Duncan Dee: Voters deserve debate on ideas, not spin

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Will the real Blaine Higgs please stand up? The current Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde routine needs to be clarified before the next election. Is he the premier who established an unprecedented, consensus-seeking all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee or is he the one-man show that alienated several PC MLAs, all of whom appear to have had a commonality of experience under his leadership?

Which is it? Because these are not minor distinctions and voters deserve to know who they choose as premier for another term.

Leadership, in politics or in life, is more than about winning arguments. It is also about bringing those around you along. It isn’t always about seeking consensus because, sometimes, consensus isn’t possible, but it is always about ensuring the team can still look at themselves in the mirror and their constituents in the eyes, especially after controversial decisions are made.

While the recent turmoil within the PC Party has largely been put to rest, questions remain and the recent early departure by Gary Crossman underscores how raw emotions are. Following his resignation, Mr. Crossman said: “My personal and political beliefs no longer align in many ways with the direction of our party and government.”

It isn’t unusual for MLAs to announce their retirement before a general election. What is unusual are the swipes PC MLAs are taking as they depart. But New Brunswick deserves more than that. They need a genuine debate on the future of the province. So far, that debate remains elusive.

Whether it is the PC Party’s decision to unearth a decade-old quote by Susan Holt on school closures or the Liberal decision to describe a meeting attended by the premier as “fringe,” the politics of the “drive-by cheap shot” must be rejected.

If the PC team believes unearthing tired quotes constitutes a winning strategy, they should be reminded of the premier’s own CoR Party past which offers any opposition researcher a gold mine to do the same. And if the PC Party believes Ms. Holt saying schools should close when enrollment falls is a “gotcha” moment they’ve misread the situation. New Brunswick needs more, not fewer, politicians with the courage to say just that.

Similarly, the Holt team’s description of a meeting attended by conservatives in Ottawa as representing the “fringe” only serves to underscore that the adults aren’t in charge of the Liberal war room. Among those in attendance were three former Prime Ministers from allied countries including Boris Johnson who led the British Conservatives to their largest majority in 32 years. Hardly the “fringe”.

So, if there is a message that should be heard by the parties it’s this: “grow up.” Give voters the debate of ideas that they deserve. Enough with the spin, smears and scandals. Focus on substance. Anyone seeking to become premier owes the voters that much.

Duncan Dee is a former chief operating officer at Air Canada and a member of the panel appointed to review the Canada Transportation Act in 2016. A Brunswick News columnist, he resides in Grand-Barachois.