N.B. election debate: Tory leader forced to defend record on gender policy, housing

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative leader was targeted by his two main opponents during a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, forced to defend his record on issues such as health care, housing and public safety.

But it was an exchange about the policy of the Blaine Higgs government on gender identity in schools that got particularly heated. Higgs, running for a third term in office, told the discussion moderator, “there was an outcry across the country” when parents learned about “secrets being kept from them about what their kids were doing at school.”

Those secrets, the Tory leader said, involved children who were questioning their gender identity, and who were able to use a new name in school without their parents’ knowledge. In response, the government’s new policy introduced in 2023 required teachers to get parental consent before they can use preferred first names and pronouns of students under 16.

“It’s shocking that this has become a discussion, when parents have always been the key player in raising their minor kids,” Higgs said. The policy caused dissent within his government, leading several cabinet ministers to resign and helping to trigger a failed attempt at ousting him as leader.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt said there were no complaints before Higgs introduced the new policy. What’s shocking, she said, is “we have a premier who’s saying teachers are keeping secrets from parents; he’s told people that teachers are teaching kids to lie.”

Joining Holt, Green Party Leader David Coon said “it’s worse than that.” Transgender students “are feeling under attack,” he said.

Coon said a Green government would reverse the changes Higgs made to the policy; the Liberals said they would allow students starting in Grade 6 to make decisions on their own about how they will be addressed in school.

Premier since 2018, Higgs regularly boasted to the two other leaders Wednesday that his six balanced budgets have given his party the fiscal space to promise voters a two-percentage-point cut to the harmonized sales tax if the Tories are re-elected Oct. 21. As well, he said, his government reduced the province’s debt by $2.5 billion, saving $90 million in interest payments “this year alone” that has instead gone to priorities like health care.

“But there is more to do,” Higgs said, adding that the province’s two health networks have to learn to work together instead of in competition.

Holt shot back quickly, saying little has improved in six years and that nurses “don’t trust you.”

“You’ve completely disrespected nurses,” the Liberal leader said during the discussion at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, hosted by CTV. “You told them that if they wanted to earn more money they should move to Alberta.”

Coon told Higgs about a person he met who waited 27 hours for care at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.

“We are in a state of emergency with our health-care system, we need to treat it with that kind of urgency,” Coon said, adding that his party has promised to spend $380 million a year on health.

On housing, Holt said Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are building homes at twice the rate compared with New Brunswick. “We’re standing still while the provinces alongside us are passing us by.” She said both provinces have removed the provincial sales tax on multi-unit housing starts — one of her party’s promises.

Higgs said that promise is part of Holt’s “nothing new platform.” He added that New Brunswick was on pace to build up to 6,000 homes this year, a rate he said cannot be exceeded because of labour shortages. Removing the provincial sales tax would take away $170 million from provincial coffers, he said, adding that the tax savings wouldn’t go to renters.

“What is the program there?” Higgs asked Holt. “If we can’t build more we just give tax dollars away? We’re building to the maximum point right now.”

Reacting to labour shortages, Coon said his party is promising to “fast-track the certification process” for skilled workers in the construction industry. “All across this province we have tradespeople who aren’t working.”

On public safety, Higgs was forced to defend his policy of rejecting new applications for supervised drug-consumption sites, and his promise to introduce legislation to force severely addicted people into treatment.

Holt asked Higgs where he would get the money and resources to open up beds to force people into treatment “when we don’t even have the beds for the people who want to be there.” There are about 200 people waiting for addiction care, she said.

Coon said he was on a ride-along with the Fredericton police, and noted the large amount of area a single officer has to cover. “They need the opportunity to have community police officers to do that … on-the-ground work, and that’s going to make a difference.”

Higgs said public safety officers have been retrained to give them policing authority, adding that they are out on the streets and visible in communities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.

Hina Alam, The Canadian Press