Caucus revolts, ministerial resignations, cabinet shuffles, leadership challenges and the threat of an early election — you don’t need to go much further than New Brunswick to get your fill of political drama.
Premier Blaine Higgs has been facing down opponents within his caucus and within his party over the last few weeks. The spark was a proposed change to laws regarding LGBTQ students but the turmoil goes far deeper than that, as some members of his Progressive Conservative government and party denounce his top-down, autocratic style. A few of the renegades were shuffled out of cabinet but a leadership challenge is in the works.
It isn’t clear how much longer this can go on without the pressure release of an election.
To try to explain what’s happening, I’m joined this week by Michelle LeBlanc, journalist with Radio-Canada Acadie, and Jacques Poitras, New Brunswick provincial affairs reporter for the CBC.
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Ep. #101: Can Blaine Higgs hold on?