Push to remove Blaine Higgs as PC leader suffers setback

A push to remove Premier Blaine Higgs as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party has suffered a major setback.

Party president Erika Hachey told members in a letter Monday morning that there weren't enough valid letters from party members to meet the threshold to trigger the next step in the process.

"I have determined that the requirements have not been satisfied," she wrote.

"The leadership review process has not been triggered."

But Hachey added that people who submitted letters and other current PC members will be given until Aug. 19 to submit valid letters.

The party's regional vice-president in southeast New Brunswick, John Williston, who wants Higgs removed, said he and others will "absolutely" try to meet that deadline.

"I firmly believe that we will make every effort possible to push forward with the process."

Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston PC riding president Jean-Pierre Ouellet, who signed one of the letters, said he was "surprised and not surprised" by the party's ruling.

Even so, he said, the letters show "that Premier Higgs has lost the confidence of most of the PC ridings in the province."

Earlier this month, Tories unhappy with Higgs's leadership submitted what they believed were the required letters from at least 50 party members, including presidents of at least 20 PC riding associations.

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They said the total from presidents was 26, representing a majority of the 49 ridings.

But Hachey says in her letter that after a review and some legal advice, "over 40" letters were from current party members, and only 15 were from actual riding association presidents.

Her letter doesn't explain why the other letters were ruled invalid.

More transparency needed

Ouellet said he believes the pro-review organizers can find five more riding presidents to sign letters, but he said he would talk to counterparts to see if it's worth continuing to fight what he called "a machine where we have no chance."

Acting Moncton East PC association president Marc Savoie, who also signed one of the letters, said only 20 of the 26 letters were submitted earlier this month.

He said organizers will check with those who signed the six others to see if they're still committed, and those letters could still be submitted to reach the threshold.

PC supporters wanting Higgs removed cited what they called his top-down management style and his straying from the values of the party.

The move followed the resignations of two ministers in the wake of a controversial review of Policy 713, which sets out minimum standards for safe, inclusive classrooms for LGBTQstudents.

Ouellet and Williston said the party should be transparent and provide more of an explanation.

"We're really lacking detail," Willistonsaid, questioning whether some memberships were out-of-date or whether there were other reasons some letters were invalidated.

Provincial council meets in September

Hachey said the party's provincial council, the body that would approve holding a leadership review convention, will meet Sept. 9.

That makes Aug. 19 the cutoff for submitting valid letters.

Under party rules, if enough letters are submitted, the provincial council must vote on whether to schedule a convention.

A two-thirds vote in favour would then require the party to schedule a convention within three months.

Hachey turned down an interview request. Her letter said that she would have no further comment "unless necessary."