New Brunswick Liberal Association 418690 219826221 2008-06-17T01:18:07Z 156.34.225.5 /* Frank McKenna */ {{Infobox_Canada_Political_Party | party_name = New Brunswick Liberal Association | party_wikicolourid = Liberal | status = active | class = prov | party_logo = [[Image:Newbrunswickliberallogo.PNG]] | leader = [[Shawn Graham]]| president = [[Britt Dysart]] | foundation = 1883| dissolution = | ideology = [[Liberalism]]| headquarters = [[Tony Barry]] House<br>715 Brunswick Street<br>[[Fredericton, New Brunswick|Fredericton]], [[New Brunswick]]<br>E3B 1H8| int_alignment= None | seats_house = 29/55| colours = [[Red]]| website = [http://www.nblib.nb.ca/ http://www.nblib.nb.ca/] }} The '''New Brunswick Liberal Association''', more popularly known as the '''New Brunswick Liberal Party''' or '''Liberal Party of New Brunswick''', is one of the two major [[political party|political parties]] in the [[Canada|Canadian]] [[Provinces of Canada|province]] of [[New Brunswick]]. The party descended from both the [[Confederation Party]] and the [[Anti-Confederation Party]] whose members split into [[left wing]] and [[right wing]] groups following the creation of Canada as a country in 1867. The left leaning organization emerged in the 1880s to serve as an organization housing the supporters of [[Premier]] [[Andrew G. Blair]] and, later, [[Liberal Party of Canada|federal Liberal]] leader [[Wilfrid Laurier]]. Today, the New Brunswick Liberal Party competes with the [[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick|Progressive Conservatives]] to form the [[parliamentary government|government]]. Both are considered [[centrist]] parties. The [[social democratic]] [[New Democratic Party of New Brunswick]] is the only other major party, but it is not a contender for government. Like its counterparts in [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Nova Scotia]], [[Prince Edward Island]] and [[Saskatchewan]], the New Brunswick Liberal Association serves both the federal Liberal party and acts 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== '''Past presidents of the New Brunswick Liberal Association (term):''' *[[John B. McNair]] (1932 - 1940) *[[Percy Burchill|G. Percival Burchill]] (1941 - 1953) *[[Harry A. Corey]] (1953 - 1959 *[[A. Wesley Stuart|Wesley Stuart]] (1960 - 1963) *[[Daniel Aloysius Riley|Daniel A. Riley]] (1963 - 1964) (Acting) *Hugh Tait (1964 - 1966) *[[Donald A. McLean]] (1966 - 1971) *[[Norbert Thériault]] (1971 - 1977) *[[Peter Seheult]] (1977 - 1979) *Jack Stevens (1979 - 1983) *Sumner Fraser (1983 - 1986) *[[Aldéa Landry]] (1986 - 1988) *[[Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician)|Mike Murphy]] (1988 - 1992) *Réginald Léger (1992 - 2000) *Maurice Richard (2000 - 2002) *Jim Mockler (2002 - 2003 (Acting) *[[Greg Byrne]] (2003 - 2006) *[[Marcelle Mersereau]] (2006 - 2007) (Acting) *[[J. E. Britt Dysart]] (2007 - present) ===Early years and [[Andrew George Blair|Andrew Blair]]=== [[Image:Andrew George Blair.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Andrew Blair|A. G. Blair]]]] Prior to [[Canadian confederation]], advocates of [[responsible government]] 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 Party|Confederation]] and [[Anti-Confederation Party|Anti-Confederation Parties]]. Following 1867, supporters of Confederation generally became known as [[Liberal-Conservative]]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]] and forged members of his [[parliamentary government]] and their supporters into the New Brunswick Liberal Association in 1883. Blair led a very successful government and served as [[Premier (Canada)|premier]] of the province for 13 years. He was New Brunswick's longest serving premier until his tenure was surpassed by [[Richard Hatfield]] nearly a century later. Though Blair had not been a candidate in the [[Canadian federal election, 1896|1896 federal election]], he joined the [[Cabinet of Canada|federal cabinet]] of Sir [[Wilfrid Laurier]] 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|provincial secretary]], served briefly as premier, but Mitchell soon resigned the post due to ill health. Mitchell was replaced by [[Henry R. Emmerson]], who showed some promise but lost the [[motion of confidence|confidence]] of the house when he tried to introduce [[women's suffrage]] in 1900. The party was saved electoral disaster when [[Lemuel J. Tweedie]], a [[Conservative Party