The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right, conservative political party in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

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 ...

. The party has its origins in the pre-

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 Dominio ...

Conservative Party that opposed the granting 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 br ...

'' to the colony. It has historically followed the Red Tory tradition. The Progressive Conservative Party currently leads the provincial government since

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

under Premier

Blaine Higgs Blaine Myron Higgs (born March 1, 1954) is a Canadian politician who is the 34th and current premier of New Brunswick since 2018 and leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) since 2016. Higgs graduated from the Un ...

History

Initially, Conservative supporters tended to be

United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America dur ...

and supporters of the business community. In the 1860s, both the Conservative and Liberal parties split over the issue of

, and were replaced by the Confederation Party and the Anti-Confederation Party. By 1870, the pro-Confederation party became generally known as the

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", and were aligned with the national

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

Sir John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

. The party was aligned with the historic federal Conservative party. When the federal party changed its name to the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

in 1942, the New Brunswick party did the same. The federal Progressive Conservative Party dissolved in 2003, to merge with the Canadian Alliance and a new

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...

was created. The provincial party has no formal link with the current federal Conservative Party, but several of its members and elected MLAs, including former premier Premier Lord, publicly endorsed the federal party and in some cases its candidates in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

federal elections. Following the change of government in 2006 provincial election, Bernard Lord resigned as leader on December 13, 2006, and as the member of Moncton East. On December 19,

Jeannot Volpé Jeannot Volpé (born June 28, 1950) is a Canadian politician in the Province of New Brunswick. Born in Saint-Jacques, New Brunswick, Volpé graduated from the University of Moncton in 1973 with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree and taugh ...

, MLA for

Madawaska les Lacs-Edmundston Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. The district was established in 1973 as Madawaska les Lacs when New Brunswick moved from a system of bloc voting to the fi ...

, was selected as interim leader. On October 18, 2008,

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 ...

, MLA for Carleton, was elected leader of the party at the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick Leadership Convention in Fredericton. Alward beat his only opponent, Robert MacLeod, by a margin of 2,269 votes to 1,760. The Progressive Conservatives won a sweeping majority, with 42 of 55 seats in the 2010 provincial election. In doing so, PC party leader David Alward became the 32nd

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. ...

. In 2013, Saint John area MLA Dr.

Jim Parrott James Charles William Parrott (September 15, 1942 – October 4, 2016) was a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election, representing the electoral district of Fundy-River ...

, a retired heart surgeon and former head of the New Brunswick Heart Centre, was kicked out of the caucus after criticizing his government over health issues. The controversial backbencher had spoken out about bilingualism and duality, and written a newspaper commentary about a lack of consultation with physicians. Before the 2014 election, he was allowed to return Alward's government was defeated after one term in the 2014 provincial election, after which Alward announced his resignation as party leader. On October 18, 2014, Bruce Fitch was selected as interim leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick.

2016 to present

Quispamsis MLA

was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on October 22, 2016, defeating former Saint John Mayor

Mel Norton Mel K. Norton is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Saint John, New Brunswick from 2012 to 2016. Early life and career Norton was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and started his early life on Grand Manan. He completed a bachelor ...

, 1,563 to 1,169 on the third ballot. In the 2018 provincial election, Higgs and the PCs won the largest share of seats in the legislature, 22, compared to 21 for the governing

Liberal Party of New Brunswick 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 in Ne ...

, which opted to attempt to remain in power as a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in t ...

by presenting a Throne Speech in hopes of retaining the confidence of the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

. On November 2, 2018, the Progressive Conservatives and the People's Alliance combined to defeat Premier

Brian Gallant Brian Alexander Gallant (born April 27, 1982) is a Canadian politician who served as the 33rd premier of New Brunswick from October 7, 2014, until November 9, 2018. Of Acadian and Dutch descent, Gallant practised as a lawyer before winning the Li ...

's Liberal minority government via a non-confidence vote in the legislature. Higgs was appointed Premier on November 9, 2018. Higgs and the Progressive Conservatives were re-elected to a majority government in the 2020 provincial election held on September 14, 2020 On March 30, 2022,

Kris Austin Kris Austin (born 1979) is the former leader of the People's Alliance of New Brunswick and current member of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and an MLA in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. On October 13, 2022 he w ...

and Michelle Conroy announced their departure from the People's Alliance of New Brunswick to join the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.

Ideology and electoral base

The Tories have alternated power with the

New Brunswick Liberal Association 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 in Ne ...

since Confederation. The party tends to hold a moderate Red Tory stance, being socially and fiscally centrist. For most of New Brunswick's history, the party had greater support among English speakers, while the Liberals were more popular among

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 de ...

. However, initiatives by the governments of

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 ...

and

Bernard Lord Bernard Lord (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer, business executive and former politician. He served as the 30th premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. Lord was appointed as board chair of Ontario Power Generation in 2014. Early ...

to include Acadians in the mainstream of New Brunswick life helped the party make inroads in Acadia. In fact, even though he was born in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, former

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

is widely perceived to be an Acadian, due to his

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

heritage and the fact that he was raised in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because of ...

where he attended French language schools and university.

Election results

Current members of the legislature

Party leaders

* Peter Mitchell (1866–1867) * Andrew R. Wetmore (1867–1870) * George Edwin King (1870–1871) * George L. Hathaway (1871–1872) * George Edwin King (1872–1878) * John James Fraser (1878–1882) * Daniel L. Hanington (1882–1892) * Alfred Augustus Stockton (1892–1899) *

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 ...

(1899–1911) * James Kidd Flemming (1911–1914) *

George Johnson Clarke George Johnson Clarke (October 10, 1857 – February 26, 1917) was a New Brunswick lawyer, journalist and politician. A native of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, George Clarke taught school for a time in Charlotte County before studying law. H ...

(1914–1917) *

James Alexander Murray James Alexander Murray (9 November 1864 in Moncton, New Brunswick – 16 February 1960) was a Conservative politician and the 16th premier of New Brunswick. Murray was first elected to the legislature in 1908 and served as Minister of Agricult ...

(1917–1920) * John B. M. Baxter (1920–1921) * Charles D. Richards (1921–1925) * John B. M. Baxter (1925–1931) * Charles D. Richards (1931–1933) * Leonard P. D. Tilley (1933–1935) * Frederick C. Squires (1935–1939) * Hugh H. Mackay (1939–1948) * Hugh John Flemming (1948–1960) (House leader 1948–1951) * Cyril Sherwood (1960–1966) * Charles Van Horne (1966–1967) *

(1967–1987) (House leader 1967–1969) *

Malcolm MacLeod Malcolm Macleod (born in Edinburgh in 1965) is a Scottish neurologist and translational neuroscientist. Biography Macleod spent his early years in Achiltibuie and Inverness. He attended the Leachkin Primary School, Jedburgh Grammar School and ...

(1987–1989) (''interim'') * Barbara Baird Filliter (1989–1991) *

Dennis Cochrane Dennis H. Cochrane, CM (born 26 October 1950 in Moncton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian politician and civil servant. He graduated from the New Brunswick Teacher's College in 1970, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New ...

(1991–1995) *

Bernard Valcourt Bernard Valcourt, (born February 18, 1952) is a Canadian politician and lawyer, who served as Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Madawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick until he was defeated in the 2015 federal election. Early f ...

(1995–1997) *

(1997–2007) *

(2007–2008) (''interim'') *

(2008–2014) * Bruce Fitch (2014–2016) (''interim'') *

(2016–present)

References

{{Canadian Conservative Parties Provincial political parties in New Brunswick Conservative parties in Canada 1867 establishments in New Brunswick Political parties established in 1867 Organizations based in Fredericton