New Brunswick general election, 2006 2233628 226094947 2008-07-16T20:17:51Z Professor Falken 7351827 /* Controversial nature of results */ {{Infobox Election | election_name = New Brunswick general election, 2006 | country = New Brunswick | type = parliamentary | ongoing = no | party_colour = | previous_election = New Brunswick general election, 2003 | previous_year = 2003 | next_election = 57th New Brunswick general election | next_year = Next | seats_for_election = 55 seats of the [[56th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly]] | election_date = [[September 18]] [[2006]] | image1 = | leader1 = [[Shawn Graham]] | leader_since1 = | party1 = New Brunswick Liberal Association | leaders_seat1 = [[Kent (provincial electoral district)|Kent]] | last_election1 = 26 | seats1 = 29 | seat_change1 = +3 | popular_vote1 = 176,410 | percentage1 = 47.1% | swing1 = +2.7% | image2 = | leader2 = [[Bernard Lord]] | leader_since2 = | party2 = Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick | leaders_seat2 = [[Moncton East]] | last_election2 = 28 | seats2 = 26 | seat_change2 = -2 | popular_vote2 = 177,744 | percentage2 = 47.5% | swing2 = +2.1% | image3 = | leader3 = [[Allison Brewer]] | leader_since3 = | party3 = New Brunswick New Democratic Party | leaders_seat3 = ''Ran for [[Fredericton-Lincoln]]'' | last_election3 = 1 | seats3 = 0 | seat_change3 = -1 | popular_vote3 = 19,212 | percentage3 = 5.1% | swing3 = -4.6% | map_image = Nb2006.PNG | map_size = 300px | map_caption = Map of New Brunswick's ridings coloured in based on the winning parties and their popular vote | title = Premier | before_election = [[Bernard Lord]] | before_party = Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick | after_election = [[Shawn Graham]] | after_party = New Brunswick Liberal Association }} [[Image:Nb-seating-2006.png|thumb|right|250px|Rendition of party representation in the [[56th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly]] decided by this election. {{legend|#F08080|Liberals (29)}} {{legend|#6495ED|Progressive Conservatives (26)}}]] {{wikinews|New Brunswick voters shun Lord}} The '''2006 general election''' (more formally the '''56th general election''') was held on [[September 18]], [[2006]], in the [[province (Canada)|province]] of [[New Brunswick]], [[Canada]] to elect members of the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick]]. The campaign came earlier than expected: the incumbent [[Premier of New Brunswick]], [[Bernard Lord]], had pledged a vote would be held on [[October 15]] [[2007]] but when the ruling [[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick|Progressive Conservatives]] faced a loss of its [[majority government|majority]] in the legislature, Lord said he did not want to face a [[minority government]] and, moreover, feared that a [[by-election]] could tip the balance of power to the [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] [[New Brunswick Liberal Association|Liberals]]. The campaign was hard fought with pundits and pollsters calling it too close to call throughout the five week campaign. In the end, it was won by the Liberals led by [[Shawn Graham]]. The Liberals won 29 seats to 26 for the Progressive Conservatives, although the Progressive Conservatives won a plurality of the popular vote (47.5% to 47.2%). Unusually, the Liberals won 17 of the 36 predominantly anglophone ridings, their best showing in a competitive election in English New Brunswick since the [[New Brunswick general election, 1944|1944 election]]. The Conservatives conversely did better than they have ever done while losing an election among Francophone ridings. == Overview == Following the report of the [[Commission on Legislative Democracy]] in December 2004, which recommended fixed election dates beginning on [[October 15]] [[2007]], [[Premier of New Brunswick|Premier]] [[Bernard Lord]] pledged to introduce legislation fixing election dates, beginning on that date. Due to this, and because it is tradition in New Brunswick to hold elections every four years, the [[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick|Progressive Conservative]] government and media had routinely referred to this as the '''"2007 election"''' though early 2006. The [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] [[New Brunswick Liberal Association|Liberals]] however always pledged to try to force an early election. From February through May of 2006, it seemed possible that the Liberals might be successful in their goal as on [[February 17]] [[2006]] [[Michael Malley]] left the Progressive Conservative [[caucus]] creating a [[minority government]] situation, Malley later became [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] and, as Speaker, controversially rejoined the government caucus. The situation remained difficult for some time as the Liberals gained control of several key committees upon Malley's defection and would not return control to the government as they did not recognize Malley's change of affiliation while speaker. On [[May 30]] [[2006]], the House reaffirmed its confidence in Malley in a vote and on [[May 31]] [[2006]] the government and opposition announced a truce to allow the House to function more easily including a legislative calendar through 2007. As a result, it seemed unlikely that the government would fall prior to its chosen date to go to the polls. However, [[Peter Mesheau]], a Progressive Conservative MLA who had already announced that he would not run for re-election, said he would have to resign his seat as he had accepted a job in the private sector. Lord said that he would not face another [[hung parliament]] and announced on [[August 10]] [[2006]] that he would seek an election date of September 18. On August 18, Lord asked [[Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick|Lieutenant-Governor]] [[Herménégilde