The New Brunswick Liberal Association (french: Association libérale du Nouveau-Brunswick), more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal ''Party'' or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major provincial
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
in
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, Canada. The party descended from both the
Confederation Party
''Confederation Party'' was a term for the parties supporting Canadian confederation in the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland in the 1860s when politics became polarised between supporters and opponents of Confederati ...
and the
Anti-Confederation Party
''Anti-Confederation'' was the name used in what is now the Maritimes by several parties opposed to Canadian Confederation. The Anti-Confederation parties were accordingly opposed by the Confederation Party, that is, the Conservative and Liberal ...
whose members split into
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
and
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
groups following the creation of Canada as a nation in 1867.
The current political organization emerged in the 1880s to serve as an organization housing the supporters of
Premier Andrew G. Blair and, later, federal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
leader
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
.
Today, the New Brunswick Liberal Party follows the
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
tradition. They compete with the
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right, conservative political party in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The party has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granti ...
to form the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. The
Green Party of New Brunswick
The Green Party of New Brunswick (french: Parti vert du Nouveau-Brunswick) was formed in November 2008 to run in provincial elections. It is a registered Green political party in New Brunswick, Canada. A founding convention was held on November 1 ...
is the only other party that has seats in the legislature. The
NDP
NDP may stand for:
Computing
* Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol
* Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP
* Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language
Government
* National ...
is not currently represented in the legislature.
Like its counterparts in the
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
provinces of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, and
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
, the New Brunswick Liberal Association serves both as the provincial chapter of the federal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
and as the provincial party. While its leader acts only in the provincial capacity, the party executive organizes for both provincial and federal election campaigns.
History
Early years and Andrew Blair
Prior to
Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...
, advocates of
responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...
ran under the labels "Reform" or "Liberal", while opponents of responsible government were known as "Conservatives". With the debates over confederation in the 1860s, the party lines which had emerged blurred as Reformers split along pro and anti-Confederation lines, resulting in
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
and
Anti-Confederation Parties.
Following 1867, supporters of Confederation generally became known as
Liberal-Conservative
Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...
s, or just Conservatives. Those who had been against confederation regrouped loosely as "Liberals", but did not become a coherent party until Andrew Blair, a supporter of Confederation, became
Premier of New Brunswick
The premier of New Brunswick ( French (masculine): ''premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'', or feminine: ''première ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
The ...
and forged members of his
parliamentary government
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of t ...
and their supporters into the New Brunswick Liberal Association in 1883.
Blair led a very successful government and served as the
Premier of New Brunswick
The premier of New Brunswick ( French (masculine): ''premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'', or feminine: ''première ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
The ...
for 13 years. He was New Brunswick's longest serving premier until his tenure was surpassed by
Richard Hatfield
Richard Bennett Hatfield (April 9, 1931 – April 26, 1991) was a New Brunswick politician and the longest serving premier of New Brunswick from 1970 to 1987.Richard Starr, ''Richard Hatfield, The Seventeen Year Saga,'' 1987,
Early life
T ...
nearly a century later.
Though Blair had not been a candidate in the
1896 federal election, he joined the
federal cabinet of Sir
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
shortly thereafter when Laurier approached a number of Liberal premiers to join his government and address its lack of experience. This move was not expected by the party and, although it remained in government for 12 more years, it went through a rapid succession of leaders.
Early 1900s
After Blair abruptly left the province to join Wilfrid Laurier's cabinet in 1896, the Liberals had a leadership vacuum.
James Mitchell, who had been
provincial secretary, served briefly as Premier, but Mitchell soon resigned the post due to ill health. Mitchell was replaced by
Henry Emmerson
Henry Robert Emmerson, (September 25, 1853 – July 9, 1914) was a New Brunswick lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist.
Henry Emmerson was educated at Amherst Academy, Mount Allison Academy, St. Joseph's College, Acadia Colle ...
, who showed some promise but lost the
confidence
Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...
of the house when he tried to introduce
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
in 1900.
The party was saved electoral disaster when
Lemuel J. Tweedie, a federal
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
, replaced Emmerson, and won two large majorities at
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
s. Though
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
could not be introduced in the province, he admitted women into the practice of law in 1906, and began the first major
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
project in New Brunswick at
Grand Falls. Tweedie unexpectedly accepted the appointment of
Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick in 1907, and the Liberals soon found themselves again in a leadership vacuum.
William Pugsley
William Pugsley (September 27, 1850 – March 3, 1925) was a politician and lawyer in New Brunswick, Canada.
