Higgs offers no clues to his future in state of the province speech

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs defended his major moves in health and education but offered no clues in his annual state of the province speech Thursday night as to how long he'll stick around to see them through.

He made only passing references to his most controversial initiatives while arguing his four-year-old government is responsible for the province's record population growth, low unemployment and growing exports.

"We knew we could do better," Higgs told the crowd of around 800 people at the Fredericton Convention Centre.

"I'm proud to say that New Brunswick is back in a big way. We are no longer at the edge of the cliff. We are now standing on the cusp of greatness."

At one point last year Higgs said he would use the state of the province speech to announce whether he'd stay on to seek another mandate in next year's election.

But he later revised that commitment and said he could wait until early 2024 to reveal his plans.

Higgs made no reference to that Thursday night, though he told his caucus of Progressive Conservative MLAs that "you ran with me as team Higgs" and thanked them for sticking with him "as we continue to push forward together.

"Sometimes it's a little trying, but we're building a better New Brunswick."

His only other nod to the speculation about his future was at the end of the speech, when he referred to "a question that you may have expected me to answer tonight," and left the stage to the sound of The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Speaking to reporters after the speech, Higgs cheerfully batted away several questions aimed at trying to pin him down about when he might feel confident enough in the province's direction to hand off the job to a successor.

His wife Marcia Higgs was also coy on what she'd like him to do.

"I'm not going to say, but as long as he's keen and excited, I'll be there beside him."

Higgs devoted much of the speech to touting economic data, such as strong growth in weekly earnings, the fastest population growth since Confederation and the first reduction in the province's median age since 1961.

The province's population is now estimated to have surpassed 824,000, Higgs said.