Chiasson]] to dissolve the legislature and set the election date. [http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Atlantic/060818/t081818.html&cid=0] The emerging key issues of the campaign seem to be leadership and energy prices. The Progressive Conservatives have for some years questioned the leadership abilities of [[Shawn Graham]], the [[Leader of the Opposition (New Brunswick)|leader of the opposition]] while the Liberals have been focusing on energy in general as a theme for some time. Moreover, energy has come to the forefront due to the introduction of [[gas price regulation]] by Lord's government on [[July 1]] [[2006]] and the Liberals announced their energy platform prior to beginning of the campaign. This election was the first campaign since the [[New Brunswick general election, 1987|1987 election]] in which [[Elizabeth Weir]] did not lead the smaller [[social democracy|social democratic]] [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party|New Democratic Party]] (NDP). In [[2005]], Weir stepped down after seventeen years as NDP leader. She was succeeded by [[Fredericton, New Brunswick|Fredericton]]-based social activist [[Allison Brewer]], who stood for election in the riding of [[Fredericton-Lincoln]]. The Progressive Conservative party were again be led by Bernard Lord and the Liberal Party by Shawn Graham. The campaign was derided by jouralists and political scientists as boring in part because much of the campaign was before Labour Day when many families were still taking summer holidays and also because the overall aspects of the two main parties were similar. There were three English language debates and two French languages debates with some being declared draws, some wins for Lord and some wins for Graham by the experts. Opinion polls showed the Conservatives with a lead in the early days of the campaign but the last few weeks showed ties or slight edges to the Liberals within the margin of error. On election day, Shawn Graham and the Liberals won the most seats, however they lost the popular vote. Bernard Lord was the first premier not elected to a third term since [[Hugh John Flemming]] lost his bid for a third term in the [[New Brunswick general election, 1960|1960 election]] while the NDP suffered a considerable blow being shut out of the legislature despite having won a seat in 5 of the last 6 elections and seeing their popular vote slip 4% to their worst showing since the [[New Brunswick general election, 1974|1974 election]]. === Issues === The Fredericton [[Daily Gleaner]] reported on [[August 11]] [[2006]] that they had asked the leaders of each party for what they thought the key issues of the campaign would be: *Benard Lord, PC Leader: jobs, the economy, health care and senior care *Shawn Graham, Liberal Leader: education, economic development and energy *Allison Brewer, NDP Leader: high energy prices An [[opinion poll]], conducted for [[CTV Atlantic]] by the [[Innovative Research Group]] the last week of the campaign found the follow issues were top of mind for voters: *Health Care (22%) *Education (11%) *Jobs/Unemployment (10%) *Gas Prices/Oil (8%) *Political Leaders/Leadership (4%) *Senior Care/Nursing Homes (4%) *Taxes/Taxation (3%) *Cost of living/Inflation (3%) *Social Issues (2%) ==Results== ===Results by party=== {{New Brunswick general election, 2006}} ===Results by region=== {| border="1" class="wikitable" |- ! align="center" colspan="3"|Party Name ! align="center"|Central ! align="center"|North East ! align="center"|North West ! align="center"|South East ! align="center"|South West ! align="center"|Total {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal/row}} | rowspan="2"|[[New Brunswick Liberal Association|Liberal]] | Seats: | align="center"|5 | align="center"|11 | align="center"|2 | align="center"|4 | align="center"|7 ! align="center"|29 {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal/row}} | Popular Vote: | align="center"|46.1% | align="center"|55.3% | align="center"|41.6% | align="center"|43.5% | align="center"|48.5% ! align="center"|47.2% {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives/row}} | rowspan="2"|[[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick|Progressive<br>Conservative]] | Seats: | align="center"|4 | align="center"|2 | align="center"|5 | align="center"|10 | align="center"|5 ! align="center"|26 {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives/row}} | Popular Vote: | align="center"|47.6% | align="center"|41.6% | align="center"|54.2% | align="center"|53.0% | align="center"|44.5% ! align="center"|47.5% |- ! colspan=3|Total seats: ! align="center"|9 ! align="center"|13 ! align="center"|7 ! align="center"|14 ! align="center"|12 ! align="center"|55 |- | colspan=17|'''Parties that won no seats:''' {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/NDP/row}} |[[New Brunswick New Democratic Party|New<br>Democratic]] | Popular Vote: | align="center"|6.3% | align="center"|2.8% | align="center"|4.2% | align="center"|3.4% | align="center"|6.0% ! align="center"|5.1% {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Independents/row}} |Independents | Popular Vote: | align="center"|- | align="center"|0.3% | align="center"|- | align="center"|- | align="center"|0.9% ! align="center"|0.2% |} ===Results by riding=== Many new and changed districts will be used for the first time in this election as a result of an [[New Brunswick electoral redistribution, 2006|electoral redistribution]]. '''Legend''' *'''bold''' denotes cabinet minister or party leader *''italics'' denotes a potential candidate who has not received his/her party's nomination *† denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election *<nowiki>*</nowiki> denotes an incumbent seeking re-election in a new district ==== Northeast ==== {{Canadian_politics/candlist_header_3plus|Progressive