2024 New Brunswick General Election Results and Analysis

The 2024 New Brunswick general election was held on October 21, 2024, to elect 49 members to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. The election was formally called upon the dissolution of the 60th New Brunswick Legislature on September 19, 2024.

Outcome and Leadership Change

The incumbent Progressive Conservative (PC) government, led by Premier Blaine Higgs, sought re-election for a third consecutive term. However, the party was defeated in a landslide victory by the New Brunswick Liberal Association, led by Susan Holt. Upon taking office, Susan Holt became the first woman premier of New Brunswick.

In a historic turn of events, Blaine Higgs was defeated in his own riding of Quispamsis, marking the first time since 1987 that a sitting New Brunswick Premier has lost their own seat.

2023 Electoral Redistribution

The Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission investigated boundary adjustments to ensure constituencies have populations within 25% of the electoral quotient. This led to significant changes in several ridings, including Carleton, Woodstock-Hartland, and various districts in Saint John and Fredericton.

Francophone Majorities

Of the 49 constituencies, 17 have Francophone majorities, including districts such as Restigouche West, Caraquet, and Dieppe-Memramcook.

Political Landscape and Party Registrations

The political landscape saw shifts in party registrations and following the 2020 election, the KISS NB party was deregistered. The People's Alliance, which had to be re-registered by interim leader Rick DeSaulniers in May 2022, and the Libertarian Party of New Brunswick, which registered in July 2024, also played roles in the political discourse.

New parties such as the Social Justice Party of New Brunswick and the Consensus NB Party were created in September 2024, but failed to nominate the required 10 candidates to maintain party status.