N.B. election: Higgs went to ‘very dark place’ with Liberal joke, opponent says
Higgs shared the anecdote, which he told the crowd was a “true” event, at the end of his campaign launch speech Thursday evening in Quispamsis, N.B.
A joke about a deceased Liberal supporter has put New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs in a difficult position, just hours after the start of the province’s election campaign.
Higgs shared the anecdote, which he claimed was a “true” story, at the conclusion of his campaign launch speech on Thursday evening in Quispamsis, N.B.
He recounted an incident involving a canvasser from his 2014 campaign who was going door-to-door to speak with constituents. Higgs explained that the volunteer spoke with a woman who assured her that she would be voting for Higgs. However, the joke took a controversial turn when the volunteer moved on to the neighbor’s door.
“And the lady said, ‘Oh, you don’t need to go there. She passed away a few weeks ago,’” Higgs stated.
He continued, “And this campaigner — you know, very passionate individual — said, ‘I’m so sorry. Was she sick long? Or what happened?’ And the lady just said, ‘Oh, don’t feel too bad. She was a Liberal.’”
While the audience found the joke amusing, Liberal Leader Susan Holt criticized it as a sign of “a complete lack of judgment on the premier’s part,” especially since Higgs himself mentioned that his wife had advised him against telling it.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the person who’s supposed to be leading our province. It’s a concern we’ve had for some time, as we’ve seen the rhetoric and particularly the partisan nature directed at partisans,” Holt said on Friday. She noted that there has been division in the legislature, contrasting it with the usual political cooperation in New Brunswick.
“When the premier’s talking about dead Liberals and laughing about it, it certainly raises concerning temperatures,” she added.
Green Party Leader David Coon also expressed disapproval, calling the joke “inappropriate” and suggesting that Higgs was “descending into a very dark place.”
“I don’t know what has happened to the man, but he’s certainly changed from the individual who was elected (premier) in 2018,” Coon remarked.
