Premier appoints loyalist as environment minister
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has added to the duties of one of his most powerful cabinet ministers.
Earlier this week Higgs officially appointed Glen Savoie as minister of environment and climate change.
The announcement was made Wednesday via press release following Gary Crossman's abrupt decision to leave cabinet early, well before the scheduled Oct. 21 provincial election. Savoie had already been doing the job in an acting capacity.
"Glen has proven to be reliable in his current roles, and will no doubt execute his new responsibilities with due care and diligence," said the premier in the release.
A Higgs loyalist, Savoie has solidified his role as one of the province's most powerful cabinet ministers after winning four straight elections in Saint John East, beginning in 2010. His new duties are on top of his positions of local government minister, government house leader and minister responsible for la Francophonie.
Crossman announced on Facebook in late April that he was quitting his cabinet post and his seat in Hampton. The three-term MLA and former principal said he wanted to make his health a priority.
He also took a parting shot at Higgs. "My personal and political beliefs no longer align in many ways with the direction of our party and government," Crossman wrote.
John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner
