New Brunswick's Parliamentary Democracy

New Brunswick is a province of Canada with a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The province's government is structured according to the Constitution Act of 1867. The New Brunswick Legislature is unicameral and consists of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly. The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General of Canada, in consultation with the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of New Brunswick. The political party that wins the most seats in the legislature typically forms the government, with their leader becoming the Premier.

New Brunswick has a local governance structure that includes 77 local governments, 12 rural districts, and an expanded mandate for regional service commissions. Each local government has a council made up of a mayor and councillors, who are elected by their constituents. These local governments are responsible for delivering services such as recreation, street construction and maintenance, fire and police protection, and animal control. The vision of the local governance reform is to enhance the quality of life for the residents of New Brunswick.

Local governance reform

New Brunswick, a province of Canada, underwent a significant local governance reform that was implemented on 1 January 2023. The reform resulted in a substantial reorganisation of the local government entities in the province, reducing the number of entities from 340 to 89, including 77 local governments and 12 rural districts nested within 12 regional service commissions.

The reform was initiated by the Government of New Brunswick in January 2021, marking the first significant change to the local governance system in 60 years. The primary objectives of the reform were to address the lack of elected local government representation for over 30% of the province's population, streamline service and infrastructure delivery, and tackle challenges faced by communities in service provision.

The reform process involved stakeholder and public engagement, with the release of a green paper outlining key topics such as the current local governance structure, regional collaboration, land use planning, and finance. An advisory committee was established, along with working groups for each engagement topic, to guide the reform process. Public engagement sessions and input collection took place in mid-to-late May 2021.

The Government of New Brunswick published its initial plan for reform in a white paper in November 2021, proposing a reduction in the number of entities to 90, including 78 local governments and 12 rural districts. Following feedback and reviews, revisions to the initial plan were announced in December 2021, including geographic reconfigurations of proposed entities, resulting in a net reduction of local governments from 78 to 77.

The reform resulted in the merging of dozens of local governments and rural areas, with municipalities and neighbouring rural areas forced to merge, and remaining rural areas combined into new, larger districts with elected advisory boards and taxation powers. This transition affected around 161,000 people, or 22% of the provincial population, who previously resided in unincorporated local service districts.

The reform also expanded the mandate of regional service commissions, giving them new roles in economic development, tourism promotion, regional transportation, and cost-sharing of recreational infrastructure. Additionally, these commissions will have public safety committees to oversee policing and fire services. The three largest commissions, Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton, will also be involved in funding for homelessness, mental health, and poverty reduction services.

The Local Governance Commission, an expert body, will be established to review, assess, and make recommendations or rulings on matters pertaining to the governance and administration of local governance structures.

The local governance reform in New Brunswick aimed to modernise and streamline the local governance structure, enhance democratic representation, and address challenges related to service provision and infrastructure development.

Provincial government services in French

New Brunswick has a unicameral legislature, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which operates in the framework of a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Government of New Brunswick is the provincial government of the province of New Brunswick, and its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867.

In 1969, New Brunswick passed the Official Languages Act, which recognised French as an official language alongside English. This means that New Brunswickers have the right to receive provincial government services in the official language of their choice. This was further reinforced in 1982, when, at the request of the government of Richard Hatfield, this right became part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and, therefore, part of the Constitution of Canada.

The Government of New Brunswick provides a wide range of services in French, including:

• Education and Early Childhood Development
• Environment and Local Government
• Finance and Treasury Board
• Justice and Public Safety
• Natural Resources and Energy Development
• Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
• Tourism, Heritage and Culture
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Auditor General of New Brunswick
• Community and Culture
• Driving and Vehicles
• Elections New Brunswick
• Legislative Assembly
• Service New Brunswick

The Government of New Brunswick is committed to providing accessible and equitable services to all its citizens, including those who wish to access services in French.

New Brunswick Legislature

The Government of New Brunswick is the provincial government of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act of 1867. New Brunswick has a unicameral legislature, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which operates in the framework of a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John in 1784 when the colony was created, but it only came into session in 1786, following the first elections in late 1785. The legislative assembly was originally the lower house in a bicameral legislature, with an upper house counterpart, the Legislative Council of New Brunswick, which was abolished in 1891.

The Legislative Assembly Building in Fredericton, built in 1882, is the seat and symbol of democracy in New Brunswick. The legislative chamber is designed to have four rows on the government side and three rows on the opposition side. This is because elections have traditionally yielded a strong government majority. The Legislative Library of New Brunswick, located in the Legislative Assembly Building, provides information, reference, and research services to meet the needs of its principal clientele, the Members of the Legislative Assembly and staff of government departments.

The political party that, either by itself or in combination with another party, wins the largest number of seats in the legislature normally forms the Government, with the party's leader becoming the premier of the province, the head of government. The current premier of New Brunswick is Blaine Higgs, a former executive of the Irving Group of Companies.

Local government services

New Brunswick has a unicameral legislature, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which operates in the framework of a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The structure and powers of the Government of New Brunswick are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867.

The province's local government services underwent significant changes in 2023, with the previous 340 entities being replaced by 77 local governments and 12 rural districts. Local government services in New Brunswick cover a wide range of areas, including:

Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries

The Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries is responsible for managing and supporting the province's agricultural sector, including farming and fishing activities.

Education and Early Childhood Development

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development oversees public education in the province, including primary and secondary schooling. It also promotes early childhood development and provides support for families with young children.

Environment and Local Government

The Department of Environment and Local Government focuses on environmental protection and sustainability, as well as providing support to local governments within the province.

Executive Council Office

The Executive Council Office provides administrative support to the Premier and the provincial Cabinet, ensuring the effective functioning of the executive branch of the provincial government.

Finance and Treasury Board

The Department of Finance and Treasury Board manages the province's finances, including budgeting, taxation, and economic development. It is responsible for fiscal planning and ensuring the province's financial stability.

Intergovernmental Affairs

The Department of Intergovernmental Affairs handles relations between the provincial government and other levels of government, including the federal government and neighbouring provinces.

Justice and Public Safety

The Department of Justice and Public Safety is responsible for maintaining law and order, administering the justice system, and ensuring public safety within the province.

Natural Resources and Energy Development

The Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development oversees the management and sustainable development of New Brunswick's natural resources, including forestry, mining, and energy production.

Office of the Premier

The Office of the Premier supports the Premier, who is the head of the provincial government. It provides administrative and strategic support to the Premier in their role as leader of the Executive Council.

Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour

The Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour focuses on post-secondary education and skills development. It also oversees labour market policies and supports workforce development in the province.

Service New Brunswick

Service New Brunswick is a central agency that provides a wide range of government services to the public. It offers services related to vehicle registration, driver licensing, property assessment, and birth, death, and marriage certificates, among others.

Tourism, Heritage, and Culture

The Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture promotes New Brunswick as a tourist destination and works to preserve and showcase the province's cultural and historical assets.

Transportation and Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is responsible for maintaining and developing the province's transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and public transit. It also oversees infrastructure projects and ensures the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.

Health Services

The province also provides health services to its residents, including universal and government-funded healthcare. New Brunswick is divided into two health care regions: Vitalité Health Network and Horizon Health Network.

Regional Service Commissions

New Brunswick is a province of Canada with a Westminster-style parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The government of New Brunswick is a provincial government, with its powers and structure set out in the Constitution Act of 1867.

Now, onto Regional Service Commissions (RSCs).

RSCs are administrative entities in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. They administer services on a regional level, as the name suggests. They are not incorporated municipal entities and do not have direct taxation powers.

RSCs were created by the Alward government in 2012 and came into effect on 1 January 2013. They were created to replace the existing regional commissions with a unified body, as proposed by the Finn Report in 2008. The initial boards consisted of mayors of the member municipalities and rural community representatives appointed by the provincial government.

There are 12 RSCs in total, each governed by a board consisting of all mayors within the RSC and the chair of the advisory board of the RSC's rural district. The RSCs are:

• Northwest Regional Service Commission
• Restigouche Regional Service Commission
• Chaleur Regional Service Commission
• Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission
• Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission
• Kent Regional Service Commission
• Southeast Regional Service Commission
• Kings Regional Service Commission
• Fundy Regional Service Commission
• Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission
• Capital Region Service Commission
• Western Valley Regional Service Commission

RSCs were originally required to provide regional planning, local planning in local service districts (LSDs) and participating local governments, solid waste management, policing collaboration, emergency measures planning, and facilitating cost-sharing agreements between member governance units.

In 2023, local governance reforms added economic development, community development, tourism promotion, regional transportation, cost-sharing on recreation infrastructure, and public safety committees to the mandates of RSCs.

Frequently asked questions