Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs speaks in Saint John on Sept. 7, 2020. (Photo: Brad Perry)
With the election just three days away, PC leader Blaine Higgs made one of his final appeals to voters Friday morning in Florenceville.
Higgs made no further announcements after unveiling the party’s platform in Fredericton Thursday, but restated the Tories case for forming a majority government.
“We have experience keeping New Brunswick safe, protected, and we have been successful together, because it’s been a team effort,” Higgs said, before pledging to continue the all-cabinet committee on dealing with the pandemic.
The PC leader struck an optimistic tone as he spoke about the next four years.
In particular, Higgs promised to ramp up healthcare delivery in the province, saying his government would get the industry up to 115 per cent of pre-pandemic productivity.
“We’re managing healthcare delivery, we’re working with professionals, we’re laying out a program to use nurse practitioners more. We want pharmacists to play a stronger role, and we’re addressing the chronic issues in a community like mental health and addiction,” Higgs said.
One piece missing from the PC’s platform was municipal reform, a topic which is seen as a priority by the City of Saint John.
Higgs said despite it not appearing in the party’s platform, he stands by his promise to work for municipal reform by 2022.
“Communities need to work more closely together,” he said. “That means we support the centres… we have a regional cooperation that we find ways to build up our regions.”
