Blaine Higgs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blaine Higgs
Higgs in 2024
34th Premier of New Brunswick
In office November 9, 2018 – November 2, 2024
Monarch	Elizabeth II Charles III
Lieutenant Governor	Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau Brenda Murphy
Deputy	Robert Gauvin (2018–20)
Preceded by	Brian Gallant
Succeeded by	Susan Holt
Leader of the Opposition
In office October 22, 2016 – November 9, 2018
Preceded by	Bruce Fitch
Succeeded by	Brian Gallant
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
In office October 22, 2016 – October 28, 2024
Preceded by	Bruce Fitch (interim)
Succeeded by	Glen Savoie (interim)
Minister of Finance
In office October 12, 2010 – October 7, 2014
Premier	David Alward
Preceded by	Greg Byrne
Succeeded by	Roger Melanson
Member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for Quispamsis
In office September 27, 2010 – September 19, 2024
Preceded by	Mary Schryer
Succeeded by	Aaron Kennedy
Personal details
Born	Blaine Myron Higgs (1954-03-01) March 1, 1954 (age 71) Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Other political affiliations	Confederation of Regions (1989–2002)
Spouse	Marcia Higgs

Blaine Myron Higgs (born March 1, 1954) is a Canadian politician. He was the 34th Premier of New Brunswick from 2018 to 2024. He also led the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) from 2016 to 2024.

Higgs studied engineering at the University of New Brunswick. He then worked for Irving Oil for 33 years. Early in his political life, he joined the New Brunswick Confederation of Regions Party. He ran for its leadership in 1989.

As a Progressive Conservative, Higgs was first elected to the legislature in 2010. He served as the Minister of Finance from 2010 to 2014. This was under Premier David Alward. In the 2018 provincial election, Higgs led the PCs to win the most seats. They formed a minority government.

Higgs and the PCs were re-elected in the 2020 provincial election. This time, they won a majority government. In the 2024 New Brunswick general election, Higgs and his party lost their bid for a third term. The Liberals won a majority government. Higgs also lost his own seat in the area of Quispamsis. This was the first time since 1987 that a sitting New Brunswick Premier lost their own election. Higgs resigned as leader of the Progressive Conservative party a week later.

Early Life and Education

Blaine Myron Higgs was born on March 1, 1954. His birthplace was Woodstock, New Brunswick. His father, Carl, was a customs officer. His mother, Bertha, was a teacher. Higgs grew up in Forest City. This is a small community near the Canada–United States border.

He went to a small elementary school where his mother and aunt taught him. Later, he attended Canterbury High School. After high school, Higgs studied mechanical engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton.

Career at Irving Oil

Higgs finished his engineering degree from UNB in 1977. He started working for Irving Oil right away. He worked there for 33 years. During this time, he moved up in the company. He completed executive management training at Queen's University in 1993. He also took finance and leadership courses at Babson Executive Training and Education. Higgs retired from Irving Oil in 2010. By then, he was the director of logistics and distribution.

Early Political Activities

Higgs first supported the Liberal Association. He later left because he felt the party lacked "common-sense democracy." While working at Irving Oil, Higgs became involved with the Confederation of Regions Party (CoR). In 1989, Higgs ran to become the leader of the CoR Party.

MLA for Quispamsis

On May 6, 2010, Higgs began his campaign for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. This was for the 2010 provincial elections. He ran for the Progressive Conservative Party. He represented the area of Quispamsis. Higgs said that property taxes were a big issue in the Kennebecasis Valley. During his campaign, he talked about his past with the CoR Party. He said his views had changed since then.

Minister of Finance

On October 12, 2010, Higgs became the Minister of Finance. He was also responsible for several other corporations. He served as Minister of Human Resources until October 9, 2012. While Higgs was Minister of Finance, a decision was made to stop regular payments to pension plans. This later caused problems for union members.

Progressive Conservative Party Leadership

Higgs represents the area of Quispamsis as a member of the legislature. On October 22, 2016, he became the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. He won the leadership election on the third ballot. He defeated former Saint John Mayor Mel Norton.

2018 Provincial Election

In the 2018 provincial election, Higgs and his party won 22 seats. The governing Liberal Party of New Brunswick won 21 seats. The Liberals tried to stay in power as a minority government. They presented a Throne Speech.

On November 2, 2018, the Progressive Conservatives and the People's Alliance voted against Premier Brian Gallant's Liberal government. They passed a non-confidence motion. The motion passed 25-23. The Progressive Conservatives then formed the government. They had the support of the People's Alliance.

