Opposition accuses N.B. premier of failing to act on harassment allegations
FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s official Opposition has accused Premier Brian Gallant of failing to act swiftly on allegations of harassment against the Speaker of the legislature, suggesting the Liberals were trying to cover up the matter.
Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs said in a statement Friday that Gallant was told about the allegations against Chris Collins on Feb. 17, but reconvened the legislature on March 13 with Collins in the Speaker’s chair.
Higgs said the premier then called a supposedly “urgent” news conference Thursday evening to announce that Collins had been suspended from the Liberal caucus — a day-and-a-half after learning a former employee of the legislative assembly was going ahead with the allegations.
Tory justice critic Hugh Flemming said the lag time is perplexing and that the premier should have started an investigation into the matter as soon as he learned about it.