A meeting between Blaine Higgs and the party’s riding presidents ended with the premier launching into an “unhinged” tirade, says a riding president who was kicked out of the gathering after he argued with Higgs.
John Williston, a regional vice president for the Progressive Conservatives in the Moncton area and member of the party’s provincial council, says the Higgs rant referenced the party’s struggles in the north, the push to vote him out as leader, and also “attacked” another riding president claiming she was conspiring with Dominic Cardy.
Williston added that letters signed by the majority of riding association presidents calling for a leadership review of Higgs will be filed “early this week.”
In an interview on Sunday, Higgs told Brunswick News there were “heated exchanges” during the gathering, but added that closed door meetings are had to have “difficult discussions.”
Higgs attended a scheduled meeting of the Progressive Conservative provincial council on Saturday in Hanwell, made up of the party’s riding association presidents, the majority of which have said they’ve signed letters calling for a leadership review vote.
In an interview on Saturday, Higgs said the meeting was a “good, open discussion.”
But Williston said that synopsis is “delusional.”
Several others who also attended the closed-door meeting and spoke to Brunswick News have largely corroborated Williston’s recollection of an intense exchange, but declined to comment on the record.
Towards the end of the meeting, Williston said he brought forward a motion requesting another meeting of riding presidents at the end of July to evaluate whether rifts between parts of the party and caucus with Higgs remained.
A component of that would call on the caucus to report on their relationship with the Progressive Conservative leader and premier.
It follows the rebellion of part of the caucus to back an opposition motion earlier this month and then the subsequent resignations of two cabinet ministers.
That motion was shut down by party president resident Erika Hachey, Williston said, as it wasn’t on the agenda.
But it prompted Higgs to head to the front of the room to deliver remarks “which were very spirited, angry, very loud, and bordered on being unhinged in my opinion,” he added.
“There were several parts of his rant.”
Williston said Higgs blamed the province’s francophone media for the party’s struggles in northern New Brunswick, stating he’s done a lot for the French-speaking parts of the province, but that he’s not to blame for failing to win seats there.
“To which I believe several members from northern New Brunswick literally laughed out loud,” he said.
It was a response to riding presidents who spoke earlier in the meeting who claimed organization in their regions was suffering, Williston said.
Part of the address then zeroed in on a particular member of the council.
Two members of the council in the meeting have confirmed that it was Fredericton West-Hanwell president Jeannine St. Amand, who represents the riding held by Cardy, whose public feud with Higgs ended in his resignation from cabinet.
St. Amand declined to comment when reached over the weekend.
“He attacked a member of provincial council in what I would say was a vicious, verbal attack, pointed at her and shouted and said she was effectively doing the bidding of Dominic Cardy and that she was conspiring with Dominic Cardy,” Williston said. “It was to the point where this individual was starting to well up with tears and replied that she was representing the views of her riding association and no one else.
“He effectively called her a liar.”
Hachey then stopped the back and forth.
Williston said he then told the premier he was “out of line, it was a personal attack, and it was shameful,” adding that Williston’s role in collecting letters from presidents calling for his resignation was an attack on him.
“He shouted at me,” he said.
Williston said he shot back that Higgs’s actions underscored what was happening with caucus.
“And the problem is you and not them,” he said.
Williston said he was then asked to leave the meeting and did.
“The premier seems to be in denial with his anger problem and he seems to be in denial about why our party is effectively dead in northern New Brunswick,” he said. “It’s a sad state of affairs and I just wish we could all move on from this.”
Reached on Sunday, Higgs acknowledged that heated exchanges happened, but said that the party is working through a divide.
“The important part of any of these meetings is that we can have difficult discussions and we can have emotional moments, but we need to have them in a session where we feel free to talk about it and not have it become a public event afterwards,” Higgs said.
The premier said that makes him reluctant to address specifics.
“There were good moments in the meeting,” he said. “I got a standing ovation when we opened the meeting and I gave a talk at the beginning.
“But there are obviously issues we need to work through.”
Higgs said the presidents requested that the premier meet with his own caucus to smooth out the turbulence he’s facing.
