New PC Leader Blaine Higgs says 'politics has to change'
Newly-elected Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs said he wants the provincial government to do things that make sense and that's what he hopes to do as the leader of the official opposition.
"People in this province recognize that politics has to change," said Higgs.
"I can't accept the way it is. We have a province that needs to do something different to go forward."
Higgs said too often he hears people say that government decisions don't make common sense.
"As minister of finance I roamed around the province a lot in the first four years," said Higgs.
"I saw people who wanted basic common sense coming out of government and they weren't getting it no matter what government was in place. There's a huge opportunity in that regard."
Role as opposition
Higgs said the legislature has become more about theatre and he would like to see it become about getting meaningful answers from the Liberal government about their decisions.
"I'm not looking for the gotcha moment. I'm looking for the capability or the quality or the knowledge moment that says, look I've done more research in this than just put out a bulletin or headline," said Higgs.
Higgs gave the example of education as well as the carbon tax. He said to often the government doesn't give out details. He said he wants that to change.
"I would like to think that if I ask meaningful questions, I'll get meaningful answers," he said.
"My intent is to do just that, is to put questions on the table that I really want answers for."
Environmental decisions
The new PC leader said he is in opposition to the federal government implementing a carbon tax.
"I don't believe the carbon tax is the answer, because it's another tax and spend policy," said Higgs.
He said they can establish goals on emission reductions without the need for a tax. He said there isn't a defined program on where the money from the tax will go and how that will help.
Higgs also said he believes the future of New Brunswick includes the Energy East pipeline, along with the shale gas program.
"Residents aren't going to accept a three times increase in their power bills or more, so we have to transition," said Higgs.
Education goals
Higgs said his main goal as party leader is try and get alignment on the higher goals, such as education.
"How long have we played with the curriculum in the classroom and said, this time it's going to be different," said Higgs.
"At what point do we listen to the educators and say you design the curriculum."
He said all the government should say what an educated New Brunswick student should look like, then let the educators figure out how to best make that happen.
Higgs also said he believes children should ride school buses together, even if they're going to different schools. He said he met with the parents in his riding, and found they agreed.
"Common sense in any language is what I believe in," said Higgs.
Saturday's win
Higgs won the leadership on the third ballot, defeating former Saint John Mayor Mel Norton by 394 votes.
Higgs led on all three ballots, but two of his caucus colleagues, Brian MacDonald and Jake Stewart, did not send their delegates to him after their elimination.
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The total number of votes cast fell from 5,499 on the first ballot, to 2,735 on the final one.
At the convention Higgs said under his watch the party will be to avoid partisan bickering.
"Winning this means that people in this province have hope that we're going to put the province first and politics second," said Higgs.
"And that's not just a slogan for me. I've been this way since I started."
The former finance minister was not available for interviews earlier this week as a statement posted to the PC website said he was spending time with his family.
