Battle between activist candidate and ex-Tory reflects schism in N.B. politics
CTV
A riding in southwest New Brunswick that for decades was a Progressive Conservative stronghold is shaping up to be a bellwether that could offer a window into the future of the Tory party, and maybe of the province.
A riding in southwest New Brunswick that for decades was a Progressive Conservative stronghold is shaping up to be a bellwether that could offer a window into the future of the Tory party, and maybe of the province.
The Progressive Conservatives are putting up Faytene Grasseschi, an activist and Christian TV host, in the Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins riding. The Liberals, meanwhile, have also nominated a conservative -- at least a former one.
John Herron, a two-term Progressive Conservative member of Parliament, agreed to join the Liberals because of the threat he said his opponent represents. His candidacy is a reflection of the schism among the Progressive Conservatives, many of whom have chosen to sit this election out because of the direction they said the party is going under Tory Leader Blaine Higgs, who is seeking a third term in office.
"Realistically, there are just two candidacies who could win this seat," Herron told a meet and greet in the riding earlier this week, organized by the local chamber of commerce.
He didn't mince words: "Ours and this version of the Conservatives, whose candidacy lives outside the fringes of this riding, and who represents an extreme fringe politics that goes beyond the moderate traditions of the province."
Grasseschi told the crowd that she decided to get involved in provincial politics last summer, during the controversy that erupted when the Higgs government forced teachers to get parental consent before they could use the preferred first names and pronouns of transgender and nonbinary students under 16. The change triggered outcry across the country, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
But Higgs persisted, saying parents must be informed if their children are questioning their gender identity.
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