“It isn’t something you can actually pass in a motion or have as a requirement of caucus, but it’s an obligation we have to our presidents,” Higgs said. “If we have issues in caucus, we need to fix them and find a path forward.”
Ask to directly address whether he “verbally attacked” St. Amand, Higgs called it a “huge allegation.”
“There were some heated exchanges in a number of scenarios in the discussion, so I wouldn’t say we should use the word ‘attack’ here,” he said. “I think anyone suggesting an attack is overstating the situation.”
Higgs said he had questions “about the origin of the topic,” a suggestion that he felt St. Amand’s words were coming from Cardy.
The Progressive Conservative leader remains unsure on where the push for a review and vote on his leadership will lead, stating that the meeting didn’t at all address the possibility.
Williston said that the letters signed by presidents can be submitted at any time and will be sent early this week to the party president.
He said two additional presidents have submitted signed letters after Saturday’s meeting, bringing the total to 28 letters out of a possible 49, although at least two riding associations appear to be without leadership, according to the party’s own website.
“I think that the pressure on the premier is only going to mount daily and he will have to come to the conclusion that he will have to do the right thing for himself and for the party and allow another member of caucus to lead,” Williston said. “That is an inevitability and this will not end until he decides to do the right thing and resign.”
I’m not one to use this word lightly, but Higgs really is treading more and more towards fascist territory. Replacing ministers at-will for disagreements, consolidation of power, outrights lies (“stating he’s done a lot for the French-speaking parts of the province”) and the ever-present secrecy and lack of transparency. Imagine outright saying, as an elected representative, that you need a place to “feel free to talk about [politics] and not have it become a public event afterwards”. You represent the public, we pay your wages, you make decisions that influence our lives massively, and yet we don’t deserve to know the direction your government is heading?
The outright disdain Higgs has for the population is outstanding, even for the standards of an Irving-bought politician in NB. I can’t remember a premier who didn’t suck, but none of them has been as brazen and flagrant as Higgsy-boy.
Agreed, but I still don’t understand why he took a sudden dive into the deep end. He seemed more pragmatic before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a legitimate medical or psychological issue that cropped up recently.
And another article:
A meeting between Blaine Higgs and the party’s riding presidents ended with the premier launching into an “unhinged” tirade, says a riding president who was kicked out of the gathering after he argued with Higgs.
John Williston, a regional vice president for the Progressive Conservatives in the Moncton area and member of the party’s provincial council, says the Higgs rant referenced the party’s struggles in the north, the push to vote him out as leader, and also “attacked” another riding president claiming she was conspiring with Dominic Cardy.
Williston added that letters signed by the majority of riding association presidents calling for a leadership review of Higgs will be filed “early this week.”
In an interview on Sunday, Higgs told Brunswick News there were “heated exchanges” during the gathering, but added that closed door meetings are had to have “difficult discussions.”
Higgs attended a scheduled meeting of the Progressive Conservative provincial council on Saturday in Hanwell, made up of the party’s riding association presidents, the majority of which have said they’ve signed letters calling for a leadership review vote.
In an interview on Saturday, Higgs said the meeting was a “good, open discussion.”
But Williston said that synopsis is “delusional.”
Several others who also attended the closed-door meeting and spoke to Brunswick News have largely corroborated Williston’s recollection of an intense exchange, but declined to comment on the record.
Towards the end of the meeting, Williston said he brought forward a motion requesting another meeting of riding presidents at the end of July to evaluate whether rifts between parts of the party and caucus with Higgs remained.
A component of that would call on the caucus to report on their relationship with the Progressive Conservative leader and premier.
It follows the rebellion of part of the caucus to back an opposition motion earlier this month and then the subsequent resignations of two cabinet ministers.
That motion was shut down by party president resident Erika Hachey, Williston said, as it wasn’t on the agenda.
But it prompted Higgs to head to the front of the room to deliver remarks “which were very spirited, angry, very loud, and bordered on being unhinged in my opinion,” he added.
“There were several parts of his rant.”
Williston said Higgs blamed the province’s francophone media for the party’s struggles in northern New Brunswick, stating he’s done a lot for the French-speaking parts of the province, but that he’s not to blame for failing to win seats there.