Conservatives|Liberal|NDP|Green}} |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|1. [[Campbellton-Restigouche Centre]] | |[[Greg Davis (politician)|Greg Davis]] 3,248 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Roy Boudreau]] 4,232 | | | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Roy Boudreau |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|2. [[Dalhousie-Restigouche East]] | |[[Ronald Barriault]] 2,081 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Donald Arseneault]] 5,502 | |[[Lyndsey Gallant]] 454 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Donald Arseneault |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|3. [[Nigadoo-Chaleur]] | |[[Gérard Mallais]] 2,597 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Roland Haché]] 4,311 | |[[Lucie Desaulnier]] 334 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Roland Haché |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|4. [[Bathurst (electoral district)|Bathurst]] | |[[Nancy McKay]] 3,037 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Brian Kenny (politician)|Brian Kenny]] 3,224 | |[[Blair Lindsay]] 328 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Brian Kenny |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|5. [[Nepisiguit (electoral district)|Nepisiguit]] | |[[Gerry Legere]] 2,448 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Cheryl Lavoie]] 2,844 | |[[Charles Fournier]] 489 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Independents}}| |[[Frank Branch]]† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|6. [[Caraquet (electoral district)|Caraquet]] | |[[Claude L'Espérance]] 1,677 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Hédard Albert]] 4,580 | |[[Stephane Doiron]] 966 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Hédard Albert |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|7. [[Lamèque-Shippagan-Miscou]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Paul Robichaud]]''' 4,348 | |[[Denis Roussel]] 2,795 | |[[Juliette Paulin]] 418 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Paul Robichaud''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|8. [[Centre-Péninsule-Saint-Sauveur]] | |[[Louis-Philippe McGraw]] 3,235 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Denis Landry]] 4,142 | | | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Denis Landry |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|9. [[Tracadie-Sheila (electoral district)|Tracadie-Sheila]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Claude Landry]] 4,043 | |[[Serge Rousselle]] 3,281 | | | |Stephane Richardson (Ind.) 250 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Elvy Robichaud]]† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|10. [[Miramichi Bay-Neguac]] | |[[Guy Vautour]] 1,963 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Carmel Robichaud]] 3,083 | |[[Roger Duguay]] 1,791 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Carmel Robichaud |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|11. [[Miramichi-Bay du Vin]] | |[[Michael Malley]] 2,720 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Bill Fraser (politician)|Bill Fraser]] 4,187 | |[[Dwayne Hancock]] 181 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |Michael Malley |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|12. [[Miramichi Centre]] | |[[George Smith (New Brunswick politician)|George Smith]] 2,732 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[John Foran]] 3,747 | |[[Douglas Mullin]] 258 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |John Foran |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|13. [[Southwest Miramichi]] | |[[Brent Taylor (Canadian politician)|Brent Taylor]] 2,844 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Rick Brewer]] 3,327 | |[[Lydia Calhoun]] 217 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Rick Brewer |} ==== Southeast ==== {{Canadian_politics/candlist_header_3plus|Progressive Conservatives|Liberal|NDP}} |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|14. [[Rogersville-Kouchibouguac]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Rose-May Poirier]]''' 4,332 | |[[Emery Comeau]] 3,112 | |[[Oscar Doucet]] 356 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Rose-May Poirier''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|15. [[Kent (provincial electoral district)|Kent]] | |[[Aldéo Saulnier]] 3,060 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |'''[[Shawn Graham]]''' 3,534 | |[[Graham Cox]] 209 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |'''Shawn Graham''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|16. [[Kent South]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Claude Williams (politician)|Claude Williams]]''' 4,890 | |[[Nadine Hébert]] 3,463 | | | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Claude Williams''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|17. [[Shediac-Cap-Pelé]] | |[[Leo Doiron]] 3,639 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Victor Boudreau]] 5,116 | |[[Richard Pellerin]] 283 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Victor Boudreau |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|18. [[Tantramar (electoral district)|Tantramar]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Mike Olscamp]] 2,690 | |[[John Higham (Canadian politician)|John Higham]] 1,718 | |[[Virgil Hammock]] 536 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservative}}| |[[Peter Mesheau]]† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|19. [[Memramcook-Lakeville-Dieppe]] | |[[Fortunat Duguay]] 2,680 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Bernard LeBlanc]] 3,845 | |[[Carl Bainbridge]] 287 | | |colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=whitesmoke|''new district'' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|20. [[Dieppe