OPEN LETTER: New year, new leadership!

Members of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, 

Ms. Erika Hachey, President of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, 

Mr. Greg Turner, Caucus Chair, 

As you well know, New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. Far from being a weakness, this bilingual status is an intrinsic part of our provincial identity and serves to unite communities in all four corners of the province. Premier Blaine Higgs’ attempts to disengage himself from his responsibilities regarding matters of official bilingualism are of great concern to us. By falsely portraying himself as a victim of bilingualism, the Premier is sowing discord between the linguistic and cultural communities of our province. Simply put, this divisive strategy is unacceptable coming from the Premier of our beautiful province.

According to a recent Angus Reid poll, your party’s leader has an approval rating of only 28 per cent, making him the second least popular premier in the country.

As such, here is a non-exhaustive list of factors that explains the Premier’s declining popularity and our loss of confidence in his ability to lead the province:

• The Premier’s undeniable lack of respect concerning the province’s nation-to-nation relationship with the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey Nations;
• His blatant lack of respect for the Acadian and Francophone community in his management of the review of New Brunswick’s Official Languages Act;
• His lack of transparency regarding the abolition of the French immersion program, which led to the resignation of his Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development;
• His unilateral decision to abolish the democratically elected boards of directors of the Vitalité and Horizon health authorities;
• His unilateral decision to fire the CEO of Horizon, without the knowledge of the Minister of Health;
• The lack of investment in our public health and education services and infrastructure;
• The lack of investment in our province’s small and medium-sized businesses;
• The underfunding of arts and culture, as well as sports and recreation;
• Its refusal to maintain the cap on rent increases, which will only exacerbate the current housing crisis;
• The accumulation of record budget surpluses since the beginning of the pandemic, all while our public institutions and infrastructure are in need of major investments;
• His decision to provide tax cuts to households with an annual income of $144,000 or more;
• His decision to abolish the unemployment insurance program for post-secondary students;
• His attempts to undermine the fundamental right to strike of unionized workers in our public service;
• Etc.

As a result, we are asking the members of your party to invoke the procedure in your constitution which states that fifty or more members, at least twenty of whom are presidents of registered riding associations, must apply to the party president for a leadership review.

In these difficult times, it is essential to have a unifying Premier who truly understands the needs of all New Brunswickers. More than ever, we need a Premier who can give hope to all New Brunswickers, regardless of their linguistic community or origins.

We ask you, dear members of the Progressive Conservative Party, to begin a leadership review before February 9, 2023, the date set for the next State of the Province address.

On that note, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year in 2023,

Signatories:

• Alexandre Cédric Doucet, president, Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Alain Sirois, Vice President, New Brunswick Federation of Labour; Director of francophone membership, Public Service Alliance of Canada – Atlantique
• Allain Roy, president, Théâtre populaire de l’Acadie
• Annette Hondas, president, Association francophone des parents du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Bruno Poirier, general director, Communauté et loisirs Nouveau-Brunswick
• Carmen Gibbs, general director, Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Colleen Coffey, regional executive vice-president, Public Service Alliance of Canada – Atlantic
• Daniel Légère, president, New Brunswick Federation of Labour
• David Décarie, president, Théâtre l’Escaouette
• Elizabeth Weir, former MLA and former NDP-NB leader, O.N.B
• Florian Arseneault, president, Association des juristes d’expression française du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Franck Senda, president, Association de la communauté congolaise de Moncton
• Geneviève Latour, president, Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Ghislaine Foulem, president, Conseil pour le développement de l’alphabétisme et des compétences des adultes du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Hélène Albert, president, Association des bibliothécaires, professeures et professeurs de l’Université de Moncton
• Jacinthe Comeau, general director, Réseau atlantique de diffusion des arts de la scène
• Jacques Verge, general director, Égalité Santé en français
• Jane Keith, Vice-President, Canadian Parents for French – NB
• Jean-Paul Soucy, president, Société culturelle régionale Les Chutes
• Jean-Pierre Ouellet, mayor, Haut-Madawaska
• Jean-Sébastien Léger, president, Fédération des étudiantes et étudiants du Campus universitaire de Moncton
• Jennifer Murray, Atlantic Regional Director, UNIFOR
• Jessica Lebreton, general director, Club plein air de Caraquet
• Larry Cook, International Association of Firefighters
• Léo-James Lévesque, Assistant Professor, FSL Methodology Specialist, St. Thomas University
• Liette Paulin-LeBlanc, general director, Salon du livre de Dieppe
• Linda LeBlanc, president, Société des enseignantes et enseignants retraités francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Lisa Parent, mayor, Rivière-Verte
• Mamadou Diallo, president, Conseil provincial des personnes d’ascendance africaine du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Marcel Larocque, president, Association francophone des aîné.es du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Marie-Thérèse Landry, general director, Conseil provincial des sociétés culturelles
• Matthew Hayes, spokesperson, New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants Rights and professor of sociology, St. Thomas University
• Maude Sonier, president, Fédération des jeunes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Nathalie Brideau, president, Association des enseignant.es francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Normand G. Thériault, president, Coopérative de développement régional Acadie
• Philippe Beaulieu, president, Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Réjean Hall, president, Association des bibliothécaires et professeurs retraités de l’Université de Moncton
• René Léger, general director, Centre culturel Aberdeen
• Robert Frenette, president, Fondation des Jeux de l’Acadie
• Robert Levesque, president, Fédération des conseils d’éducation du Nouveau-Brunswick
• Roseline Pelletier, Mayor, Lac-Baker
• Sophie Lagueux, general director, Société culturelle régionale Les Chutes
• Stephen Drost, president, CUPE-NB
• Terry Richardson, Chief of Pabineau First Nation
• Yves Arsenault, president, Société des Jeux de l’Acadie
• Yvon Godin, president, Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick