Liberals Hold Power In New Brunswick

New Brunswick has a majority Progressive Conservative government, which was formed on 14 September 2020. The Progressive Conservatives are led by Blaine Higgs, who is also the province's Premier. The party won 27 out of 49 seats in the 2020 election. The province's politics have historically been dominated by two parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives (or Progressive Conservatives), each of which has held power for lengthy periods.

The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick

The Progressive Conservatives are one of the two dominant political parties in New Brunswick, along with the Liberal Party. The party was previously known as the Conservative Party before changing its name in 1942 to align with the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. The federal party dissolved in 2003, but the New Brunswick party retained the name. While the provincial party has no formal links with the current federal Conservative Party, several of its members have publicly endorsed the latter.

The Progressive Conservatives have alternated power with the New Brunswick Liberal Association since Confederation. The party typically holds a moderate Red Tory stance, being socially and fiscally centrist. The Progressive Conservatives have historically had greater support among English speakers, while the Liberals were more popular among Acadians. However, under the governments of Richard Hatfield and Bernard Lord, initiatives to include Acadians in the mainstream of New Brunswick life helped the party gain traction in Acadia.

In the 2018 provincial election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by Blaine Higgs, won the largest share of seats in the legislature (22 out of 49), while the Liberal Party received the plurality of votes. The Liberals attempted to remain in power as a minority government, but the Progressive Conservatives and the People's Alliance combined to defeat them via a non-confidence vote. Blaine Higgs was appointed Premier on November 9, 2018, and the party was re-elected in the 2020 provincial election.

The Liberal Party of New Brunswick

The party has played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of New Brunswick. In 1967, under the leadership of Louis Joseph Robichaud, the Liberals declared the province to be officially bilingual, granting equal status to both English and French languages. This decision had a profound impact on the cultural fabric of the province, fostering inclusivity and recognition for the significant Acadian population in New Brunswick.

The Liberal Party has also been instrumental in advancing women's rights and political representation. In 1919, women gained the right to vote in provincial elections, and by 1934, they were allowed to stand as candidates. The Liberals have promoted gender equality in various forms, including through the work of Premier Brian Gallant, who advanced pay equity and ensured that over 50% of appointments to agencies, boards, and commissions went to women.

In recent years, the Liberal Party has experienced both successes and setbacks in New Brunswick. In 2014, Brian Gallant led the party to victory in the provincial election, becoming the Premier of New Brunswick. During his tenure, the province witnessed economic growth, a decrease in unemployment rates, and a surge in population. Additionally, the Gallant government addressed environmental concerns by creating the "Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy" plan and imposing a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.

However, in the 2018 provincial election, the Liberals faced a setback, winning only 21 seats compared to the Progressive Conservative Party's 22. This resulted in a minority government situation, where the Liberals attempted to maintain power with the support of smaller parties. Ultimately, in November 2018, the Liberal minority government was defeated by a confidence vote, leading to the appointment of Blaine Higgs of the Progressive Conservative Party as the new Premier.

Currently, the Liberal Party of New Brunswick is led by Susan Holt, who was elected as the party leader in August 2022. The party continues to advocate for progressive policies and work towards regaining power in the province.

The Green Party of New Brunswick

The Greens believe in the importance of living within ecological and resource limits to protect the planet and future generations. They oppose fracking and support renewable energy, with leader David Coon defeating the incumbent Progressive Conservative Energy Minister Craig Leonard in the 2014 election, becoming the first Green Party candidate elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. In the 2018 and 2020 elections, the party elected and re-elected three MLAs, respectively.

The New Democratic Party of New Brunswick

The New Brunswick New Democratic Party (NBNDP) is a social democratic provincial political party in New Brunswick, Canada, linked with the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). The NBNDP's origins can be traced back to the Fredericton Socialist League, established in 1902. The league's prominent leaders included poet and publisher Martin Butler, and educator Henry Harvey Stuart, who formed a Fredericton local of the new Socialist Party of Canada in 1905.

The New Democratic Party's predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), was a social-democratic and democratic socialist federal political party organized in Calgary in 1932. The CCF adopted a detailed platform, known as the Regina Manifesto, in 1933. The New Brunswick section of the CCF was established in June 1933 in Moncton, with party leader J.S. Woodsworth in attendance. Harry Girvan of Coal Creek was elected president.

