Higgs in hot seat over snap election call as 6 party leaders meet for debate

Five New Brunswick party leaders went afterProgressive Conservative Blaine Higgson Thursday nightfor calling what one described as an "unwanted and reckless" election.

All six party leaders participated in the New Brunswick Leaders Debate, jointly hosted by Rogers and Brunswick News Inc.

Higgs faced accusations that he could have avoided an election even after the Liberals pulled out of the four-party negotiationsto keep him in power until October 2023 or the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Someleaders said he could have negotiated withthe two third parties, which each held three seats in the last legislature.

Campaigning for a second term, Higgs has argued a majority government would bring stability and give him the ability to get things done.

'Democracy is hard work,' says Green leader

But at the core of the back and forth during the debate was the question of whether voters can trust Higgs, who his rivals suggested would slash health-care services in rural New Brunswick if handed a majority.

"What Mr. Higgs is saying is democracy is hard work," Green Party Leader David Coon said. "He doesn't want to do the hard work of democracy. ... Whenhe says stability, he means he doesn't want the democratic process to work."

Coon said Higgs is on a mission, but his plan is secret.

"He wants to have a majority government to deliver whatever his secret plan is to save New Brunswick. And we don't know what that is, so we all need to be very worried."

Kris Austin of the People's Alliance Higgs'scalled Higgs's election call during a pandemic a "power grab," andNDP Leader Mackenzie Thomason called it "unwanted and reckless."

Austin, whose support the Higgs government needed over the past 18 months, said minority governments force larger parties to negotiate and better represent the will of the electorate.

KISS Leader Gerald Bourquewanted Higgs to explain his rationale for an election.

"Everything was going good," Bourque said. "We were advancing way ahead of anybody else. But all of a sudden, he's throwing this great debt of an election onto us."

Higgs defended his trustworthiness by pointing to New Brunswick's economic recovery since the lockdown caused by the pandemic.

He said the province's continued success will depend on ensuring its distinct regions are capable of sustaining themselves and a firm understanding "of what businesses are doing in every sector."

"People can talk about what I'll do, what I won't do," Higgs said. "[New Brunswickers] know me. They know I'm here at this point in time in my life. They know my wife and I are committed to this province."

The election call andHiggs's trustworthiness were just a couple of the issuesthat sparked lively debate,marked by third-party leaders targeting boththe PC leaderand Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers.

Vickers faced sharp criticism for promising he would balance the budget by 2023, despite the economic slump caused by the pandemic.

Vickers touts plan for economy

"Balancing the budget is a cornerstone of leadership," saidVickers, who is hoping to win a seat in the legislature for the first time.

"We have to have strategic planning, invested in setting out where we are heading for. Without an idea where are we heading for, without that goal of a balanced budget, we're a rudderless ship."

Vickers said he'd grow the economy by focusing on the emerging sectors oftechnology, the green economy and small modular nuclear reactors.

Austin, who described himself as a fiscal hawk, called the goal "unrealistic."

Vickers also took aim at Higgs, saying he has never balanced a budget and suggesting he only did so with the help of transfer payments from the federal government.

Higgs said a plan to put the province back on its feet is already in place.

"Our province is recovering like never before," he said. "We're seeing more interest in New Brunswick being number one in the nation [during] the COVID experience."

HIggs saidthe province needs the steady hand that amajority government would provide during uncertain times.

"[With] a majority government over the next four years, we'll ensure we don't get derailed and go back to petty politics, the premier said. "We have started something. It's the beginning of a new way of working on behalf of New Brunswickers."