Centre-Lewisville]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Cy LeBlanc]]* 4,347 | |[[Bruno Roy]] 4,289 | |[[Valier Santerre]] 271 | | |colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=whitesmoke|''new district'' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|21. [[Moncton East]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Bernard Lord]]''' 3,816 | |[[Brian Gallant]] 2,827 | |[[Mark Robar]] 319 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Bernard Lord''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|22. [[Moncton West]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Joan MacAlpine-Stiles]]''' 3,317 | |[[Gene Devereux]] 3,012 | | | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Joan MacAlpine-Stiles''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|23. [[Moncton North]] | |[[Marie-Claude Blais]] 2,469 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician)|Mike Murphy]] 2,707 | |[[Cindy Rix]] 326 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Mike Murphy |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|24. [[Moncton Crescent]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[John Betts]] 4,271 | |[[Shirley Smallwood]] 3,278 | |[[Ian Thorn]] 283 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |John Betts |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|25. [[Petitcodiac (electoral district)|Petitcodiac]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservative}}| |[[Wally Stiles]] 4,651 | |[[Terry Keating]] 2,116 | |[[Rebecca Lewis-Marshall]] 392 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservative}}| |Wally Stiles |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|26. [[Riverview (electoral district)|Riverview]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Bruce Fitch]]''' 4,326 | |[[Ward White]] 2,302 | |[[Richard Grant (politician)|Richard Grant]] 202 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Bruce Fitch''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|27. [[Albert (provincial electoral district)|Albert]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Wayne Steeves]]''' 4,439 | |[[Clark Butland]] 1,902 | | | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Wayne Steeves''' |} ==== Southwest ==== {{Canadian_politics/candlist_header_3plus|Progressive Conservatives|Liberal|NDP}} |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|28. [[Kings East]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Bruce Northrup]] 4,071 | |[[LeRoy Armstrong]] 2,798 | |[[Dana Brown (Canadian politician)|Dana Brown]] 248 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |LeRoy Armstrong |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|29. [[Hampton-Kings]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Bev Harrison]]''' 4,195 | |[[Linda Watson (politician)|Linda Watson]] 1,787 | |[[Pat Hanratty]] 918 | |[[John Sabine]] ([[Independent (politician)|Ind.]]) 255 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Bev Harrison''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|30. [[Quispamsis (electoral district)|Quispamsis]] | |'''[[Brenda Fowlie]]''' 3,108 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Mary Schryer]] 3,625 | |[[Lorena Henry]] 334 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Brenda Fowlie''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|31. [[Saint John-Fundy]] | |[[James Huttges]] 2,132 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Stuart Jamieson]] 3,124 | |[[Mark LeBlanc]] 377 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Stuart Jamieson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|32. [[Rothesay (electoral district)|Rothesay]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Margaret-Ann Blaney]] 2,853 | |[[Paul Barry (politician)|Paul Barry]] 2,765 | |[[Troy Polchies]] 249 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |Margaret-Ann Blaney |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|33. [[Saint John East]] | |Joe Mott 1,860 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Roly MacIntyre]] 3,406 | |[[Maureen Michaud]] 394 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Roly MacIntyre |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|34. [[Saint John Harbour]] | |[[Idee Inyangudor]] 1,139 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Ed Doherty]] 2,690 | |[[Dan Robichaud]] 547 | |David Raymond Amos (Ind.) 44 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Ed Doherty |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|35. [[Saint John Portland]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Trevor Holder]]''' 2,987 | |[[Colleen Knudson]] 2,710 | |[[Claire Mudge]] 281 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Trevor Holder''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|36. [[Saint John Lancaster]] | |[[Peter Hyslop]] 2,499 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Abel LeBlanc]] 4,002 | |[[Jennifer Carkner]] 283 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Abel LeBlanc |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|37. [[Fundy-River Valley]] | |[[Borden DeLong]] 2,594 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Jack Keir]] 2,793 | |[[Percy Ward]] 285 | |[[Colby Fraser]] ([[Independent (politician)|Ind.]]) 386 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Milt Sherwood]]† |- |rowspan=3 bgcolor=whitesmoke|38. [[Charlotte-The Isles]] |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|[[Wayne Sturgeon]] 2,627 |rowspan=3 {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |rowspan=3|[[Rick Doucet]] 3,619 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|[[Sharon Greenlaw]] 267 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3| |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Rick Doucet |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke colspan=2 align=center|''merged