Biography
He was born in Sussex, New Brunswick, the son of William Pugsley, of United Empire Loyalist descent, and Frances Jane Hay ...
became leader and premier, but left the post after a few months to join the Laurier's government in Ottawa. His replacement,
Clifford W. Robinson was able but the electorate grew weary of the ever-changing face at head of their government, and the Conservatives swept to power in 1908.
The Conservatives were an easy choice for many New Brunswickers in the
1908 provincial election as they had been led since 1899 by
John Douglas Hazen
Sir John Douglas Hazen, (June 5, 1860 – December 27, 1937) was a politician in New Brunswick, Canada.
Biography
Known by his second name, Douglas, he entered politics in 1885 when he was elected as an alderman for Fredericton City Counc ...
, a man with whom they had become familiar. Haven served only briefly, leaving in 1911 to join the federal cabinet of
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I.
Borde ...
, and was replaced by the charismatic and popular
James Kidd Flemming
James Kidd Flemming (April 27, 1868 – February 10, 1927) was a businessman and politician in New Brunswick, Canada.
Flemming was a school teacher and lumberman before entering politics and serving as Provincial Secretary-Treasurer from 1908 ...
. The Liberals were easily defeated by Flemming in
the 1912 election, however, after Flemming was forced to resign in 1914 over a fundraising scandal, the Liberals seemed on track to return to government. This likelihood was reinforced by the lackluster administration of
George Johnson Clarke who was in ill health throughout his term. The Liberals were victorious in the
1917 provincial election.
Dysart and McNair
In the midst of the depression, the Liberals made a resurgence in 1935 with
Allison Dysart
Albert Allison Dysart (March 22, 1880 – December 8, 1962) was a New Brunswick politician, lawyer and judge.
Dysart was born in Cocagne, New Brunswick and was educated at University of St. Joseph's College in Memramcook, the Ontario Agricul ...
becoming premier. McNair was Dysart's right hand, serving as Attorney General until replacing him as premier in 1940. McNair served until 1952 when he was defeated by
Hugh John Flemming.
Louis J. Robichaud
During the 1960s, the Liberals under
Louis Joseph Robichaud were instrumental in bringing
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
into the mainstream of life in New Brunswick, declaring the province to be officially
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
. The
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
French languages were given equal status. Robichaud's government modernized the province's hospitals and
public schools and introduced a wide range of
social reform
A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...
s. The Liberals also passed an act in 1969 making New Brunswick officially bilingual. "Language rights," he said when he introduced the legislation, "are more than legal rights. They are precious cultural rights, going deep into the revered past and touching the historic traditions of all our people."
Robichaud also restructured the
municipal tax regime, ending the ability of business to play one municipality against another in order to extract the lowest tax rates. He introduced in 1963 the
Municipal Capital Borrowing Act and Board, which is designed to act as a brake for spendthrift municipalities. He also expanded the government and sought to ensure that the quality of health care, education and social services was the same across the province—a programme he called Equal Opportunity, which is still a political
buzz phrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
in New Brunswick. "When I first realized that there was absolutely no equal opportunity, no equality, in New Brunswick," he recalled in the 1980s, "well, I had to come to the conclusion that something had to be done immediately."
Opposition in the Hatfield years
Following defeat in the
1970 election, the Liberals were largely in disarray. The party's prospects in the
1978 election were good, but it changed leaders on the eve of the election, and, under
Joseph Daigle was defeated narrowly by the Progressive Conservatives. The PCs won 30 seats in the
Legislative Assembly to the Liberals' 28. The party was reduced to 18 seats in 1982 under new leader
Doug Young.
Frank McKenna
In 1985, the party chose
Frank McKenna
Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006 ...
as leader. McKenna, a young lawyer representing
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
in the legislature in his first term, ran as the underdog candidate in a leadership campaign against party stalwart
Ray Frenette
Joseph Raymond Frenette (April 16, 1935 – July 13, 2018) was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick. He was a Liberal representative for the riding of Moncton East in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1974 until 1998 when he reti ...
. Frenette had served as
interim leader from the disastrous
1982 election until the eve of the 1985 leadership race. McKenna won by significant margin.
McKenna immediately set out to prepare the party for returning to government after 15 years in
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
. The momentum was on the side of the Liberals and it seemed inevitable that McKenna would be premier as soon as an election was held. Few expected, though, that the Liberals would sweep the province, winning every seat—the second time this had happened in
Canadian history
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Canada were inhabited for millennia by ...
