New Brunswick PCs to assume power as Gallant’s Liberals fall
FREDERICTON — Five weeks after New Brunswickers went to the polls, Tory Leader Blaine Higgs has become the premier-designate — and is promising to move quickly.
“People of the province should feel comfortable that the system worked, it just took a little longer,” Higgs said after meeting with Lt.Gov. Jocelyne Roy Vi- enneau late Friday, hours after Brian Gallant’s Liberals fell on a confidence vote.
She asked if the Progressive Conservative leader had the confidence to form government, and Higgs said he told her that he did. Afterward, Higgs struck an optimistic tone as he spoke to reporters.
“I believe our province can be in first place in all categories,” Higgs said. “And I believe that opportunity is right before us today.”
Gallant, whose government fell when the legislature voted against the throne speech, said he was unsure about his political future, but he wished the Tories luck.
“Their success will be New Brunswick’s success,” he said.
The Tories won 22 seats in the September election — one more than the Liberals — while the Greens and People’s Alliance each won three seats. Gallant sought to survive with a minority government by adding many of the opposition’s campaign promises to his party’s throne speech earlier this week, but his party’s fate was sealed Thursday when both the Tories and People’s Alliance said they’d vote to defeat it.
The survival of Higgs’ minority government will depend on support from the opposition parties, and that has thrown the spotlight on language rights in Canada’s only official bilingual province. Higgs said Friday his priority would be to address a shortage of paramedics, where the failure to meet language requirements has left some ambulances unstaffed. He said francophones should not be concerned by his government’s approach.
The People’s Alliance, which agreed to prop up the Tories at least 18 months, put bilingualism and service duality up front in their campaign.
Green Leader David Coon and his two members voted to support the Liberal throne speech, which included many of his party’s promises.