district'' |- |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Eric Allaby]]† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|39. [[Charlotte-Campobello]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Tony Huntjens]] 3,157 | |[[Robert Tinker]] 2,875 | |[[Andrew Graham (politician)|Andrew Graham]] 312 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |Tony Huntjens |} ==== Central ==== {{Canadian_politics/candlist_header_3plus|Progressive Conservatives|Liberal|NDP}} |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|40. [[Oromocto (electoral district)|Oromocto]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Jody Carr]]''' 3,181 | |[[Shelby Mercer]] 1,451 | |[[Stephen Beam]] 157 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Jody Carr''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|41. [[Grand Lake-Gagetown]] | |[[Jack Carr]] 3,324 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberals}}| |[[Eugene McGinley]]* 3,545 | |[[Helen Partridge]] 412 | | |colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=whitesmoke|''new district'' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|42. [[Fredericton-Nashwaaksis]] | |[[Mike Smith (Canadian politician)|Mike Smith]] 3,698 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[T.J. Burke]]* 3,855 | |[[Aaron Doucette]] 304 | | |colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=whitesmoke|''new district'' |- |rowspan=3 bgcolor=whitesmoke|43. [[Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak]] |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|[[Heather Hughes]] 2,800 |rowspan=3 {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |rowspan=3|[[Kelly Lamrock]] 3,817 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3| |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |T.J. Burke |- |colspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke align=center|''merged district'' |- |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Kelly Lamrock |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|44. [[Fredericton-Lincoln]] | |[[William Forrestall]] 2,427 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Greg Byrne]] 3,354 | |'''[[Allison Brewer]]''' 1,057 | | |colspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke align=center|''new district'' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|45. [[Fredericton-Silverwood]] | |'''[[Brad Green (politician)|Brad Green]]''' 2,880 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Rick Miles]] 3,335 | |[[Dennis Atchison]] 815 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Brad Green''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|46. [[New Maryland-Sunbury West]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Keith Ashfield]]''' 3,222 | |[[Les Smith (politician)|Les Smith]] 2,666 | |[[Brecken Hancock]] 307 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Keith Ashfield''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|47. [[York (provincial electoral district)|York]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |[[Carl Urquhart]] 3,100 | |[[Trent Jewett]] 2,943 | |[[Derek Simons]] 382 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Scott Targett]]† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|48. [[York North (provincial electoral district)|York North]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Kirk MacDonald]]''' 4,061 | |[[Larry Jewett]] 2,854 | |[[Anne Leslie]] 379 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Kirk MacDonald''' |} ==== Northwest ==== {{Canadian_politics/candlist_header_3plus|Progressive Conservatives|Liberal|NDP}} |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|49. [[Woodstock (electoral district)|Woodstock]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[David Alward]]''' 3,867 | |[[Art Slipp]] 2,936 | |[[Garth Brewer]] 345 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''David Alward''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|50. [[Carleton (provincial electoral district)|Carleton]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Dale Graham]]''' 4,148 | |[[Gwen Cullins-Jones]] 2,086 | |[[Jason Robar]] 235 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Dale Graham''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|51. [[Victoria-Tobique]] | |[[Chris McLaughlin (Canadian politician)|Chris McLaughlin]] 1,447 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Larry Kennedy]] 4,043 | |[[Paul Kendal]] 153 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Larry Kennedy |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|52. [[Grand Falls-Drummond-Saint-André]] | |[[Maurice Picard]] 2,733 |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |[[Ron Ouellette]] 3,752 | |[[Pierre Cyr]] 254 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Ron Ouellette |- |rowspan=3 bgcolor=whitesmoke|53. [[Restigouche-La-Vallée]] |rowspan=3 {{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |rowspan=3|'''[[Percy Mockler]]''' 3,835 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|[[Burt Paulin]] 2,806 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3|[[Alain Martel]] 599 |rowspan=3| |rowspan=3| |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}| |Burt Paulin |- |colspan=2 bgcolor=whitesmoke align=center|''merged district'' |- |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Percy Mockler''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|54. [[Edmundston-Saint-Basile]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Madeleine Dubé]]''' 5,631 | |[[Jean-Louis Johnson]] 2,000 | |[[Michael Bosse]] 235 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Madeleine Dubé''' |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|55. [[Madawaska-les-Lacs]] |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''[[Jeannot Volpé]]''' 4,268 | |[[Élaine Albert]] 2,297 | |[[Jeff Thibodeau]] 