Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers says he is “extremely disappointed” Premier Higgs has chosen to continue to partner with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a court case against carbon pricing.

Higgs revealed his decision after meeting with Ford in Ontario this week.

“Last week Premier Higgs said he accepted the fact that the federal election results proved to him that New Brunswickers believe climate change is real and we need to change our behavior in the province.”

“Now this week it appears Doug Ford has convinced him to continue spending New Brunswick taxpayer’s dollars on supporting Ontario’s case in a court battle that has little chance of success. That’s extremely concerning. We should be using our resources to come up with a carbon pricing plan that works for New Brunswick.”

“We shouldn’t be spending one cent on helping Doug Ford fight a plan to address climate change.”

The Environment has been identified as one of five priorities for the future by Vickers.

“Climate change is real and we have a responsibility to do our part to address it,” he said. “A made in New Brunswick carbon plan needs to be a top priority of this government.

“Last week I was encouraged by what the premier said after the federal election showed where New Brunswickers stand on climate change. Today I couldn’t be more disappointed. We need strong leadership from the premier’s office on the environment. Unfortunately, the premier’s priorities don’t appear to be the same as New Brunswickers’ priorities on this file.”