of Canada (historic)|federal Conservative]], replaced Emmerson, and won two large majorities at [[general election]]s. Though women's suffrage could not be introduced in the province, he admitted women into the practice of law in 1906, and began the first major [[hydroelectric]] project in New Brunswick at [[Grand Falls, New Brunswick|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]] 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 [[New Brunswick general election, 1908|1908 election]] as they had been led since 1899 by [[John Douglas Hazen]], a man with whom they had become familiar. Haven served only briefly, leaving in 1911 to join the federal cabinet of [[Robert Borden]], and was replaced by the charismatic and popular [[James Kidd Flemming]]. The Liberals were easily defeated by Flemming in [[New Brunswick general election, 1912|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 [[New Brunswick general election, 1917|1917 election]]. ===Dysart and McNair=== In the midst of the depression, the Liberals made a resurgence in 1932 with [[Allison Dysart]] 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]]. {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} ===Louis J. Robichaud=== During the 1960s, the Liberals under [[Louis Joseph Robichaud]] were instrumental in bringing [[Acadians]] into the mainstream of life in New Brunswick, declaring the province to be officially [[bilingualism in Canada|bilingual]]. The [[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]] languages were given equal status. {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} ===Opposition in the Hatfield years=== Following defeat in the [[New Brunswick general election, 1970|1970 election]], the Liberals were largely in disarray. The party's prospects in [[New Brunswick general election, 1978|1978]] were good, but it changed leaders on the eve of the election, and, under [[Joseph Z. Daigle|Joseph Daigle]] was defeated narrowly by the Progressive Conservatives. The PCs won 30 seats in the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|Legislative Assembly]] to the Liberals' 28. The party was reduced to 18 seats in 1982 under new leader [[Doug Young]]. {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} ===Frank McKenna=== In 1985, the party choose [[Frank McKenna]] as leader. McKenna, a young lawyer representing [[Miramichi, New Brunswick|Chatham]] in the legislature in his first term, ran as the underdog candidate in a leadership campaign against party stalwart [[Ray Frenette]]. Frenette had served as [[interim leader]] from the disastrous [[New Brunswick general election, 1982|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 [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]]. 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 [[History of Canada|Canadian history]] (the first time was in the [[Prince Edward Island general election, 1935|1935 PEI provincial election]]). McKenna was regarded as a fiscal conservative and was called by some the "Best [[Tory]] 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]] and other transfers. He also instituted new programs. Notably, McKenna instituted a publicly funded [[kindergarten]] program -- something that had been promised by the Hatfield 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 [[Roy Romanow|Romanow]] report on the [[Commission on the Future of Healthcare in Canada|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 [[New Brunswick general election, 1999|1999 election]]. The Liberals were defeated in that election despite having begun the campaign with a double-digit lead in [[opinion polling|opinion polls]]. ===Present=== In the 1999 election, the Liberals suffered their worst ever defeat, wining only 10 seats. In 2000, Liberal [[Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) [[Bernard Thériault]] resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the [[Canadian House of Commons]] in [[Acadie-Bathurst]], and [[Edmond Blanchard]] resigned to accept an appointment to the [[Federal Court of Canada]]. The Progressive Conservatives won both of these seats in [[by-election]]s in early 2001, reducing the Liberals to eight seats in the legislature. Although the by-election losses were due mainly to Tory promises to reward those who returned a government member, this was a further blow to Camille Thériault's leadership. 