“To which I believe several members from northern New Brunswick literally laughed out loud,” he said.
It was a response to riding presidents who spoke earlier in the meeting who claimed organization in their regions was suffering, Williston said.
Part of the address then zeroed in on a particular member of the council.
Two members of the council in the meeting have confirmed that it was Fredericton West-Hanwell president Jeannine St. Amand, who represents the riding held by Cardy, whose public feud with Higgs ended in his resignation from cabinet.
St. Amand declined to comment when reached over the weekend.
“He attacked a member of provincial council in what I would say was a vicious, verbal attack, pointed at her and shouted and said she was effectively doing the bidding of Dominic Cardy and that she was conspiring with Dominic Cardy,” Williston said. “It was to the point where this individual was starting to well up with tears and replied that she was representing the views of her riding association and no one else.
“He effectively called her a liar.”
Hachey then stopped the back and forth.
Williston said he then told the premier he was “out of line, it was a personal attack, and it was shameful,” adding that Williston’s role in collecting letters from presidents calling for his resignation was an attack on him.
“He shouted at me,” he said.
Williston said he shot back that Higgs’s actions underscored what was happening with caucus.
“And the problem is you and not them,” he said.
Williston said he was then asked to leave the meeting and did.
“The premier seems to be in denial with his anger problem and he seems to be in denial about why our party is effectively dead in northern New Brunswick,” he said. “It’s a sad state of affairs and I just wish we could all move on from this.”
Reached on Sunday, Higgs acknowledged that heated exchanges happened, but said that the party is working through a divide.
“The important part of any of these meetings is that we can have difficult discussions and we can have emotional moments, but we need to have them in a session where we feel free to talk about it and not have it become a public event afterwards,” Higgs said.
The premier said that makes him reluctant to address specifics.
“There were good moments in the meeting,” he said. “I got a standing ovation when we opened the meeting and I gave a talk at the beginning.
“But there are obviously issues we need to work through.”
Higgs said the presidents requested that the premier meet with his own caucus to smooth out the turbulence he’s facing.
“It isn’t something you can actually pass in a motion or have as a requirement of caucus, but it’s an obligation we have to our presidents,” Higgs said. “If we have issues in caucus, we need to fix them and find a path forward.”
Ask to directly address whether he “verbally attacked” St. Amand, Higgs called it a “huge allegation.”
“There were some heated exchanges in a number of scenarios in the discussion, so I wouldn’t say we should use the word ‘attack’ here,” he said. “I think anyone suggesting an attack is overstating the situation.”
Higgs said he had questions “about the origin of the topic,” a suggestion that he felt St. Amand’s words were coming from Cardy.
The Progressive Conservative leader remains unsure on where the push for a review and vote on his leadership will lead, stating that the meeting didn’t at all address the possibility.
Williston said that the letters signed by presidents can be submitted at any time and will be sent early this week to the party president.
He said two additional presidents have submitted signed letters after Saturday’s meeting, bringing the total to 28 letters out of a possible 49, although at least two riding associations appear to be without leadership, according to the party’s own website.
“I think that the pressure on the premier is only going to mount daily and he will have to come to the conclusion that he will have to do the right thing for himself and for the party and allow another member of caucus to lead,” Williston said. “That is an inevitability and this will not end until he decides to do the right thing and resign.”
I’m not one to use this word lightly, but Higgs really is treading more and more towards fascist territory. Replacing ministers at-will for disagreements, consolidation of power, outrights lies (“stating he’s done a lot for the French-speaking parts of the province”) and the ever-present secrecy and lack of transparency. Imagine outright saying, as an elected representative, that you need a place to “feel free to talk about [politics] and not have it become a public event afterwards”. You represent the public, we pay your wages, you make decisions that influence our lives massively, and yet we don’t deserve to know the direction your government is heading?
The outright disdain Higgs has for the population is outstanding, even for the standards of an Irving-bought politician in NB. I can’t remember a premier who didn’t suck, but none of them has been as brazen and flagrant as Higgsy-boy.
Agreed, but I still don’t understand why he took a sudden dive into the deep end. He seemed more pragmatic before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a legitimate medical or psychological issue that cropped up recently.