 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick Parti progressiste-conservateur du Nouveau-Brunswick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Glen Savoie (interim) |
| President | Norman Siebrasse |
| Vice President | Diane Carey |
| Representative & Official Agent | Robert Hatheway |
| Executive Director | Doug Williams |
| Founded | 1867 (1867) |
| Headquarters | 364 York Street, Suite 215Fredericton, NB E3B 3P7 |
| Youth wing | PC Youth |
| Women's wing | PC Women's Association |
| Membership(2016) | 7,400[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre tocentre-right |
| Colours | Blue, red, and yellow |
| Seats inLegislature | 16 / 49 |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheProgressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is acentre-rightconservative political party in theCanadian province ofNew Brunswick. The party has its origins in the pre-Canadian Confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting ofresponsible government to the colony. It has historically followed theRed Tory tradition.[3] From the 2010s, the party underwent a shift toBlue Toryism after the election ofBlaine Higgs as leader, who waspremier from 2018 to 2024.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2020) |
Initially, Conservative supporters tended to beUnited Empire Loyalists and supporters of the business community. In the 1860s, the Conservative andLiberal parties split over the issue ofCanadian Confederation and were replaced by theConfederation Party and theAnti-Confederation Party. By 1870, the pro-Confederation party became generally known as theLiberal-Conservatives or just “Conservatives," and were aligned with the nationalConservative Party ofSir John A. Macdonald.
The party was aligned with the historic federal Conservative party. When the federal party changed its name to theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1942, the New Brunswick party did the same. The federal Progressive Conservative Party dissolved in 2003, to merge with theCanadian Alliance and a newConservative Party of Canada 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 premierPremier Lord, publicly endorsed the federal party and in some cases its candidates in the2004,2006,2008,2011 and2015 federal elections.
Following the change of government in2006 provincial election, Bernard Lord resigned as leader on December 13, 2006, and as the member ofMoncton East. On December 19,Jeannot Volpé, MLA forMadawaska les Lacs-Edmundston, was selected asinterim leader. On October 18, 2008,David Alward, MLA forCarleton, 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 the2010 provincial election. In doing so, PC party leader David Alward became the 32ndpremier of New Brunswick.
In 2013, Saint John area MLA Dr.Jim Parrott, 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[4]
Alward's government was defeated after one term in the2014 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 andLeader of the Opposition of New Brunswick.[5]
Quispamsis MLABlaine Higgs waselected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on October 22, 2016, defeating formerSaint John MayorMel Norton, 1,563 to 1,169 on the third ballot.[6]
In the2018 provincial election, Higgs and the PCs won the largest share of seats in the legislature, 22, compared to 21 for the governingLiberal Party of New Brunswick, which opted to attempt to remain in power as aminority government by presenting aThrone Speech in hopes of retaining theconfidence of theLegislative Assembly of New Brunswick.[7][8]
On November 2, 2018, the Progressive Conservatives and thePeople's Alliance combined to defeat PremierBrian Gallant's Liberal minority government via anon-confidence vote in the legislature.[9]
Higgs was appointed premier on November 9, 2018. Higgs and the Progressive Conservatives were re-elected to a majority government in the2020 provincial election held on September 14, 2020,
On March 30, 2022,Kris Austin andMichelle Conroy announced their departure from thePeople's Alliance of New Brunswick to join the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.[10]
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick saw itself at a crossroads, with multiple PCNB cabinet ministers and MLAs breaking ranks with the party, with some politicians citing a misalignment with their own views and that of thesocial conservatism the party being described as exhibiting.[11]
