New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs’s uncharacteristic tweet attacking the prime minister could be a case of “doubling down” and appealing to a certain base of voters, according to a political scientist from the province.
In a tweet sent last Friday that has now had more than a million views, the premier called out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — alleging he “does not support the role of parents in guiding their children’s future.”
At issue is the Higgs government’s controversial review and changes to Policy 713, which sets up standards to ensure an inclusive environment for LGBTQ2 children in schools.
The updated policy removes wording that allowed students under 16 to use their preferred name in the classroom. Now, students who cannot receive parental consent will be referred to school support staff to help them feel comfortable telling their parents.
There is still some confusion as to whether that means teachers will be barred from using preferred names without parental consent.
The prime minister weighed in on the controversy last week while speaking at a fundraiser for the LGBTQ2 charity, Rainbow Railroad, in Toronto.
Trudeau told the crowd that trans kids need to feel safe, not “targeted by politicians” and that there was “angry, hateful rhetoric on the rise.”
“Far-right political actors are trying to outdo themselves with the types of cruelty and isolation they can inflict on these already vulnerable people,” said Trudeau.
“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.”
Higgs’ tweet on Saturday not only took aim at Trudeau, but also at New Brunswick Opposition Leader Susan Holt.
“Susan Holt and Justin Trudeau do not believe that parents need to be involved in such critical discussions as gender identity, even in elementary aged children as young as 4 years old,” his post read.
Higgs went on to tout his party’s changes to Policy 713, saying that it achieves “balance.”
“We believe parents must engage and clearly indicate their support for the role they play in guiding children in these very vulnerable stages of their life,” he wrote.
Tweet is ‘notable’
J.P. Lewis, a political science professor from the University of New Brunswick, said Higgs’ “political image is not defined by social media at all,” so his recent tweet is “notable.”
“What does that mean? I’m not sure if this falls into federal-provincial squabbles as usual, if this policy issue has sparked something different in the premier where he has decided to go to these means to communicate his position,” said Lewis, “(or) whether or not he sees he might be losing a battle within caucus.”
Stress has begun showing within the Progressive Conservative caucus in the midst of the Policy 713 review and changes. Last week, eight PC dissidents, including six ministers in Higgs’s 18-member cabinet, sat out on question period and other legislative business in protest against the changes.
Higgs later told reporters the disagreement within his party “potentially could force an election.”
Lewis said while Higgs’ use of social media is surprising, his reaction to Trudeau’s comments is not as much of a shock.
“This issue has really captured most of the discourse, at least at the party and legislative level in New Brunswick,” he said.
“Defending yourself while attacking the prime minister is a bit of like doubling down and appealing to a base of voters who may be supportive of this issue and also don’t like the prime minister.”
As to why Policy 713 has become such a heated political issue so quickly, and with so much “drama,” Lewis said he’s unsure.
He said while LGBTQ2 and trans rights are a “dominant issue” in the United States currently, it’s not the case in the province.
“I think it’s totally different than in the United States where this has become like an appeal to conservatives like this issue. So for politicians, they latch onto that. It’s fundraising. It kind of fits the culture war that’s going on,” he said.
He said in New Brunswick, the debates on the topic may be “simmering” but it hasn’t been top of mind until recently.
“I’m not saying it’s not an important issue, but for it to suddenly take up all the political space — (it) beats me.”
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