(the first time was in the
Prince Edward Island provincial election of 1935).
McKenna was regarded as a fiscal conservative and was called by some the "Best
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
Premier New Brunswick never had". Despite this, McKenna was a progressive on many issues. He made considerable cuts to social programs because of the province's dire fiscal situation and cuts to federal
equalization payments Equalization payments are cash payments made in some federal systems of government from the federal government to subnational governments with the objective of offsetting differences in available revenue or in the cost of providing services. Many fe ...
and other transfers. He also instituted new programs. Notably, McKenna instituted a publicly funded
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
program—something that had been promised by the Hatfield-led Progressive Conservatives in the previous four elections. McKenna also launched a home care program called "Extramural Nursing" which has been hailed as the best in Canada. In the 2002
Romanow report on the
Future of Healthcare in Canada, New Brunswick's system was specifically cited as a model for homecare in Canada.
Despite riding high in the polls, McKenna resigned on October 13, 1997, ten years (to the day) since his first election as premier, fulfilling a promise to serve for only ten years.
McKenna was replaced by Frenette, who had served as his right-hand in the legislature throughout his term. Frenette served as premier for the following seven months while the party chose a new leader. Frenette was replaced by
Camille Thériault who served as premier until the
1999 election.
In the 1999 election, the Liberals suffered their worst ever defeat, winning only 10 seats despite having begun the campaign with a double-digit lead in
opinion polls
An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...
. The by-election losses were a further blow to Camille Thériault's leadership, and he resigned from the party leadership and the legislature on March 21, 2001.
Bernard Richard, who had finished third in the leadership contest against Thériault in 1998, became
interim leader.
In 2000, Liberal
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...
(MLA)
Bernard Thériault
Bernard Thériault (born November 12, 1955) is a politician in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. He became chief of staff to Premier of New Brunswick Shawn Graham on October 30, 2006.
Thériault was employed from 1978 to 1987 as curator ...
resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
in
Acadie-Bathurst, and
Edmond Blanchard resigned to accept an appointment to the
Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada, which succeeded the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1971, was a national court of Canada that had limited jurisdiction to hear certain types of disputes arising under the federal government's legislative jurisdiction. ...
. The Progressive Conservatives won both of these seats in
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
s in early 2001, reducing the Liberals to eight seats in the legislature.
Shawn Graham
In the following leadership contest, many candidates appeared briefly but withdrew. Early candidates included former
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
minister Paul Duffie
Paul Duffie (born June 14, 1951) is a Canadian former politician, lawyer and judge in the province of New Brunswick. Duffie was born in Neguac, New Brunswick. A graduate of Ricker College in Houlton, Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree and t ...
, former McKenna adviser
Francis McGuire
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
*Rural Mu ...
, and
Moncton
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...
lawyer
Mike Murphy
Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
. McGuire, after briefly considering a bid, declined. Murphy began the formative stages of a campaign, but abruptly withdrew, surprising many of his supporters. This left Duffie largely unchallenged. The only other candidate was former
party organizer
A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality.
Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :"Pro ...
Jack MacDougall
Jack MacDougall (born 1953) is a former politician in New Brunswick, Canada.
He was owner-operator of a taxi business in Saint John, New Brunswick which he sold prior to 1982. In 1982, he led a 1-year, $1 million fundraising campaign to save th ...
who had abruptly left the party in the midst of the 1999 campaign.
Many in the party felt that Duffie, who was close to Thériault, was the wrong choice.
Bernard Richard was urged to abandon the interim leadership and contest the race, and began a formative campaign before announcing he would continue as interim leader instead. After the campaign had already begun in earnest,
Shawn Graham
Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captur ...
, a rookie MLA in his early 30s, announced his candidacy in January 2002. Graham took a convincing lead in delegate selection meetings. Duffie withdrew, leaving Graham to face only MacDougall whom he defeated by a 3-to-1 margin.
The party chose Shawn Graham as leader on May 12, 2002. Graham nearly won the
2003 election taking 26 of 55 seats in the
New Brunswick legislature
The New Brunswick Legislature is the legislature of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, and the unicameral assembly called the Legislative Assembly of N ...
. Richard, who was re-elected in 2003, accepted a provincial appointment on November 26, 2003. This was viewed as a serious blow to Graham's leadership.
