(LifeSiteNews) — New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Party held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, October 25 — and the event was marked by both chaos and a public declaration of Christian conviction.

Micah Williamson, who describes himself in his bio as “a follower of Jesus, husband, father, small business owner, and community leader living in the rural riding of Kings Centre, New Brunswick,” was acclaimed as secretary of the party.

But in a strange twist, the minutes of the previous AGM appeared to have gone entirely missing; Williamson discovered this when he received a text from the executive director around 3 p.m. on Friday, October 24. This was significant because the minutes are the record of what had previously been discussed. It appears likely that they were simply not recorded due to a lapse or oversight.

“This showed a lack of respect for the governing rules of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick,” Williamson said. He had drafted a series of provisions on the previous Tuesday, when he discovered that the outgoing secretary would not be attending the AGM and that he would, after his acclamation, be responsible for recording the minutes. The proposed provision requested that the microphone at the meeting be recorded, with a backup recording being taken on the platform to ensure that the minutes were captured.

Party president Erika Hachey did not acknowledge that the minutes of the previous AGM were either missing or had not been recorded. Neither did any other party official. Going forward, Williamson said, he hopes to ensure greater accountability by instituting a “flight checklist” to ensure that these lapses don’t happen again.

Despite the chaos, Williamson pledged to work hard going forward to bring accountability, fueled by his Christian convictions.

“Anyone who wants to be the secretary, regional vice president, president, leader, premier, or Canadian citizen needs to be responsible,” he stated in his acceptance speech. “We can’t function as a society without responsibility. That is the foundational principle for my bid to be your secretary.”

“Everyone one of us will be called to account,” Williamson emphasized. “We need to expect our time, money, words, and actions to someday be called into account. Not just by each other, or inside our party, but from the public, and I don’t know what you believe, but I believe, by Jesus himself.”

Williamson, who is a board member at the Sandy Cove Bible Camp and a member of Browns Flat Baptist Church, told the AGM that it is “a humbling privilege” to serve in the position, and that elected officials are “not perfect, they don’t always hit the mark, but they certainly should give their best. Shouldn’t they? After all, isn’t that what we expect of each other?”

To acknowledge accountability before God in a political speech is rare in liberal New Brunswick, but Williamson’s words were well-received — and in the light of the chaos and irregularities that governed the AGM, his commitment to excellence and accountability is surely needed.

Former Premier Blaine Higgs, who arrived at the AGM after Williamson delivered his acceptance speech, stated in an interview that it is difficult to watch “the mess that is being created right now in the province.” Higgs faced pushback from the party when he introduced a policy in June 2023 requiring parental consent before teachers could use new “preferred pronouns” and socially transition children at school.

After their election last October, the Liberals scrapped the policy in December 2024, but Higgs’ move opened the conversation across the country, triggering other premiers to adopt or advocate similar policies.