N.B. government will apologize to former P.C. minister for firing
Premier Susan Holt says province won’t fight Blaney ruling, will pay compensation
New Brunswick's Liberal government will officially apologize to former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Margaret-Ann Blaney over her firing by a previous Liberal government in 2014.
Premier Susan Holt confirmed to CBC News that her government will not contest a ruling by the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board that Blaney's rights were violated by the firing.
The province will also comply with the board's order to compensate Blaney at a cost of more than $700,000.
"There were errors made in the past. It wasn't the right way to do things, to fire people for partisan reasons," Holt told CBC News Wednesday morning.
"Part of why I got into politics was to do things differently, and move away from partisan, petty politics to doing the right thing. So we abide by the ruling, we're going to apologize and things like that won't happen again on my watch."
Blaney told a hearing last year that she was persona non grata in the province after the firing, could not find another job and was forced to start drawing on her MLA pension at a reduced rate.
She said in an interview that after an 11-year legal battle, Holt's announcement was cathartic and she would frame the apology when she receives it.
"Because of what's happening south of the border, and so many people having their rights stripped and extinguished, when we get a ruling like this, to say 'this is wrong and this can never happen again,' you pay attention," she said.
"I think the light on the human rights piece in New Brunswick dimmed a little bit. And I think now, today, it shines bright again."
Blaney, a PC MLA first elected in 1999, was appointed CEO of the provincial agency Efficiency New Brunswick by PC Premier David Alward in 2012.
The move was widely seen as an example of political patronage.
Two years later, the new Liberal government of Brian Gallant fired Blaney and passed legislation that prevented her from collecting severance or from suing.
This week, the labour board upheld Blaney's complaint under the Human Rights Act, saying the Liberal legislation was "an abuse of power" and that the law, and the firing, amounted to discrimination based on Blaney's party affiliation.
"Ms. Blaney was not treated with dignity, was not afforded the protection of the rule of law, and she was subjected to public miseries because of her political belief and activity," the board said.
It ordered the government to pay her the equivalent of more than $700,000 for lost salary and vacation, pension contributions and damages.
It also ordered the government to issue a written apology "acknowledging that it discriminated against her in violation of [the Human Rights Act] because of political activity."
Blaney didn't deny that her political connection played a role in her appointment to the job in the first place, but she said "history will show" that such appointments were a common practice by Liberal and PC governments.
"The bottom line was that I had a solid, legal contract and I was more than capable of doing the job."
The ruling noted that while a Liberal government fired Blaney, "blame cannot be attributed solely to that government."
It said the PC government of Blaine Higgs, elected in 2018, "did nothing to rectify the violation of Ms. Blaney's rights" and continued to defend the Liberal legislation and tried to prevent Blaney from pursuing her complaint under the Human Rights Act.
The legislature "as a whole" treated Blaney in a disingenuous and callous way, it said.
In contrast, Holt took less than 48 hours to decide to accept the findings, Blaney pointed out.
That "speaks volumes about her leadership and the character that she has," she said. "It's very impressive."
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