Graham led the Liberals to a narrow victory in the
2006 provincial election winning 29 of 55 seats and losing the popular vote 47.2% to 47.5% for the Progressive Conservatives. The Liberals took power on October 3, 2006. They subsequently added three extra seats. Chris Collins captured the seat in the riding of Moncton East on March 5, 2007, which was vacated when former Premier Bernard Lord stepped down as leader of the Progressive Conservatives. Wally Stiles and his wife Joan MacAlpine Stiles, elected as Progressive Conservatives, crossed the floor to join the Liberals the following month, April 17.
On September 27, 2010, Shawn Graham lost his bid to be re-elected as Premier (13 to 42) to provincial PC leader
David Alward
David Nathan Alward (born December 2, 1959) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 32nd premier of New Brunswick, 2010 to 2014.
Alward has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick since 1999 and has been the leader of the P ...
, but remained MLA for Kent riding. He stepped down as leader of the party on November 9, 2010, and
Victor Boudreau was selected as the party's
interim leader the following day. The Shawn Graham Government was the first one of the province to not get re-elected for a second term.
Brian Gallant
After a term in Opposition, the Liberals returned to power under
Brian Gallant, winning a majority in the
2014 provincial election with Gallant being sworn in as Premier on October 7, 2014. Gallant's first cabinet, of 13 members, was smaller than the outgoing cabinet.
[cbc.ca: "Brian Gallant's smaller cabinet faces long list of demands"](_blank)
7 Oct 2014
During his government's mandate the province's economy and exports grew each year;
[https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/fin/pdf/Budget/2018-2019/FactSheet.pdf , 30 Jan 2018] the unemployment rate which was hovering around 10% was reduced to just over 7%;
in 2016 KPMG found that three of the four most cost competitive cities in which to do business in Canada and the United States were in New Brunswick; the province's population grew to a record high surpassing 770,000 people for the first time; one of the most vibrant cybersecurity clusters in North America was developed in New Brunswick's capital city; and the province saw its first budget surplus in a decade.
The Gallant government increased the budget for education and early childhood development by 15% over its mandate in order to invest in literacy initiatives, introduce coding in more schools, and reintroduce trades in high schools.
The Gallant government created programs to help the middle class with the cost of childcare and to provide free childcare to families which need the most support. The Gallant government also created programs to help the middle class with the cost of tuition and to provide free tuition for those who need the most support.
The Gallant government eliminated the unconstitutional two doctor rule that was hindering a women's right to choose for decades in New Brunswick. In 2016, New Brunswick welcomed the most Syrian refugees displaced by the humanitarian crisis per capita of all the provinces in the country.
The Gallant government also advanced women's equality by moving pay equity forward to the point of New Brunswick having the second lowest gender wage gap of all the Canadian provinces in 2017; by having over 50% of government appointments to agencies, boards, and commissions go to women; and by providing the first gender parity on New Brunswick's provincial court.
Gallant has repeatedly stated that climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity. With this in mind, the Gallant government took concrete action to protect the environment including by creating the “Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy” plan which commits to historic measures to fight climate change. The Gallant government also placed a moratorium on
hydraulic fracturing
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...
and a ban on the disposal of fracked wastewater in municipal systems.
In addition to premier, Gallant has served New Brunswick as the Attorney General, the Minister responsible for innovation, the Minister responsible for women's equality, and the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
The
2018 provincial election resulted in Gallant's Liberals winning only 21 seats compared to
Blaine Higgs and the
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right, conservative political party in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The party has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granti ...
who won 22. Gallant vowed to attempt to remain in power with a
minority government
A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...
and hoped to retain the
confidence
Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...
of the
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...
either on a vote-by-vote basis or with the agreement of the smaller parties, the
Green Party of New Brunswick
The Green Party of New Brunswick (french: Parti vert du Nouveau-Brunswick) was formed in November 2008 to run in provincial elections. It is a registered Green political party in New Brunswick, Canada. A founding convention was held on November 1 ...
and the
People's Alliance of New Brunswick, each of which won 3 seats in the election.
In Opposition (2018–present)
On November 2, 2018 Gallant's Liberal minority government was defeated by a
confidence vote
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
on its
throne speech
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
by a margin of 25 to 23 with the opposition Progressive Conservatives and People's Alliance voting against the government and the Greens voting with the government. Gallant resigned as premier on November 2, 2018 and was replaced by Higgs, leading a Progressive Conservative minority government with support from the People's Alliance.
Kevin Vickers
Kevin Michael Vickers (born September 29, 1956) is a Canadian politician, former diplomat, and retired police officer. He served as the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association from 2019 to 2020, a retired Canadian diplomat, former Serge ...
was acclaimed as the new Liberal leader in April 2019. He ran in
Miramichi in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
and lost to incumbent
MLA Michelle Conroy
Michelle Conroy is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and an MLA in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick representing the riding of Miramichi.
