New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs expected to call provincial election today

By The Canadian Press on September 19, 2024.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs makes a harmonized sales tax announcement in Moncton, N.B., on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Higgs has said he plans this morning to seek approval from Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy to dissolve the legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward

FREDERICTON – A 33-day provincial election campaign is expected to officially get started today in New Brunswick.

Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs has said he plans to visit Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy this morning to have the legislature dissolved.

Higgs, a 70-year-old former oil executive, is seeking a third term in office, having led the province since 2018.

The campaign ahead of the Oct. 21 vote is expected to focus on pocketbook issues, but the government’s provocative approach to gender identity issues could also be in the spotlight.

The Tory premier has already announced he will try to win over inflation-weary voters by promising to lower the harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent if re-elected.

Higgs’s main rivals are Liberal Leader Susan Holt and Green Party Leader David Coon, both of whom are focusing on economic and social issues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.