N.B. votes 2024: Higgs loses own riding as PCs take devastating election blow | Globalnews.ca
New Brunswick Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs will no longer be the representative for Quispamsis, Global News projects.
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N.B. votes 2024: Higgs loses own riding as PCs take devastating election blow
Higgs was hoping to become the first New Brunswick premier to win three consecutive elections since Liberal Frank McKenna won his third straight majority in 1995. But his path to that milestone wasn’t going to be easy.
Since forming government in 2018, 14 PC caucus members have stepped down after clashing with Higgs, some of them citing what they described as an authoritarian leadership style and a focus on conservative policies that represented a hard shift to the right.
A caucus revolt erupted last year after Higgs announced changes to the gender identity policy, known as Policy 713, in schools. When several PC lawmakers voted for an external review of the change, Higgs dropped dissenters from cabinet. A bid by some party members to trigger a leadership review went nowhere.
The election race was largely focused on health care and affordability, but was notable for two leaders’ remarkably dissimilar campaign styles.
Higgs focused on the high cost of living, promising to lower the provincial harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent — a pledge that will cost the province about $450 million annually.
Holt spent much of the campaign rolling out proposed fixes for a health-care system racked by a doctor shortage, overcrowded emergency rooms and long wait-times.
As of 9:30 p.m. Atlantic time Monday, the Liberals hold 31 seats, the Conservatives 16 and the Greens two.