Conroy was re-elected in the 2020 provincial election, defeating ...
.(who later crossed the floor to join the PCNB). He resigned as party leader the same day. In September 2020,
Roger Melanson
Roger Melanson is a former Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election, and Leader of the Opposition. He represented the electoral district of Dieppe as a member of the Li ...
was named interim leader until Susan Holt was elected as party leader on August 6, 2022.
Electoral results
Current members of the legislature
Party leaders since 1867
*
Andrew George Blair
Andrew George Blair (March 7, 1844 – January 25, 1907) was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He served as the seventh
premier of New Brunswick for 13 years and 136 days, the second-longest tenure in the province's history, behin ...
, 1879–1896
*
James Mitchell, 1896–1897
*
Henry Emmerson
Henry Robert Emmerson, (September 25, 1853 – July 9, 1914) was a New Brunswick lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist.
Henry Emmerson was educated at Amherst Academy, Mount Allison Academy, St. Joseph's College, Acadia Colle ...
, 1897–1900
*
Lemuel John Tweedie
Lemuel John Tweedie (November 30, 1849 – July 15, 1917) was a Canadian politician.
His law partner in Chatham, New Brunswick for a time was Richard Bedford Bennett, later Prime Minister of Canada; and for a time Max Aitken was his office boy.
...
, 1900–1907
*
William Pugsley
William Pugsley (September 27, 1850 – March 3, 1925) was a politician and lawyer in New Brunswick, Canada.
Biography
He was born in Sussex, New Brunswick, the son of William Pugsley, of United Empire Loyalist descent, and Frances Jane Hay ...
, 1907
*
Clifford W. Robinson, 1907–1912
*
Arthur Bliss Copp
Arthur Bliss Copp (July 10, 1870 – December 5, 1949) was a Canadian politician.
Born in Jolicure, New Brunswick, to Joseph Harvey Copp and Frances Lydia Brennan. He was a lawyer before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunsw ...
, 1912 (interim)
*
Louis-Auguste Dugal
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
, 1912–1916
*
Walter E. Foster, 1916–1923
*
Peter Veniot
Peter John Veniot, (October 4, 1863 – July 6, 1936) was a businessman and newspaper owner and a politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He was the first Acadian premier of New Brunswick.
Early life and career
He was born in Richibucto, New Brun ...
, 1923–1926
*
Allison Dysart
Albert Allison Dysart (March 22, 1880 – December 8, 1962) was a New Brunswick politician, lawyer and judge.
Dysart was born in Cocagne, New Brunswick and was educated at University of St. Joseph's College in Memramcook, the Ontario Agricul ...
, 1926–1930
*
Wendell P. Jones
Wendell Phillips Jones (November 25, 1866 – September 29, 1944) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick and Mayor of Woodstock, New Brunswick.
Jones was born on November 25, 1866, to Gertrude ( ...
, 1930–1932
*
Allison Dysart
Albert Allison Dysart (March 22, 1880 – December 8, 1962) was a New Brunswick politician, lawyer and judge.
Dysart was born in Cocagne, New Brunswick and was educated at University of St. Joseph's College in Memramcook, the Ontario Agricul ...
, 1932–1940
*
John B. McNair, 1940–1954
*
Austin Claude Taylor
Austin Claude Taylor (June 20, 1893 – January 17, 1965) was a farmer, merchant and political figure in New Brunswick. Born in Salisbury, New Brunswick, he represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 19 ...
, 1954–1957
*
Joseph E. Connolly, 1957–1958 (interim)
*
Louis Robichaud
Louis Joseph Robichaud (October 21, 1925 – January 6, 2005), popularly known as "Little Louis" or "P'tit-Louis", was the second (but first elected) Acadian premier of New Brunswick, serving from 1960 to 1970.
With the Equal Opportunity p ...
, 1958–1971
*
Robert J. Higgins, 1971–1978
*
Joseph Daigle, 1978–1981
*
Doug Young, 1981–1983
*
Ray Frenette
Joseph Raymond Frenette (April 16, 1935 – July 13, 2018) was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick. He was a Liberal representative for the riding of Moncton East in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1974 until 1998 when he reti ...
, 1983–1985 (interim)
*
Shirley Dysart
Shirley Theresa Dysart CM (''née'' Britt, February 22, 1928 – December 14, 2016) was an American-born Canadian teacher and a politician in the province of New Brunswick.