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]]. [[Image:Nblibleaders.jpg|thumb|right|300px|2004 by-election candidate [[Victor Boudreau]], Liberal leader [[Shawn Graham]], and former Liberal [[Premier of New Brunswick|premiers]] [[Louis Robichaud]], [[Frank McKenna]] and [[Ray Frenette]]]] In the following leadership contest, there were many candidates that appeared briefly, but withdrew. The original likely candidates were former [[Executive Council of New Brunswick|cabinet]] [[political minister|minister]] [[Paul Duffie]], former McKenna adviser [[Francis McGuire]], and [[Moncton]] lawyer [[Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician)|Mike Murphy]]. 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 [[Jack MacDougall]] 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. Richard was urged to abandon the interim leadership and contest the race. He also began a formative campaign but soon announced he would continue as interim leader instead. Finally, after the campaign had already begun in earnest, [[Shawn Graham]], a rookie MLA in his early 30s, announced his candidacy in January 2002. Graham, who was largely underestimated by Duffie, took to 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 11]], [[2002]]. Graham continued to be underestimated by the press and by the governing Conservatives. Shocking pundits, Graham nearly won the [[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 election]] taking 26 of 55 seats in the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|New Brunswick legislature]]. Richard, who was re-elected in 2003, accepted a provincial appointment on [[November 26]], [[2003]]. This was in a move by the Conservatives to improve their standing in the winter and spring sessions of the legislature and was viewed as a serious blow to Graham's leadership. Despite this, the Liberal's have led consistently in [[opinion polling|opinion polls]] since then and the Liberal's regained Richard's seat in a by-election. Graham led the Liberals to a narrow victory in the [[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 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 3rd, 2006. They have since 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. ==Current members of the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|legislature]]== {| class="wikitable" |- !Name !Riding !First elected !Government/Legislative roles |- |[[Hédard Albert]] |[[Caraquet (electoral district)|Caraquet]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport (New Brunswick)|Minister of Wellness, Culture and Sport]] |- |[[Donald Arseneault]] |[[Dalhousie-Restigouche East]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Natural Resources (New Brunswick)|Minister of Natural Resources]] |- |[[Roy Boudreau]] |[[Campbellton-Restigouche Centre]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]], Chair of the Committee on [[Crown Corporations]] |- |[[Victor Boudreau]] |[[Shediac-Cap-Pélé]] |[[2004]] [[by-election|by-e]] |[[Department of Finance (New Brunswick)|Minister of Finance]] |- |[[Rick Brewer]] |[[Southwest Miramichi]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Whip (politics)|Government Whip]] |- |[[T.J. Burke]] |[[Fredericton-Nashwaaksis]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Attorney General of New Brunswick]], [[Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs (New Brunswick)|Minister of Justice and Consumber Affairs]] |- |[[Greg Byrne]] |[[Fredericton-Lincoln]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1995|1995 g.e.]] |[[Business New Brunswick|Minister of Business New Brunswick]] |- |[[Chris Collins]] |[[Moncton East]] |[[2007]] [[by-election|by-e.]] |Chair of the Select Committee on Wellness |- |Dr. [[Ed Doherty]] |[[Saint John Harbour]] |[[2005]] [[by-election|by-e]] |[[Department of Post-Secondary Education and Training (New Brunswick)|Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour]] |- |[[Rick Doucet]] |[[Charlotte-The Isles]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture (New Brunswick)|Minister of Fisheries]] |- |[[John Foran]] |[[Miramichi Centre]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Public Safety (New Brunswick)|Minister of Public Safety]] |- |[[Bill Fraser]] |[[Miramichi-Bay du Vin]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |[[Speaker (politics)|Deputy Speaker]] |- |[[Shawn Graham]] |[[Kent (provincial electoral district)|Kent]] |[[1998]] [[by-election|by-e]] |[[Premier