Last week, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs visited Abbotsford, British Columbia for an unusual purpose. Higgs hosted a fundraiser and “Q&A session” for an audience of roughly 100 Abbotsford locals, to support his campaign for the upcoming New Brunswick provincial election in October 2024.
Though legal, his actions raised the eyebrows of many of Higgs’ opponents and some critics.
“To me, this isn’t about the technicalities of it—it’s about the politics of it,” said J.P. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick.
“I’m curious if some of the focus was on ‘Policy 713’,” said Lewis, correctly referring to a piece of NB legislation that now compels school teachers to get parent’s consent before using the preferred name or pronouns for students under 16.
CIVL Radio covered the fundraising event and spoke with Lewis to break down the political and cultural context behind Higgs’ visit.