She attained a number of "firsts" in New Brunswick politics. She was ...
, 1985 (interim)
*
Frank McKenna
Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006 ...
, 1985–1997
*
Ray Frenette
Joseph Raymond Frenette (April 16, 1935 – July 13, 2018) was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick. He was a Liberal representative for the riding of Moncton East in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1974 until 1998 when he reti ...
, 1997–1998 (interim)
*
Camille Thériault, 1998–2001
*
Bernard Richard, 2001–2002 (interim)
*
Shawn Graham
Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captur ...
, 2002–2010
*
Victor Boudreau, 2010–2012 (interim)
*
Brian Gallant, 2012–2019
*
Denis Landry
Denis Landry (born November 13, 1957) is the Mayor-elect of Hautes-Terre and a former MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1995 and re-elected ...
, 2019 (interim)
*
Kevin Vickers
Kevin Michael Vickers (born September 29, 1956) is a Canadian politician, former diplomat, and retired police officer. He served as the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association from 2019 to 2020, a retired Canadian diplomat, former Serge ...
, 2019–2020
*
Roger Melanson
Roger Melanson is a former Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election, and Leader of the Opposition. He represented the electoral district of Dieppe as a member of the Li ...
, 2020–2022 (interim)
*
Susan Holt
Susan Holt is a Canadian politician, who has been the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association since August 6, 2022, leader of the Opposition since May 9, 2023, and MLA for Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore since April 24, 2023.
Holt ...
, 2022–present
Presidents since 1932
*
John B. McNair (1932–1940)
*
G. Percival Burchill (1941–1953)
*
Harry A. Corey (1953–1959)
*
Wesley Stuart (1960–1963)
*
Daniel A. Riley (1963–1964) (Acting)
*Hugh Tait (1964–1966)
*
Donald A. McLean
Donald Allan McLean (27 January 1907 – 5 November 1973) was a Liberal party member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in Inverness, Nova Scotia and became a corporate executive.
He was appointed to the Senate for Charlotte County, Ne ...
(1966–1971)
*
Norbert Thériault
L. Norbert Thériault (February 16, 1921 – June 19, 2016) was a Canadian politician.
He was born in Eel River Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Northumberland (1960–1974) and Baie-du-Vin (1974–1979) in the Legislative Assembl ...
(1971–1977)
*
Peter Seheult
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
(1977–1979)
*Jack Stevens (1979–1983)
*Sumner Fraser (1983–1986)
*
Aldéa Landry
Marie-Marthe Aldéa Landry, (born December 27, 1945) is a lawyer and business woman who has been a civil servant, legal practitioner in the private sector, a Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier of New Brunswick.
Early life and education
She ...
(1986–1988)
*
Mike Murphy
Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
(1988–1992)
*Réginald Léger (1992–2000)
*Maurice Richard (2000–2002)
*Jim Mockler (2002–2003) (Acting)
*
Greg Byrne
Greg Byrne, K.C. (born April 14, 1960, in Harvey, New Brunswick) is a lawyer and former MLA in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.
Byrne was educated at Fredericton High School, Saint Thomas University (where he received a Bachelor of Ar ...
(2003–2006)
*
Marcelle Mersereau
Marcelle Mersereau, (born February 14, 1942 in Pointe-Verte, New Brunswick) is a Canadian politician.
A civil servant for most of her career, she also served as a councillor on Bathurst, New Brunswick city council while on the provincial payro ...
(2006–2007) (Acting)
*
J. E. Britt Dysart (2007–2015)
*Joel Reed (2015–present)
See also
*
List of New Brunswick premiers
*
List of political parties in Canada
This article lists political parties in Canada.
Federal parties
In contrast with the political party systems of many nations, Canadian parties at the federal level are often only loosely connected with parties at the provincial level, despite ha ...
*
2002 New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership election
*
2012 New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership election
*
2019 New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership election
*
New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership elections This page lists the results of leadership elections held by the New Brunswick Liberal Association. Before 1930 leaders were chosen by the caucus.
1930 leadership convention
(Held April 23, 1930)
* Wendell P. Jones acclaimed
Jones was defeated ...
References
External links
New Brunswick Liberal Association / Association libérale du Nouveau-Brunswick
{{Authority control
Provincial political parties in New Brunswick
Liberal parties in Canada
1883 establishments in New Brunswick
Political parties established in 1883
Organizations based in Fredericton
Centrist parties in Canada