The CCF ran in the 1939 election with Joseph C. Arrowsmith as their candidate in the riding of Saint John City, winning 712 votes. The party's fortunes rose in tandem with growing expectations for postwar social reform and the rising fortunes of the national CCF. Under the leadership of trade unionist J. A. Mugridge, the CCF won 11.7% of the vote in New Brunswick's 1944 provincial election. The best results came in Edmundston, Saint John, and Moncton, which had large numbers of union members. In that election, the CCF described itself as "the People's Party", running on a twelve-point program that included public ownership and full development of all natural resources, including electricity, oil and gas, and other public utilities.

The 1944 election was the CCF's high-water mark in New Brunswick. A combination of anti-CCF propaganda, the adoption of somewhat progressive policies by the Liberals and Conservatives, and a general post-war decline for the CCF nationally all contributed to the party's decline in the 1948 provincial election. In that election, the CCF, under Arrowsmith's leadership, received half the votes they had won in 1944 and again won no seats. The party's fortunes continued to decline in the 1952 and 1956 provincial elections, and they did not run any candidates in 1960.

The CCF gave way to the New Democratic Party (NDP), founded in 1961 as a Canadian social-democratic party with strong ties to organized labour, especially the Canadian Labour Congress. The New Brunswick NDP was organized in December 1962, but its prospects were not good during the 1960s due to the province's new Liberal premier, Louis J. Robichaud, a left-of-centre populist who won three successive provincial elections and introduced significant social reforms. The New Brunswick NDP did not run candidates in the 1963 provincial election and ran only three candidates in the 1967 election.

During the late 1970s, under the leadership of John LaBossiere, the party adopted policy positions that reflected feminist and environmentalist concerns, including opposition to aerial spruce budworm spraying and the construction of the Point Lepreau nuclear plant. These initiatives attracted new supporters while also straining relations with some labour supporters. The party's membership grew during this period, and its organizational abilities improved.

In 1980, George Little became the party leader, and in the 1982 New Brunswick election, the party won its first-ever seat in Tantramar, with the election of Robert Hall to the legislature. A second seat was won in a 1984 by-election in East Saint John by Peter Trites, who later left to join the Liberals. Elizabeth Weir, the party's former provincial secretary, was elected as the new leader in 1988. Weir won a seat in Saint John South in the 1991 provincial election, becoming the first provincial NDP leader to be elected to the legislature. She was re-elected in the 1995 provincial election in the new constituency of Saint John Harbour. Weir proved to be a strong critic of neo-liberal policies and an ally of organized labour, addressing issues such as women's rights, pay equity, environmental protection, poverty, and the rights of social assistance recipients.

The NDP has faced challenges in recent years, with several leadership changes and difficulties in gaining seats in the legislature. In the 2018 provincial election, the party received between 5% and 13% support in the polls, but failed to win any seats, being eclipsed by the Green Party. The NDP's vote share dropped further in the 2020 snap provincial election, falling below two percent. The party has seen internal dissension and leadership changes in the years since, with Alex White being named the interim leader in June 2022. The party is expected to choose a new leader in a convention scheduled for September 2023.

The People's Alliance of New Brunswick

In the 2018 election, the People's Alliance of New Brunswick won three seats in the provincial legislature for the first time since its founding. The party's leader, Kris Austin, was elected in Fredericton-Grand Lake, Rick DeSaulniers in Fredericton-York, and Michelle Conroy in Miramichi. The party won 12.58% of the popular vote. However, in the 2020 provincial election, Austin and Conroy were re-elected while DeSaulniers was defeated, and the party's popular vote decreased to 8.95%.

The People's Alliance has taken a stand against the use of Glyphosate on Crown Lands and supports rent caps to ensure safe and affordable housing for New Brunswick citizens. They also support expanding nursing and special care home capacity in the province. In addition, the party has called for the abolition of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, proposing a transfer of its responsibilities to the office of the provincial ombudsman.

Following the 2018 election, the People's Alliance faced criticism from Acadian and Francophone civil society. Fourteen Acadian associations and nineteen mayors of Francophone municipalities denounced the party's "anti-Francophone and anti-equality" positions. Despite this, the party has continued to work towards gaining the trust of the people of New Brunswick and promoting its values and policies.

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