Premier of New Brunswick (2018–2024)

Higgs became Premier on November 9, 2018. He was 64 years old. This made him the oldest person to become Premier in New Brunswick history. In April 2019, he became the oldest Premier ever in New Brunswick history. He passed Leonard Percy de Wolfe Tilley for this record.

Economic Policy

In 2019, Higgs started to remove some financial aid programs for students. His party said programs like the Timely Completion Benefit were "very costly." The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick thought a tuition tax credit would help more students. Students across the province criticized this decision. They said it removed reasons to stay in New Brunswick for work or study.

In 2020, Higgs decided not to join a federal program for public transit. He later said he "misunderstood details" of the program. He claimed the money was for big projects. But the program was for daily costs and lost income due to the pandemic. Other smaller provinces like Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia received money from this program.

Equalization Payments

In 2018, Higgs suggested cutting equalization payments. These payments go to provinces that need more financial support, like New Brunswick. New Brunswick's budget for 2018-19 included $1.8 billion from these payments. Higgs thought that if provinces received less federal money, they might change their views on developing natural resources.

Labour Relations

Higgs's government faced a strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in late 2021. About 20,000 workers went on strike for 16 days. These workers were in education, health, and transportation. On November 14, Higgs's government reached an agreement with CUPE. The agreement included raising wages for the workers.

First Nations Relations

In 2020, some First Nations chiefs asked the government to investigate racism. This followed the deaths of Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi. The chiefs later left a meeting with Higgs. This was because he would not agree to an independent investigation. They said they were "losing faith" in him. In 2021, the government decided to hire an independent commissioner instead of holding a public inquiry. Indigenous leaders were disappointed with this plan.

In 2021, the government ended tax-sharing agreements with 13 Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqey First Nations. They did this without talking to the First Nations first.

Later in 2021, Wolastoqey Chiefs filed a major land claim. Higgs said this claim "impacts every single land owner" in the province. He claimed it could lead to Indigenous people controlling 60 percent of the province's land. This included private homes and businesses. However, the chiefs' court filing only named five forestry companies, NB Power, and the federal and provincial governments.

In 2021, New Brunswick's Attorney General Ted Flemming sent a memo. It told government employees to stop using Indigenous territorial acknowledgements that mentioned 'unceded' or 'unsurrendered' land. This policy caused strong reactions. Some of Higgs's own cabinet members disagreed with it.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Higgs making a COVID-19 announcement in March 2020

Higgs led the provincial government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick. On March 19, 2020, the government declared a state of emergency. Higgs himself tested positive for COVID-19 on December 31, 2021.

2020 Re-election

Higgs believed that stable government was needed for the next phase of the pandemic. A quick election was called on August 17, 2020. Higgs and the Progressive Conservatives were re-elected. They won a majority government in the 2020 provincial election on September 14.

Fiscal Activities

Credit rating agencies and media outlets have praised Higgs's government. They noted his success in creating budget surpluses. He also reduced the provincial debt. The debt had grown since 2007-2008. On March 31, 2018, the debt was $13.9 billion. By March 31, 2024, it was down to $11.8 billion.

In 2022, Moody's Ratings improved the province's credit rating. In 2024, they upgraded it again. S&P Global Ratings also improved its credit rating for New Brunswick in 2023. They said the government was committed to careful spending. In 2022, the Fraser Institute ranked Higgs first among Canadian premiers. This was for his province's financial performance.

Even though Higgs's government had surpluses, there was some criticism. The opposition Liberals and Greens argued that Higgs was not spending enough. They felt more money was needed for public services like health care, education, and housing.

2023 Leadership Challenges

In May 2023, the Department of Education announced a review of Policy 713. This policy dealt with student identity in schools. Higgs supported the review. He stated that parents "deserve to be aware if their child goes by a different name or pronouns in school." On June 8, 2023, the policy was changed.

Some groups criticized the changes to Policy 713. They said it could force students to reveal their identity before they were ready. However, polls showed that many Canadians supported policies requiring schools to inform parents.

On June 15, Minister of Social Development Dorothy Shephard resigned. She voted for a motion to study Policy 713 further. She later said her resignation was due to frustration with Higgs's leadership style.

Higgs received letters from his own party members. These letters asked for a review of his leadership. Some letters were not accepted. Many Progressive Conservative politicians announced they would not run for re-election in 2024. Some, like Jeff Carr and Daniel Allain, said the party had changed under Higgs. Allain disagreed with the party's focus on social conservatism.

Electoral Record

Quispamsis