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Higgs reverses exclusion of rebellious MLAs from committees

The Higgs government has reversed itself on a decision to exclude former cabinet ministers from a large number of legislative committees.

Former ministers who landed few positions in October changes get new roles

Jacques Poitras · CBC News ·
A man and a woman sitting beside each other. A man, looking down, sits in front of them.
Jeff Carr, back left, Trevor Holder and Dorothy Shephard at a committee meeting in November. Carr has now been given four more committee assignments and Shephard is now a member of the public accounts committee. (Alix Villeneuve/Radio-Canada)

The Higgs government has reversed itself on a decision to exclude former cabinet ministers from a large number of legislative committees.

In October, the Progressive Conservative majority in the legislature overhauled the membership of committees to reflect a major caucus revolt and cabinet shuffle in June.

Two ministers quit in June and two others were shuffled out of their jobs. They were among six PC MLAs who voted against the government on a motion about the province's policy on pronouns and gender identity in schools. 

Some of the so-called "rebellious" MLAs found themselves with few committee assignments. 

Opposition MLAs said that Premier Blaine Higgs was trying to prevent them from bringing their experience to the committees, review legislation, study issues and hold departments to account for their spending.

A man with grey hair and glasses addresses microphones in a hallyway.
Opposition MLAs said that Premier Blaine Higgs was trying to prevent the so-called 'rebellious' MLAs from bringing their experience to the committees, review legislation, study issues and hold departments to account for their spending. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

But in a motion this week, the government reversed some of the changes.

"We're always kind of modifying them in some degree and you probably can answer your own question in some areas, but it's what we think works now," Higgs told reporters at the legislature Thursday. 

"We do hope that our committee members that are supporting government are supporting government." 

Dorothy Shephard, the Saint John Lancaster MLA and former health minister who was excluded from the public accounts committee is now a member.

That means she'll be in a position to question Auditor-General Paul Martin next month when he releases the second part of his audit on the province's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A woman sits at a table in front of a laptop computer in the new Brunswick legislature.
Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West MLA Andrea Anderson-Mason, a minister shuffled out of cabinet in 2020 and removed from five of her seven committee positions in October, was put back in two of them. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

New Maryland-Sunbury MLA Jeff Carr, who was placed on only three committees in October, has now been given four more committee assignments.

And Andrea Anderson-Mason, the Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West MLA who was shuffled out of cabinet in 2020 and  removed from five of her seven committee positions in October, has been put back in two of them.

MLAs get an additional $125 for each committee day, but the role means extra work and additional travel to Fredericton.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacques Poitras

Provincial Affairs reporter

Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. He grew up in Moncton and covered Parliament in Ottawa for the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. He has reported on every New Brunswick election since 1995 and won awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the National Newspaper Awards and Amnesty International. He is also the author of five non-fiction books about New Brunswick politics and history.

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