FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservatives have been noticeably less present on the campaign trail compared to the Liberals and Greens.
Since the Sept. 19 election call, there have been at least 10 days on which Tory Leader Blaine Higgs has had no public events.
The Liberals and Greens, meanwhile, have scheduled some sort of event on almost every campaign day, with less than one week to go before the vote.
As well, the Progressive Conservatives have made significantly fewer election promises than have their main two opponents.
Higgs has brushed off suggestions his campaign is light on activities, suggesting recently that despite the comparatively few public events, his schedule is filled from Monday through to Saturday night.
J.P. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, calls Higgs’s strategy “different,” saying it goes against the norm of how parties have traditionally campaigned in provincial or federal elections.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