183 | | |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}| |'''Jeannot Volpé''' |} ===Controversial nature of results=== {{Original research}} {{NPOV-section}} The 2006 New Brunswick general election provided a textbook example of what ''non-partisan'' electoral reform groups see as the major problems with what they describe as an outdated [[Plurality voting system|first-past-the-post]] voting system. Generally speaking, concern from these groups focuses around the facts that a) the party that won the popular vote (Progressive Conservatives by 0.3%) received three ''fewer'' seats than the party that finished second in overall votes (Liberals); b) a party that finished with less than 50% of the popular vote (Liberals with 47.2%) received a "false majority" and ''total'' effective governing power over the province; and c) over 20,000 votes cast for [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party|NDP]] and independent candidates are completely unrepresented in the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|New Brunswick Legislature]]. [[Fair Vote Canada]] Executive Director Larry Gordon was quick to express his dismay with the outcome. "In a democracy, you would think any party failing to win a majority of votes should not have majority control of the legislature," he said. "You would certainly not expect a party coming in second place to be given complete control of the political agenda."[http://fairvotecanada.org/en/nb_elections] There is a history of similar "false results" in the province and across Canada. In fact, despite being "penalized" by the system this time, over the last 40 years the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives have twice been awarded more seats than any other party despite finishing second in the popular vote ([[New Brunswick general election, 1970|1970]] and [[New Brunswick general election, 1974|1974]]). Outgoing Premier Bernard Lord stated as much on election night and therefore chose not to criticize this election's result. Lord had previously promised to hold an electoral reform referendum on [[May 12]], [[2008]]. If the promised vote on a [[Mixed member proportional representation|mixed-member proportional system (MMP)]] goes ahead under the new government, "pro side" groups advocating reform are likely to make much of the 1970, 1974 and 2006 election results as well as numerous other false majorities recorded throughout the province's history. ==Timeline== *[[October 8]] [[2004]] - [[Elizabeth Weir]] resigns as leader of the New Brunswick NDP after leading her party through four elections. *[[June 30]] [[2005]] - The ''Electoral Boundaries and Representation Act'' is passed in the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|legislature]], which sets forth a process under which the province will have new [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral districts]]. *[[July 21]] [[2005]] - [[Department of Environment and Local Government (New Brunswick)|Environment & Local Government]] [[Executive Council of New Brunswick|Minister]] [[Brenda Fowlie]] resigns from cabinet after the provincial [[ombudsman]] finds she had violated the privacy act in revealing personal information about Liberal MLA [[Stuart Jamieson]]. *[[September 25]] [[2005]] - Allison Brewer is elected leader of the NDP at a [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election, 2005|leadership convention]]. *[[October 13]] [[2005]] - Elizabeth Weir resigns her seat in the legislature, a [[by-election]] is called two days later for November 14. The Tories and Liberals both announce high profile candidates and the media speculates that the winner of the by-election will have the momentum going into the general election. Weir's NDP, which was caught without notice of her resignation, is expected by pundits to finish third. *[[October 31]] [[2005]] - [[Department of Family and Community Services (New Brunswick)|Family and Community Services Minister]] [[Tony Huntjens]] resigns after revealing the identity of an [[autism|autistic]] man who is a [[Ward (legal)|ward]] of his department to the media. *[[November 14]] [[2005]] - The Liberals win a by-election in a seat formerly held by NDP MLA Elizabeth Weir, defeating Conservative star candidate [[Michelle Hooton]], who many considered the frontrunner, by a 2 to 1 margin. *[[January 7]] [[2006]] - Over the course of his beginning of year interviews, Lord reveals that he will introduced legislation fixing election dates, beginning with a date in 2007. *[[February 14]] [[2006]] - Lord announces a major cabinet shuffle moving over half of his ministers, changing several departments and dumping three of his most well known ministers, two of whom say they are leaving as they will not be candidates in the next election. In the meantime he adds former minister Brenda Fowlie back to cabinet and [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] [[Bev Harrison]] who will have to resign from his non-partisan post. *[[February 17]] [[2006]] - Progressive Conservative [[Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) [[Michael Malley]] announces he will sit as an [[independent (politician)|independent]] making the government a [[minority government|minority]]. *[[March 28]] [[2006]] - **Independent MLA Michael Malley is elected Speaker of the legislature. This makes the standings of the ordinarily voting members of the legislature 27 Progressive Conservatives, 26 Liberals, 1 Independent. Malley, as Speaker, would only vote in the case of a tie and, by tradition, would normally vote in favour of [[motion of confidence|confidence motions]]. Thus an election at a time other than Lord's choosing is unlikely. **[[Department of Finance (New Brunswick)|Finance Minister]] [[Jeannot Volpe]] introduces what he calls a "super good [[budget]]" in which the government provides tax