Progressive Conservative Party Wins Majority Government
QUISPAMSIS – New Brunswick will have a Progressive Conservative majority government after Monday night’s election.
The Tories won 27 seats. A majority government in New Brunswick requires 25.
The Liberal Party will remain the official opposition, winning 17 seats. The Green Party won three seats and the People’s Alliance Party two.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs said his party secured a majority government because it won the confidence of voters for its performance leading a minority government over the last two years.
“New Brunswickers have voted for leadership that is prepared, for leadership that has been tested, and will continue to be tested, and for leadership that will make tough and balanced decisions to keep our province moving forward,” Higgs told party supporters at his headquarters in Quispamsis after the results came in Monday night.
When Higgs called the election in late August, the PCs had 20 seats, five shy of a majority. Higgs also won his own seat in Quispamsis by more than 4,400 votes over the local Liberal candidate, Robert Hunt.
The Liberal Party’s early counts kept its seat totals down three from the 20 they initially held when the election was called, August 17. The largest blow to the Liberals came from party leader Kevin Vickers, who lost his own seat in Miramichi to People’s Alliance candidate Michelle Conroy.
RELATED: Kevin Vickers Will Step Down As Liberal Leader
After the results came in, Vickers said he was going to step down as leader of the party.
Green leader David Coon again capturing his own riding in Fredericton South.
The People’s Alliance traded down to two seats late Monday, though PANB Leader Kris Austin was able to retain his seat, winning in Fredericton-Grand Lake.
The NDP was shut out again at the polls, its interim leader Mackenzie Thomason finished with only 100 votes in Fredericton North.
With files from Mark Leger and Ben Burnett.