The Liberals’ return to power in New Brunswick could be attributed to a referendum on Premier Blaine Higgs. But it was also a rejection of a grievance politics that favours anger over substance.
What's really funny is he tried hard to pander to the Alliance fascists and convoy guys (of which there are a lot in NB), but they weren't interested in turning out for him. Sure they hate trans people, but they also hate masking, social distancing and vaccines, which are all things they consider him a traitor for pushing in 2020. The amount of extreme right people who are simultaneously whining about Holt and the Liberals but also I-told-you-so-ing about Higgs and his "mandatory vaccine" agenda is a great sign of their current inability to organize.
In a weird way, Oct 7 was also a critical moment in collapsing the anti-trans movement in NB. In September 2023 there were anti-trans rallies in every city that were massive by the standards of New Brunswick organizing, but then October came, and there was a schism between the fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, with the Christians immediately turning on the Muslims. Muslim groups switched focus to protesting Canada's participation in genocide, Christian groups didn't want anything to do with them, and queer people turned out to the Palestine rally and started forming crucial connections with the Muslim communities. Really powerful example of the importance of solidarity in breaking down barriers and building coalitions.
What's really funny is he tried hard to pander to the Alliance fascists and convoy guys (of which there are a lot in NB), but they weren't interested in turning out for him. Sure they hate trans people, but they also hate masking, social distancing and vaccines, which are all things they consider him a traitor for pushing in 2020. The amount of extreme right people who are simultaneously whining about Holt and the Liberals but also I-told-you-so-ing about Higgs and his "mandatory vaccine" agenda is a great sign of their current inability to organize.
In a weird way, Oct 7 was also a critical moment in collapsing the anti-trans movement in NB. In September 2023 there were anti-trans rallies in every city that were massive by the standards of New Brunswick organizing, but then October came, and there was a schism between the fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, with the Christians immediately turning on the Muslims. Muslim groups switched focus to protesting Canada's participation in genocide, Christian groups didn't want anything to do with them, and queer people turned out to the Palestine rally and started forming crucial connections with the Muslim communities. Really powerful example of the importance of solidarity in breaking down barriers and building coalitions.