credits for heating costs, eliminates the [[Harmonized Sales Tax]] from heating costs, regulates the prices of gasoline and home heating oil, personal and small business tax cuts, investments in struggling forestry companies, hiring 240 more teachers for the public school system and no longer using the value of the homes of seniors as an offset to the level of support they can receive in a nursing home. *[[April 13]] [[2006]] - Malley announces from the speaker's chair that he is rejoining the government caucus. Government House Leader [[Bev Harrison]] argues that this restores the government majority and that therefore, the Liberals should honour a previous agreement to preserve a working majority on [[committee of the whole house|committees of the whole]]. The Liberals argued that it is inproper for a speaker to change his affiliation and refuse to recognize the government as a majority. The legislature becomes somewhat deadlocked as the government controls the primary debate of the chamber, but the opposition controls the votes at committees where legislation and budgetary estimates are approved. *[[May 1]] [[2006]] - The Liberals offer to end the growing deadlock in the legislature by having Malley resign the speakership and placing one of their own members up for election as speaker. Under such an arrangement, the Conservatives would have 28 voting members, the Liberals 25 and the one independent [[Frank Branch]]. In exchange for giving the government this working majority, they demand an election be held on [[September 25]] [[2006]]. Lord rejects this offer. *[[May 30]] [[2006]] - A Liberal motion to remove Malley from the speakership is defeated 27-25. The Liberals therefore accept the legitimacy of the Speaker becoming a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus. [http://www.canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/TPEBRIEF/605310405] *[[May 31]] [[2006]] - Government House Leader [[Bev Harrison]] and Opposition House Leader [[Kelly Lamrock]] announce an agreement to end stalement in the House. The Liberals, again recognizing the government's majority, will pair with the Speaker in Committees of the Whole and will guarantee passage of the budget by June 16. In return, the government will allow the opposition to chair four committees, including a new committee on [[literacy]], pass several opposition bills and hold fall sittings of the legislature. [http://www.cbc.ca/nb/story/nb-stalemateends20060531.html] *[[June 12]] [[2006]] - [[Corporate Research Associates]], which conducts a quarterly opinion poll in New Brunswick, releases a survey conducted May 17 to June 6 showing that the Progressive Conservatives have take a lead over the Liberals for the first time since August 2003. *[[June 20]] [[2006]] - Lord announces he will introduce legislation fixing election dates on the third Monday of October beginning with an election on [[October 15]] [[2007]]. *[[August 1]] [[2006]] - The ''[[New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal]]'' reports that former minister [[Peter Mesheau]] is set to resign from the legislature which would cause another minority government. Lord says he will not face another minority and will call an election if this happens. *[[August 8]] [[2006]] - The ''[[Fredericton Daily Gleaner]]'' reports that Lord will meet Mesheau on August 11 and an election call is expected later that day. *[[August 10]], [[2006]] - Bernard Lord confirms that the election will be held on [[September 18]], [[2006]], although an election call is not expected until August 19. *[[August 14]] [[2006]] - The [[Canadian Taxpayers Federation]] and the Liberals criticize Lord and his ministers for making election style announcements using government resources, something that would be forbidden after the election is formally called. *[[August 16]], [[2006]] - The Liberal Party begins airing television and radio commercials and erecting billboards. *[[August 18]], [[2006]] - Lord asks [[Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick|Lieutenant-Governor]] [[Herménégilde Chiasson]] to dissolve the legislature, one day earlier than he originally suggested he would catching the other parties off guard, and sets the election date for September 18. *[[September 1]], [[2006]] - Candidate nominations are due. The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives field full slates in all 55 ridings, while the NDP, with 48 candidates, fails to do so for the first time since 1982. *[[September 5]] [[2006]] - It is announced that [[Radio-Canada]], the [[French language]] arm of [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], will not provide simultaneous translation for NDP leader [[Allison Brewer]] in their televised debate. As a result, Brewer announces she will not participate, leaving only Bernard Lord and Shawn Graham in the French leader's debate. All three leaders will participate in the English debate. The NDP late files a complaint with the Radio-Canada [[ombudsman]]. *[[September 7]] [[2006]]: **The Liberals release their election platform entitled "Charter for Change" **The three leaders participate in an English leaders' debate on CBC and PC leader Bernard Lord and Liberal leader Shawn Graham participate in a French leaders' debate on Radio-Canada (the French arm of CBC). Both were pre-taped and air simultaneously. Most pundits say that the debates will not sway many voters as there was no clear winner but some suggest Lord won the English debate while Graham won the French. *[[September 9]] [[2006]] - The first day of [[advanced polls]]. *[[September 10]] [[2006]] - [[Rogers Communications]] airs English and French debates live. *[[September 11]] [[2006]]: **The NDP releases their platform "Clear Voice, Clear Choice". **The second and final day of advanced polls. It is later reported that there is a 50% increase in advanced