causing and the division in his own caucus and party," Coon said. 

"But like in so many things, Blaine Higgs decided to double down on being the premier, and so that's what we have." 

Higgs, a former Irving Oil senior manager was first elected as an MLA in 2010.

He became PC party leader in 2016 and led the Tories to a narrow win in the 2018 election, scratching out one more seat than the Liberals to form a minority government with the support of the People's Alliance.

He won a majority two years later based largely on his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic up until that point.

But his popularity took a hit the following year after a premature loosening of public health restrictions and a subsequent spike in cases.

Policy 713 changes prompted caucus revolt

Earlier this year, his decision to change parts of Policy 713, which was introduced in 2020 to guarantee minimum support for LGBTQ students, was the catalyst for a caucus revolt. 

Four ministers and two backbench PC MLAs rebelled by voting for an opposition Liberal motion calling on the child and youth advocate to examine the changes — a call that led to a damning report by the advocate calling the new policy unconstitutional.

Two ministers, Dorothy Shephard and Trevor Holder, resigned in the wake of the revolt, saying the premier's centralizing of power in his office went against PC values.

Higgs shuffled the two other ministers, Jeff Carr and Daniel Allain, out of cabinet.

Carr said he would not run in the next election if Higgs stayed on as leader, and Shephard said she didn't see how she could.

Allain, Carr and Shephard said Friday they had no comment on the premier's decision. Holder did not respond to a request for a comment.

Higgs wouldn't say Friday whether he'd sign the nomination papers for any of the disgruntled MLAs if they decided to run again, noting those who already said they won't.

"It remains to be seen where we go from there but I think it was pretty clear that several have made that decision."

In June, the premier said the internal party turmoil might prompt him to stay on. 

"If we can't get our own house in order so that we have a good process to transition and continue the momentum of what the province is experiencing right now, then I can't walk away from what we've achieved to date," he said.

Some grassroots PC members also tried to trigger a leadership review vote to remove Higgs, but that fizzled after the party invalidated some of the letters submitted under party rules.

If Higgs wins a majority in the next election, he'd be the first premier to win two straight majorities since Bernard Lord in 1999 and 2003.