It was a first at last night’s political debate for the five provincial leaders.
Progressive Conservative Blaine Higgs presented an affidavit, stating that shortly after the 2014 election, he was asked by Liberal leader Brian Gallant to be his Finance Minister.
Moncton Centre Incumbent MLA Chris Collins was a Liberal at the time. He says he clearly remembers this happening over lunch at the Crowne Plaza.
“The Premier was having lunch with Mr. Higgs, so I just briefly said “Hi” and I sat at my own table, had lunch and then left. But I later asked a Liberal staffer what that was all about and they told me that they were trying to get him to take the Finance Minister position in Cabinet and come over.”
During the CBC debate, Gallant responded to Higgs with a laugh and stated that Higgs was not invited to be the Finance Minister of their government.
“I think that the Liberal leader would have been well served to come out and basically say that it happened and that they were trying to find what was good for the province of New Brunswick. But to deny it, really shocked me,” Collins says
Collins is running as an Independent in the upcoming election.
The leaders will go head to head again tomorrow night in Fredericton. That debate will be broadcast live on Rogers TV.
