N.B. opposition say premier’s comments on homeless deaths lack empathy

New Brunswick opposition parties are accusing Premier Blaine Higgs of lacking compassion after he responded to the deaths of two people at a homeless encampment by invoking legislation that could force unhoused people into addiction treatment.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt said Wednesday that Higgs’ comments at the legislature failed to show empathy for the two people killed in a tent fire Monday at an encampment in Saint John. “But he did show that he’s really out of touch with what’s happening in New Brunswick communities and that he has no understanding of the reality on the ground,” she said in an interview.

When asked during question period Tuesday what his government will do to prevent future tent fires and fatalities, the premier offered his condolences to the families of the two victims and said that what’s needed is a solution that gets people off the street.

“The sad reality, Mr. Speaker, is that some people don’t want to come off the street. Some people just refuse to do that,” he said.

Later, Higgs told the legislature that his government will be bringing forward a “compassionate intervention act” this session, which he said will help get people into shelters when their lives are in danger.

In the fall, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin told the CBC that the government plans to table a bill that would give police the power to force people into drug rehabilitation in extreme cases. Higgs was not made available for an interview.

Both Holt and Green Party Leader David Coon said they were concerned to hear the premier bring up the bill in the context of homelessness, adding that the legislation as described by Austin is potentially harmful.

“What he’s proposing is altogether unacceptable,” Coon said. “We need housing and related services that meet people where they’re at.”