By Canadian Press

Rival N.B. leaders hold rare meeting, can’t even agree on whether it was cordial

Oct 17, 2018 | 10:00 AM

FREDERICTON — The two men battling to be New Brunswick premier held a rare meeting Wednesday, but Tory Leader Blaine Higgs says it did nothing to convince him to offer any support to a Liberal government.

Liberal Premier Brian Gallant called the meeting to get input on a throne speech expected next week, but Higgs says the content doesn’t matter because his party will be voting against it.

“Those are just words and I’m sure they will be well written and cover everything,” Higgs said.

He said no matter what the Liberals might promise, the vote is a question of confidence in the Liberal government over the last four years.

The Liberals are trying to cling to power despite winning only 21 seats — one fewer than the Progressive Conservatives — and well shy of the 25 needed for a majority in the 49-seat house.

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Wednesday’s meeting lasted only about 30 minutes, and Higgs said he would abide by a gentlemen’s agreement not to reveal details of their discussion.

Higgs described the meeting as polite and cordial, but that’s not the way it was perceived by Gallant.

“That’s not exactly how I would describe what he said to me,” Gallant later told reporters. “I would not use those words to describe the way he spoke or the demeanour that he had.”

Higgs told reporters the personal attacks against him during the recent election campaign had done nothing to warm his opinion of Gallant.

“It doesn’t create a bonding experience. It’s not something you feel good about,” he said. “To me it says a lot about character. It says a lot about who you can trust and what the motive is.”

Gallant said he knows he won’t get Tory support on his throne speech, but is trying to offer the other parties a chance for input.

“The Conservatives and the Liberal party, for the first time in 100 years, were not given a majority government,” Gallant said. 

“Therefore New Brunswickers have asked us to act differently and I’ll take the onus as premier and leader of the Liberal party to make sure I do everything I can to heed New Brunswickers’ message from election night. That’s why I reached out to the other political parties.”

Before a throne speech can be delivered, a Speaker must be elected, and so far no party is willing to offer a member because of the tight numbers in the legislature.

Higgs said he believes Gallant will offer a Speaker “if push comes to shove.”

If no one offers a Speaker, Higgs said he believes it would be up to the lieutenant-governor to then ask him to attempt to form a government.

Higgs said at that point, he would offer a member as Speaker.

He said he is already thinking about what he would put in a Tory throne speech, but so far nothing is written.

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press