Higgs on the defensive during debate, accuses Liberal leader of making things up

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs, taking the stage in an election debate Wednesday, defended his management of health-care problems in New Brunswick, while two other party leaders promised to do a better job.

With just over three weeks to go until the Oct. 21 election, Higgs, Liberal Leader Susan Holt and Green Leader David Coon faced off in Moncton over a range of subjects, including health care, housing, education, Indigenous title claims, and the gender identity policy for schools.

Throughout the debate, Higgs was on the defensive and during the health-care discussion, accused Holt of lying about the number of New Brunswickers waiting for a family doctor.

New Brunswick Votes 2024: Leaders on the Record was moderated by CBC New Brunswick host Clare MacKenzie and provincial affairs reporter Jacques Poitras. 

On health care, Higgs pointed to his promise to expand the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, nurses and other health-care professionals, and said he wants the province's two health authorities to collaborate more.

Higgs called out Holt several times for what he called inaccurate numbers, mainly after Holt said there are 180,000 people in the province without access to a doctor, which he called an "absolute falsehood."

Numbers shared by the PC Party say that the number of people registered on New Brunswick Health Link, without access to a doctor, was 38,446. An additional 62,940 New Brunswickers are registered who don't have a doctor but receive primary care services through existing clinics. 

However, a Liberal Party spokesperson said the 180,000 number comes from a study by the New Brunswick Health Council from June, which found that only 79 per cent of New Brunswickers had access to a primary care physician in 2023.

Statistics Canada estimated that 834,691 people lived in New Brunswick in 2023, and 21 percent of that, which according to the Health Council study does not have access to a primary care physician, would be 175,285 people. 

Higgs also said his government tabled the largest health-care budget in the province's history. 

On the issue of safe-injection sites for people using drugs, Holt did not answer when asked if she would fund any more safe-injection sites.

She said that she is not aware of any new applications for them and that the province needs more treatment beds for people with addictions.

Higgs said there will be no more safe-injection sites if his government is re-elected. Instead, he pushed the proposed  Compassionate Intervention Act, which would have allowed the government to force some people into treatment.

"I don't know how much longer we can continue just to walk on by individuals that need our help, that are crying for help in many cases and think it's okay to keep them on drugs and have that be in existence," Higgs said.