In April 2023, theDepartment of Education and Early Childhood Development, led by ministerBill Hogan and premier Higgs, placedPolicy 713, aneducational policy setting minimum requirements for public schools and districts in the province related to individuals identifying and perceived asLGBTQ, under review, later releasing a revised version in June 2023.[12] The situation led to widespread criticism and internal division within the PC-led government.[13] Shortly following the revision, long-standingcabinet ministersDorothy Shephard andTrevor Holder.[14][15] Two additional cabinet ministers,Daniel Allain andJeff Carr, expressed their “extreme disappointment in a lack of process and transparency” in a jointly signed letter following the revision.[16] On June 15, 2023, all four of these ministers voted with the opposition parties which favoured a Liberal motion opposing the policy revision and called for increased consultation on the policy,[17][16] leading to Higgs later dismissing both Allain and Carr from their respective cabinet positions, citing a breach ofcabinet solidarity due to their support for the opposition motion on the policy.[18]
Throughout early 2024, multiple PC MLAs and/or cabinet ministers, such asArlene Dunn,Mike Holland, Carr, Allain,[19][20] Shephard as well as Holder have all made announcements either resigning or opting out of running for re-election.[21] In April 2024, cabinet ministerGary Crossman, who previously announced that he would be retiring after his term,[22] also announced his resigning from the Legislative Assembly.[23]
The party was defeated by the Liberal's in the2024 New Brunswick general election, with Higgs losing his own seat and resigning as leader.[24] Theleadership election is scheduled for October 2026.[25]
The Tories have alternated power with theNew Brunswick Liberal Association since Confederation. The party tends to hold a moderateRed Tory stance, being socially and fiscally centrist.[3]
For most of New Brunswick's history, the party had greater support among English speakers, while the Liberals were more popular amongAcadians. However, initiatives by the governments ofRichard Hatfield andBernard Lord to include Acadians in the mainstream of New Brunswick life helped the party make inroads in Acadia. In fact, even though he was born inQuebec, formerpremier Bernard Lord is widely perceived to be an Acadian, due to hisFrancophone heritage and the fact that he was raised inMoncton where he attended French language schools and university.
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Leonard Tilley | 40.2 | 5 / 48 |  5 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1939 | Frederick Squires | 45.0 | 19 / 48 | 14 |  2nd | Opposition | |
| 1944 | Hugh Mackay | 40.0 | 12 / 48 |  7 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1948 | 31.2 | 5 / 52 | 7 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1952 | Hugh John Flemming | 48.9 | 36 / 52 | 31 | 1st | Majority | |
| 1956 | 52.2 | 37 / 52 | 1 | 1st | Majority | ||
| 1960 | 46.2 | 21 / 52 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1963 | Cyril Sherwood | 48.2 | 20 / 52 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1967 | Charles Van Horne | 47.1 | 26 / 58 | 6 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 1970 | Richard Hatfield | 48.4 | 32 / 58 | 6 | 1st | Majority | |
| 1974 | 145,304 | 46.9 | 33 / 58 | 1 | 1st | Majority | |
| 1978 | 44.4 | 30 / 58 | 3 | 1st | Majority | ||
| 1982 | 47.5 | 39 / 58 | 9 | 1st | Majority | ||
| 1987 | 116,798 | 28.6 | 0 / 58 | 39 | 2nd | No seats | |
| 1991 | Dennis Cochrane | 85,210 | 20.7 | 3 / 58 | 3 | 3rd | Third party |
| 1995 | Bernard Valcourt | 120,247 | 30.9 | 6 / 55 | 3 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1999 | Bernard Lord | 209,008 | 53.0 | 44 / 55 | 38 | 1st | Majority |
| 2003 | 174,092 | 45.5 | 28 / 55 | 16 | 1st | Majority | |
| 2006 | 177,744 | 47.5 | 26 / 55 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2010 | David Alward | 181,397 | 48.8 | 42 / 55 | 16 | 1st | Majority |
| 2014 | 128,848 | 34.6 | 21 / 49 | 21 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2018 | Blaine Higgs | 121,300 | 31.8 | 22 / 49 | 1 | 1st | Minority |
| 2020 | 147,490 | 39.3 | 27 / 49 | 5 | 1st | Majority | |
| 2024 | 126,804 | 34.8 | 16 / 49 | 9 | 2nd | Opposition |
| Legislative Assembly |
|
|---|---|
| Other parties recognized by Elections New Brunswick | |
| Lieutenant Governor |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Premier | ||
| Opposition leader | ||
| Speaker of the Assembly | ||
| Legislature | ||
| Political parties | ||
| Elections | ||
| Current issues | ||
| Other Canadian politics | ||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
