Higgs accused of launching 'vicious' attack on PC critic during Saturday meeting

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has been accused of launching "a vicious verbal attack" against a member of the provincial Progressive Conservative party's governing body who questioned his leadership.

Regional vice-president John Williston said the premier was "over the top" and "aggressive" when he shouted at the member of the PC provincial council on the weekend. 

"He was clearly in a complete rage," Williston told CBC's Information Morning Fredericton. 

"If this is how the premier speaks to his cabinet, if this is how the premier communicates with his caucus, it's clearly a toxic work environment that none of us would be willing to accept in our own places of business."

Higgs is facing a revolt within his PC caucus and in the party over his leadership style, which critics say is a top-down system that ignores expertise and allows little input from ministers and MLAs.

Two ministers, Dorothy Shephard and Trevor Holder, have resigned from his cabinet in the last two weeks over their concerns about his approach.

Higgs's spokesperson Nicolle Carlin told CBC News on Monday morning that the premier will shuffle his cabinet on Tuesday.

Two other ministers, Daniel Allain and Jeff Carr, joined Shephard and Holder in voting against the government on June 15.

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Allain said Monday afternoon he hadn't been told yet if he'd still be a minister on Tuesday.

"There's a process," he said at a news conference in Grand Bouctouche. "We serve at the pleasure of the premier."

Allain and the three other ministers helped to pass an opposition Liberal motion calling for further consultations on the government's Policy 713, which sets out protections for LGBTQ+ students in schools.

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That vote crystallized a growing discontent within the party that Shephard said goes far beyond just Policy 713.

Former party president Claude Williams said last week that there are letters from presidents of 26 PC riding associations asking for a leadership review — more than the 20 required to force the provincial council to vote on whether to hold a vote.

Higgs looks at 'path forward'

Williston said the letters weren't submitted at Saturday's meeting because the number continues to grow, with two more presidents signing on after the meeting because of the premier's behaviour.

Higgs said on Saturday that there was "a good frank open discussion here and I think we have a path forward."

Asked about Williams telling reporters he was disappointed in comments by the premier in the meeting, Higgs said his remarks were "about team building, it was about us working together and having good discussions internally." 

But Williston said Higgs's comments were "almost borderline shocking." 

WATCH | In May, Higgs called for a controversial review of Policy 713: 

Premier Blaine Higgs defends his government's review of Policy 713

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Higgs says schools should have to inform parents if a child under 16 wants to change their names or pronouns, and young children should not be exposed to drag queen storytimes.

He also said the premier's critics tried to introduce a motion to schedule a special meeting of the council before the fall to deal with the leadership review issue but were ruled out of order based on procedure.

"Some people in the party are trying to to rag the puck," he said.

PC party president Erika Hachey, who ran Saturday's meeting, said Monday morning she had no comment on Williston's description of the discussion.

Allain wouldn't comment Monday on the push by Williston and others to remove Higgs as leader.

He said Higgs was "duly elected for four years" and he hoped the issue could be sorted out by the PC caucus.

Williston said Higgs claimed in the meeting he was blameless for the party's poor election showings in francophone New Brunswick, pointing the finger instead at what he called negative coverage in the French-language newspaper L'Acadie Nouvelle.

Former PC party president Brian Harquail, who did not attend the meeting, told Information Morning that if Higgs can't unite his caucus and his party, he doesn't deserve to be governing New Brunswick. 

"I was elected twice as president and we have a reputation of eating our young, and blaming somebody else for our own mistakes," he said.

"Well, it's time we took control and started to lead the party in the right direction."

'Things are going to escalate'

Harquail was one of four former presidents who signed a letter last week calling on Higgs to resign to avoid a divisive, drawn-out leadership review fight.

He scoffed at Higgs blaming negative media coverage for his lack of popularity in francophone New Brunswick.

"To attack the newspaper for doing their job is childish and shows a very, very strong lack of leadership," he said.

"Get over it, Blaine, because that's life and that's the way it is. And you wanted the job, so let's get on with it." 

Williston said far from calming down, he believes that "things are going to escalate" in the party's internal battle. 

He said the premier will eventually have to realize that he can no longer govern and that an election would be a risk now because many PC members in local riding associations won't work for him as leader.