PC official wants Blaine Higgs's leadership put to review

A Progressive Conservative party official in southeast New Brunswick is trying to trigger a review of Premier Blaine Higgs's leadership of the provincial party.

In an email to fellow party members, Maurice Arsenault, the PC regional vice-president for southeast New Brunswick, accuses Higgs of a "dictatorial approach."

He's hoping to rally enough PC members to sign letters to trigger a discussion of the premier's leadership at the party's annual general meeting Nov. 4-5 in Fredericton.

"Let me remind it was Blaine Higgs who embraced Dominic Cardy and Kris Austin without any consultation with our party," Arsenault wrote.

Cardy, a former NDP leader, joined the PCs in 2017 but resigned from Higgs's cabinet last week over the premier's leadership style.

The same day, Austin, a former leader of the People's Alliance who defected to the Tories in March, was sworn into the cabinet.

"There's a lot of people who are not satisfied, and everybody's talking about it, and nobody's doing anything about it," Arsenault told CBC News.

"Then Cardy jumped the boat, and he's not the only one who's frustrated, so I believe it was time to put my letter forward."

Caucus backs Higgs

Moncton South PC MLA Greg Turner said he convened a meeting of the PC caucus Monday night after they "got wind" of the letter, and the support for Higgs was unanimous, with no dissent.

"Without exception, [it was] 100 per cent complete endorsement of the premier and his leadership for our province, actually," he said.

"Everybody had a chance to speak who wanted to speak on the subject, and it was very, very positive. Ministers and MLAs alike were unified in our endorsement of the premier and the work we have done and he has done in leading us."

Arsenault, who lives in the riding of Moncton Centre, writes in his letter that Austin "does not adhere to our party's constitution," a reference to the Alliance party's opposition to aspects of official bilingualism.

The PC constitution's principles include a statement that party members support official bilingualism and the protection and promotion of "the diversity of our two linguistic communities."

"It was enough to have Kris Austin" as a PC MLA, but "having him as a minister, I can't stand that," Arsenault said.

Snap vote hurdles

He said he's been told by someone in the party that if he can gather enough support quickly enough, the leadership question can be put on the agenda at the annual meeting.

But the hurdles to a snap vote on removing the PC leader are considerable.

Reviews are automatic when the party loses an election, but when it's in power, 50 party members, including 20 riding association presidents, must ask the president's council for a vote on a review at least 21 days before its next meeting.

The president's council is made up of members the party executive, its regional vice-presidents such as Arsenault and all 49 PC riding association presidents.

It must vote by a two-thirds margin in favour of a leadership review. Only then would a vote by all members on ousting Higgs be scheduled within three months, either at an annual meeting or special meeting. 

PC party president Claude Williams says the president's council is unlikely to meet until December and that means it's impossible for a leadership review to get on the agenda at the annual meeting.

Debate has been going on for 'last few weeks'

Williams, a former cabinet colleague of Higgs in the David Alward government, said as party president he cannot take a position on the premier's leadership.

"The debate's been going on for the last few weeks," he said. "I don't have an opinion." 

Among Arsenault's other complaints is that Higgs has done nothing to fix health care since firing the two regional health authority boards in July, and has yet to respond to a review of the Official Languages Act that was submitted 10 months ago.

He says he's been hearing "for months" from party supporters wanting a change at the top.

But Turner says Arsenault is an isolated voice.

"We can't lose sight of the fact that this review call is from one member of the party. That's how we look at this. I'm sure there's always people who question the leadership of any organization at certain times for certain reasons."

Higgs recently told Brunswick News that he'll announce during his State of the Province speech in the new year whether he plans to retire ahead of the next election in 2024 or seek another mandate.

But Arsenault says Higgs is "toying with us" and that timing is "disrespectful" for a potential new party leader who would need to establish their own agenda before the 2024 election.