voter turnout over 2003. [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nbvotes2006/story/2006/09/14/nb-advancevoting.html] *[[September 12]] [[2006]] - [[Corporate Research Associates]] releases a poll commissioned by [[L'Acadie Nouvelle]] which shows the Liberals at 44%, the PCs at 42% and the NDP at 10%. *[[September 13]] [[2006]] - The Progressive Conservatives release their platform "Getting Results Together". *[[September 14]] [[2006]] - [[Innovative Research Group]] releases a poll commissioned by [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] which shows the Liberals at 45%, the PCs at 43% and the NDP at 11%. *[[September 15]] [[2006]] - [[Omnifacts Bristol]] releases a poll showing the PCs and Liberals tied at 46% with the NDP at 7%. *[[September 18]] [[2006]] - Election Day, polls open at 10:00am local time and close at 8:00pm. **8:51 PM: [[CTV Atlantic]] projects a Liberal majority government. **8:54 PM: [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] projects a Liberal majority government. *[[September 20]] [[2006]] - Premier-designate Shawn Graham meets with outgoing Premier Bernard Lord and appoints a transition team. The team will be chaired by [[Doug Tyler]] and consist of Tyler, [[Allan Maher]] and [[Donald Savoie]]. *[[October 3]] [[2006]] - Graham and his [[Executive Council of New Brunswick|cabinet]] are to be sworn-in on this date. ==Political parties== *The ruling [[Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick]] (PC Party) sought a third mandate and try to secure a larger, more workable [[majority government]]. They held 28 of 55 seats prior to dissolution and were led by [[Premier of New Brunswick|Premier]] [[Bernard Lord]] who was fighting his third election as leader. They won 26 seats in the election, becoming the official opposition. *The Conservatives used "Getting Results Together" for their campaign slogan. *The [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] [[New Brunswick Liberal Association]] returned to power after suffering their worst ever defeat and winning only 10 seats in [[New Brunswick general election, 1999|1999 election]], and after coming within 10 votes in the riding of [[Kennebecasis (electoral district)|Kennebecasis]] of tying the PCs with 27 seats each in the [[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 election]]. They held 26 of 55 seats prior to dissolution, and were led by [[Shawn Graham]], who will fought his second election as leader. The won 29 seats and formed the government. *The Liberals will be using "People for A Change" for their campaign slogan. *The [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party]] (NDP) fought its first election without [[Elizabeth Weir]] as leader in almost two decades. Many New Brunswickers viewed the NDP and Weir as interchangeable. Weir held the party's only seat in the legislature but she resigned and the Liberal won it in a by-election. The NDP [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election, 2005|elected]] [[Allison Brewer]] as their new leader on [[September 25]], [[2005]], she tried to convince New Brunswickers that the NDP was not a one-woman-party. Whether she achieved that goal or not is impossible to tell, but the results of the election were disappointing for the NDP, they failed to win any seats and had their lowest showing in the popular vote (5.1%) since the [[New Brunswick general election, 1974|1974 election]]. *The NDP used "Clear Voice, Clear Choice" as their campaign slogan. ==Opinion polls== The only inter-election opinion polling regularly conducted in New Brunswick is by the [[Halifax Urban Area|Halifax, Nova Scotia]]-based [[Corporate Research Associates]]. Every CRA poll from the November 2003 to June 2006 showed the Liberals in the lead by varying amounts. However, their last pre-election poll, released on [[June 12]] [[2006]], showed the Progressive Conservatives making a come back with 45% to 39% for the Liberals and 9% for the NDP. The CRA poll conducted during the [[New Brunswick general election, 2003|2003 election campaign]] showed the Liberals and PCs tied at 41% each, the only polling company to predict the close result that became of that campaign. '''Polls conducted during the election campaign''' - Figures represent decided voters {| class="wikitable" |- !Polling firm !Dates |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Progressive Conservatives}}|'''PC Party''' |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/Liberal}}|'''Liberal''' |{{Canadian_politics/party_colours/NDP}}|'''NDP''' |- |Omnifacts Bristol |September 10 to 13, 2006 |46% |46% |7% |- |Innovative Research Group |September 8 to 10, 2006 |43% |45% |11% |- |Corporate Research Associates |September 7 to 10, 2006 |42% |44% |10% |- |Omnifacts Bristol* |September 5 to 7, 2006 |50% |44% |5% |- |Corporate Research Associates |August 17 to August 30, 2006 |45% |38% |10% |- |Omnifacts Bristol |August 22 to 24, 2006 |46% |45% |8% |} <nowiki>*</nowiki> This poll reused the same sample as the August 22-24 poll and is therefore not a random sampling and not technically an opinion poll. ==References== *<sup>1</sup>Davies, Carl. "Election Fever Hits Provincial Capital". [[Telegraph-Journal]], August 1, 2006, pages A1,A8. *²Taylor, Mark. "Election Call Could Come Friday". [[The Daily Gleaner]], August 8, 2006, pages A1-2. ==External links== *[http://www.nodice.ca/elections/newbrunswick/ Nodice.ca - New Brunswick Provincial Election 2006] *[http://www.gnb.ca/elections/06prov/06provgeninfo-e.asp Office of the Chief Electoral Officer - 2006 Provincial Election Information] {{NB elections}} {{NB-ED}} {{New Brunswick politics}} {{Canelections}} [[Category:2006 elections in Canada|New Brunswick general]] [[Category:Elections in New Brunswick|New Brunswick general election, 2006]] [[fr:Élection générale néo-brunswickoise de 2006]]