By Canadian Press

New Brunswick Liberals reject Tory power-sharing deal, complain of ‘gun to head’

Aug 14, 2020 | 2:29 PM

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s Opposition Liberals have rejected a proposal from Tory Premier Blaine Higgs for an agreement aimed at avoiding an election until 2022.

Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers said Friday Higgs wielded the threat of a snap election in a bid to have his minority government remain in power for another two years.

“(We were) continually reminded that if we did not come to an agreement he would call an election by the end of … today, Friday,” Vickers told a news conference. “This was a negotiation with a gun to our head and completely unacceptable for myself and our party.”

The Liberals left the talks, setting the stage for a possible election call by Higgs.

Higgs expressed disappointment with the Liberal decision and said he will take the weekend to decide his next move. But he did nothing to dampen election speculation.

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“We will be prepared. We are prepared,” he said when asked if his party was ready for a campaign.

On Monday, Higgs asked the opposition leaders to sign a formal agreement not to trigger an election until September 2022, or no earlier than 30 days after public health officials declare the COVID-19 pandemic over.

The Progressive Conservatives and Liberals each have 20 seats in the legislature, while the Greens and the People’s Alliance each have three. There are two vacant seats and one Independent.

Vickers said he had already committed to not bringing down the government before March but was not prepared to accept the “power grab” proposed by the premier.

“It is absolutely irresponsible to consider having an election during a major pandemic,” he said, noting that schools will soon be reopening and elderly people have been stressed by COVID-19.

“We were told at the meeting that this was a window of opportunity, and I told them, you do not roll the dice with people’s health,” Vickers said.

Negotiations between the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, Greens and People’s Alliance on the proposal that the opposition support Higgs’ minority government began Wednesday and continued through Friday.

The Tory leader called for the formalization of an all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee, offering the other parties a stronger voice in decision-making in exchange for not holding an election.

Higgs had said that if the talks failed, the fall would be an opportunity to hold an election because of the “lull” in the rate of COVID-19 infections in New Brunswick.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2020.

The Canadian Press