In a year-end interview, Higgs says while soaring case counts, voter anger and plunging poll numbers are discouraging, he has no interest in retiring early and will continue working through his to-do list in 2022 and beyond.

"I don't know if I'm looking like I'm getting tired of being premier or what," he said. "But no, it hasn't affected my duration, at least as far as my motivation to continue on with some of the major files that we're working on."

Nor would his COVID-19 troubles influence his decision on whether to seek another mandate in 2024, when he'll be 70 years old.

"It's not going to play a role in my decision in that regard, and I obviously haven't made any decisions in that regard," he said.

The premier also defended his handling of COVID-19, an approach that was praised early in the pandemic but that has drawn criticism since the late summer, when cases began increasing after a full reopening July 30.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs getting his second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in June of this year, being administered by Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health. While praised for his early efforts to control COVID-19, the last months of 2021 have not been as kind to the premier. (Stephen MacGillivray/The Canadian Press)

Higgs has acknowledged the lifting of all restrictions happened too early, declaring in October that "we may have made mistakes along the way" but insisting the decisions were based on the best information available at the time.

"We work together as a team to put the full package together that we think is in the best interests," he said in the CBC year-end interview.

"It isn't a unilateral decision, it isn't something where I throw darts at a wall and try to say, 'Well, will this work?' It's done through a basis of calculations to minimize risk."

On Oct. 21, the premier held a downbeat news conference where he sounded dejected about rising COVID numbers and reaching the grim milestone of 100 deaths.

"It is extremely hard to come to terms with the fact that COVID is here to stay," he said morosely. The pandemic that began little more than a year after he became premier had "consumed our mandate," he added.

He also complained about being the target of nasty comments.

"We all can become demoralized. We are all COVID-tired. But the individual comments do matter. They hurt. They hurt my team. They hurt myself. They hurt my family. They hurt our ability to get up and carry on as we must." 

Premier Blaine Higgs arrives at the Canadian Union of Public Employees' news conference at the foot of the legislature in early November. Difficult negotiations with many CUPE locals created a tense labour situation in the province this fall. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Higgs complained again in November during a two-week strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. He said being premier "is not a fun job and I'm not making it any more pleasant with what I'm going through right now."

But in the Dec. 15 year-end interview he sounded more upbeat, pointing to balanced budgets, the passage of local government reform and a new health plan as solid achievements.

COVID "definitely takes some time and consumes energy, but it's not detracting me from what our major initiatives are," he said.

Still on his to-do list are education reform to provide "more local involvement" and Indigenous issues, including defending the province against a title claim by Wolastoqey chiefs that he claims could affect all landowners in their traditional territory.

Higgs didn't rule out departing ahead of the next election, saying he doesn't want to be a drag on the party if it looks like his presence might help the Liberals win in 2024.

Three different polling firms have shown a drop in the premier's popularity since the summer and two have put the Liberals in first place in voting intentions. 

Premier Blaine Higgs, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn and St. Mary's First Nation Chief Allan Polchies. The Higgs government has had a rocky relationship with First Nations. (Shane Fowler)

"I'm not concerned at all with polls in the first year of our mandate," he said. "That's not unusual when governments make decisions and things are noisy, especially with the pandemic in the midst of it all."

He said he doesn't believe his caucus is "anxious" about the polls. But he added that if things still look bleak closer to the next election he'll have to consider how to safeguard his legacy.

"We are seeing New Brunswick being put on the map and I don't want to lose that momentum, and I can think of nothing more to squelch that momentum than a Liberal government," he said. 

"We'll do what's necessary to avoid that."

Forestry deal wouldn't head off title claim, Higgs says

Higgs said in the year-end interview he doesn't think forestry co-management and revenue-sharing would be enough to avoid a long legal battle with Wolastoqey chiefs over land title.

"They're two very different things," he said. "We're talking a monumental difference of a revenue source."

When the government cancelled gas-tax-revenue deals with First Nations in April, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn said a more "modern" approach would have the province and bands share revenues from forestry and mining operations in traditional territory.

Chief Patricia Bernard of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation and her fellow Wolastoqey chiefs have launched a title claim that Premier Blaine Higgs doubts can be stopped by the negotiation of mining and forestry royalties. (Logan Perley/CBC)

The province already has an agreement that allocates First Nations five per cent of the annual allowable cut on Crown land.

Chiefs have said they've approached the province about negotiating a more generous agreement but to no avail.

"It's pretty hard to have a meaningful discussion on forestry revenues and royalties, while at the same time you're being sued for the very land you walk on," Higgs said.

And he said he has no faith that a better wood agreement would persuade the chiefs to drop the title claim.

The premier says Madawaska First Nation Chief Patricia Bernard told him when he was finance minister almost a decade ago "that she would be coming to take ownership back of the province."

Bernard said last month that the title claim would not affect any landowners beyond the federal government, the province, five large forestry companies and N.B. Power.

Premier has 'evolved' on climate action

Higgs says he believes that carbon pricing is the reason Irving Oil announced in August that it was working with Calgary-based TC Energy with a goal of "decarbonizing current assets and deploying emerging technologies to reduce overall emissions."

The company, whose Saint John refinery is often the province's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, did not provide any targets or deadlines for reductions.

Higgs said he wasn't aware of any targets either but that the company had seen the writing on the wall with a global push to slow climate change through policies including carbon taxes.

"I think what they're looking at is the pricing model [and] the impact on on the operation going forward," he said. "They have to do something in order to be able to stay in the game.

"I think they recognize the costs of operation compared to the price on carbon and the rules and regulations on emissions will force changes in the operation in order to manage emissions and thus manage costs."

Higgs said he accepts that N.B. Power will have to stop burning coal in 2030, and he believes large industry is also evolving with the realities of carbon pricing and climate change. (NB Power)

Higgs himself continued his evolution on climate issues in 2021.

He accepted Ottawa's decision to force N.B. Power to abandon burning coal at its Belledune power plant by 2030 and he further entrenched the provincial carbon tax forced on him by federal policy.

"We've all evolved with it," Higgs said. "Whether their industries are being forced to change or not is not a debate anymore, because if you're going to be in business, you've got to change."

A proposed iron processing plant for Belledune that would have blown past provincial emissions targets "is not acceptable anymore," he said.