Higgs PCs face more internal division over party's direction

New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative party is facing more internal division over its socially conservative message ahead of next year's provincial election.

Internal emails obtained by CBC News include criticism of Premier Blaine Higgs, the party and its newly hired campaign manager over the direction they're taking.

Hampton Deputy Mayor Jeremy Salgado pulled out of the race for the Hampton-Fundy-St. Martin's nomination Tuesday and quit the PC party, saying he feels "a disconnect between my principles and the actions being taken within our party."

He was up against Faytene Grasseschi, a high-profile Christian conservative activist who has embraced Higgs's handling of the province's gender identity policy in schools.

In an email to party officials, Salgado says the party gave Grasseschi "a considerable advantage." He told CBC News the party gave her information, including the Dec. 19 date of the nominating convention, before giving it to him.

"Our party has taken a different direction than I would have hoped for," he wrote in the Tuesday email.

"It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the misalignment of my beliefs and values with the current structure of our party.… I sincerely hope that one day, circumstances will change for the better, allowing me to return to this party under more positive conditions."

The party's executive director Doug Williams responded that the process was fair to everyone and the Dec. 19 date was requested by the local riding executive. 

"There are no barriers blocking anyone from participating in this process," he said, adding the party is "a big-tent party that brings together a broad voter coalition. We will continue to be that under Premier Higgs."

Another PC party member, Shediac resident Chuck Steeves, also recently wrote to Higgs and campaign manager Steve Outhouse to complain about recent fundraising appeals.

"N.B. PCs do not want a Social Conservative Party — we are Progressive Conservatives," Steeves wrote in a Nov. 23 email.

"This letter appeal and a similar campaign will stop as many donations as it will attract. This will lose as many votes or more than it will retain and certainly not gain any from other parties."

In a fundraising email earlier this month, Higgs said he was the victim of "disgusting" attacks over his stance on Policy 713, which deals with students' choice of names and pronouns to reflect their gender identities.

The Hampton-Fundy-St. Martin's nominating convention — the party's first for next year's election — had been shaping up as a proxy battle over that issue and Higgs's leadership.