of New Brunswick]], [[Department of Intergovernmental Affairs (New Brunswick)|Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]] |- |[[Roland Haché]] |[[Nigadoo-Chaleur]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1999|1999 g.e.]] |[[Department of Environment (New Brunswick)|Minister of Environment]] |- |[[Stuart Jamieson]] |[[Saint John-Fundy]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1987|1987 g.e.]] |[[Department of Tourism and Parks (New Brunswick)|Minister of Tourism and Parks]] |- |[[Jack Keir]] |[[Fundy-River Valley]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |[[Department of Energy (New Brunswick)|Minister of Energy]], Acting [[Department of Supply and Services (New Brunswick)|Minister of Supply & Services]] |- |Dr. [[Larry Kennedy]] |[[Victoria-Tobique]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1987|1987 g.e.]] |Chair of the Committee on [[Private bill|Private Bills]] |- |[[Brian Kenny (politician)|Brian Kenny]] |[[Bathurst (electoral district)|Bathurst]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Speaker (politics)|Deputy Speaker]] |- |[[Kelly Lamrock]] |[[Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Education (New Brunswick)|Minister of Education]] |- |[[Denis Landry]] |[[Centre-Péninsule-Saint-Saveur]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1995|1995 g.e.]] |[[Department of Transportation (New Brunswick)|Minister of Transportation]] |- |[[Cheryl Lavoie]] |[[Nepisiguit (electoral district)|Nepisiguit]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |Chair of the Committee on [[Officers of Parliament|Legislative Officers]] |- |[[Abel LeBlanc]] |[[Saint John Lancaster]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |Chair of the Committee on [[Estimates]] |- |[[Bernard LeBlanc]] |[[Memramcook-Lakeville-Dieppe]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |to be determined |- |[[Joan MacAlpine-Stiles]] |[[Moncton West (electoral district)|Moncton West]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1999|1999 g.e.]]* |Chair-designate of the Select Committee on Life Long Learning |- |[[Roly MacIntyre]] |[[Saint John East]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1995|1995 g.e.]] |to be determined |- |[[Eugene McGinley]] |[[Grand Lake-Gagetown]] |[[1972]] [[by-election|by-e]] |Minister of State for Seniors and Housing |- |[[Rick Miles]] |[[Fredericton-Silverwood]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |[[caucus chair]] |- |[[Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician)|Mike Murphy]] |[[Moncton North]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Health (New Brunswick)|Minister of Health]], [[Government House Leader (New Brunswick)|Government House Leader]] |- |[[Ronald Ouellette]] |[[Grand Falls-Drummond-Saint-André]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture (New Brunswick)|Minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture]] |- |[[Carmel Robichaud]] |[[Miramichi Bay-Neguac]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 g.e.]] |[[Department of Local Government (New Brunswick)|Minister of Local Government]] |- |[[Mary Schryer]] |[[Quispamsis (electoral district)|Quispamsis]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 2006|2006 g.e.]] |[[Department of Family and Community Services (New Brunswick)|Minister of Family and Community Services]] |- |[[Wally Stiles]] |[[Petitcodiac (electoral district)|Petitcodiac]] |[[New Brunswick general election, 1999|1999 g.e.]]* |[[Office of Human Resources (New Brunswick)|Minister of Human Resources]] |} ==New Brunswick Liberal Leaders since 1958== *[[Louis J. Robichaud]] 1958-1971 *[[Robert J. Higgins]] 1971-1978 *[[Joseph Daigle]] 1978-1981 *[[Doug Young]] 1981-1983 *[[Ray Frenette]] 1983-1985 (interim) *[[Shirley Dysart]] 1985 (interim) *[[Frank McKenna]] 1985-1997 *[[Ray Frenette]] 1997-1998 (interim) *[[Camille Thériault]] 1998-2001 *[[Bernard Richard]] 2001-2001 (interim) *[[Shawn Graham]] 2002- ==See also== *[[List of New Brunswick premiers]] *[[List of political parties in Canada]] ==External links== *[http://www.nblib.nb.ca New Brunswick Liberal Association / Association libérale du Nouveau-Brunswick] {{New Brunswick provincial political parties}} {{New Brunswick politics}} {{Major Canadian Liberal Parties}} [[Category:Provincial political parties in New Brunswick]] [[fr:Association libérale du Nouveau-Brunswick]]