2 dissident Tories say they won't destabilize N.B. legislature this fall

Two Progressive Conservative MLAs who have bucked Premier Blaine Higgs say they don't plan to create any instability that might be blamed for an early election call.

Trevor Holder and Andrea Anderson-Mason both say they're not looking to make procedural mischief or bring down the government when the legislature returns next month.

Higgs said last Friday that the legislated Oct. 21, 2024, date for the next election is the only date "at this point" but added that "the situation that exists within the legislature and within our government … remains a big concern."

That was a reference to six PC MLAs, including two who quit his cabinet and two he shuffled out, who voted with the opposition Liberals on a motion about Policy 713 in June.

If those six MLAs withheld their support, Higgs wouldn't be able to pass legislation.

Holder, who resigned from cabinet in June over the premier's leadership style, said he had no comment on Higgs's refusal to rule out a snap election.

"The election date as far as I'm concerned is next year, and that's what I'm basing my actions on," he said.

Asked if there was any uncertainty about the government being able to pass legislation this fall, Holder answered, "None." 

Anderson-Mason said Higgs seems to be suggesting "that he might not have the confidence of the House, and we all know there are very few confidence votes, one of them being the budget."

"And I've got nothing but praise for the past budgets we've introduced. … I have the same level of expectation that they will be as good as they have been in the past." 

She said if Higgs is worried about losing confidence votes, "I would strongly urge him to converse with us." 

The former attorney-general said she and the other rebel MLAs "reached out" to Higgs over the summer to have a conversation about the fall session, but that hasn't happened.

The full PC caucus hasn't met since the June revolt either. 

Both Holder and Anderson-Mason also said that their recent tough line of questioning on the legislature's public accounts committee wasn't aimed at the government but was in line with the committee's accountability role.