FREDERICTON, New Brunswick (LifeSiteNews) — Members of New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Party have come out to defend Premier Blane Higgs who has faced consistent attacks from politicians and members of the media for insisting teachers in his province must keep parents informed about students’ “gender identity.”
“We are all in support of the premier,” Moncton Southwest riding president Sherry MacEachren told local media outlet Brunswick News earlier this month. “From what I could tell, there was overwhelming support for the premier from the riding associations.”
Fredericton-Grand Lake riding president Mark Paul-Elias echoed the sentiment, noting, “There were a few people who weren’t happy with what was going on and you’re going to have that. You have 73 people in a room, they’re not all going to be happy.”
Paul-Elias also noted that “the people who are upset are going to make the most noise” but despite that, the premier has the support of the “silent majority.”
“The fact that someone would ask for a review doesn’t necessarily mean they want the premier removed,” he continued. “To me, they might be asking for a reaffirmation of his leadership. From where I sit, the premier is the right man at the right time to lead this party.”
The vote of confidence from citizens and party members comes amid a push from twenty-six riding presidents to review Higgs’ leadership.
The letter from the twenty-six riding presidents claims the request is not solely on account of Higgs’ alteration of Policy 713 – the province’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity policy – which under Higgs’ will ensure that parents are informed if their children start identifying as something other than their biological sex.
“This is about a pattern of autocratic leadership over the past three years that has resulted in serious missteps and the undermining of New Brunswickers’ confidence in the Progressive Conservative government,” the disgruntled group wrote.
Higgs has also faced condemnation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his pro-family policy, who claimed, “Right now, trans kids in New Brunswick are being told they don’t have the right to be their true selves, that they need to ask permission.”
Regardless of the opinions expressed by the political establishment and the mainstream press, recent polling shows that the majority of Canadians agree with Higgs’ views on parental rights in public schools.
According to a national poll conducted by Leger in May, nearly three in five Canadians hold that schools must inform parents if their child considers “changing” their gender pronouns or “transitioning” at school.