Debate bombshell by Tory leader seen by observer as move of desperation
FREDERICTON — At least one political observer in New Brunswick says the decision by Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs to drop a political bombshell during the first debate of the provincial election campaign was just a desperate attempt to secure an electoral win.
Donald Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick, says Higgs’ claim that he was offered the job of finance minister in the newly elected Liberal government in 2014 was just odd.
“I’ve never seen that before,” Wright said Thursday. “It struck me as a desperate Hail Mary pass, hoping against hope that it would be caught in the end zone. But who the hell knows what will happen?”
Liberal Premier Brian Gallant refuted the claim during the televised debate, and he later issued a statement saying while there were meetings with the former finance minister, there was no job offer.