The Canadian province of New Brunswick was a British crown colony before it joined Canada in 1867.[1] It had a system of responsible government beginning in 1854, and has kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters.[2] New Brunswick has a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the Premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is New Brunswick's head of government, and the Queen of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. The Premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of New Brunswick, and presides over that body.[3]
Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections. General elections must be conducted every five years from the date of the last election, but the Premier may ask for early dissolution of the Legislative Assembly. An election may also take place if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.[3]
New Brunswick has had 36 individuals serve as government leaders. The province had five individuals as leaders while a colony, and 31 individuals after Canadian Confederation, of which two were from the Confederation Party, 11 from the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, 15 from the New Brunswick Liberal Association, one from the Anti-Confederation Party, and seven with unofficial party affiliations.
Contents |
Confederation Party Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick New Brunswick Liberal Association Anti-Confederation Party Unofficial affiliation
| Premier (party) |
Period | Parli- aments |
Elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiers of the Colony of New Brunswick (1854–1867) | ||||||
| 1st | Charles Fisher[4] (1st time of 2) |
November 1, 1854 May 1856 |
16th | Elected June 1854 | ||
| 2nd | John Hamilton Gray[5] | June 21, 1856 June 1857 |
17th | Elected June 24, 1856 | ||
| — | Charles Fisher[4] (2nd time of 2) |
June 1, 1857 March 19, 1861 |
18th | Elected May 8, 1857 Resigned March 19, 1861 |
||
| 3rd | Samuel Leonard Tilley | March 19, 1861 March 1865 |
Designated March 19, 1861 | |||
| 19th | Elected June 6, 1861 | |||||
| 4th | Albert J. Smith[6] (Anti-Confederation, unofficially) |
September 21, 1865 April 14, 1866 |
20th | Elected June 24, 1865 Resigned April 14, 1866 |
||
| 5th | Peter Mitchell[7] (Confederation Party, unofficially) |
April 14, 1866 August 1867 |
Designated April 14, 1866 | |||
| 21st ... |
Elected May 1866 Resigned August 1867 |
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| Premiers of the province of New Brunswick since Confederation (1867–present) | ||||||
| 1st | Andrew R. Wetmore[8] (Confederation Party, unofficially) |
August 16, 1867 May 25, 1870 |
... 21st |
Designated August 16, 1867 Resigned May 25, 1870 |
||
| 2nd | George E. King[9] (1st time of 2) |
June 9, 1870 February 21, 1871 |
Designated June 9, 1870 | |||
| 22nd | Elected June 29, 1870 Resigned February 21, 1871 |
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| 3rd | George L. Hathaway | February 21, 1871 July 5, 1872 |
Designated February 21, 1871 Resigned July 5, 1872 |
|||
| 4th | George E. King[9] (2nd time of 2) |
July 5, 1872 May 3, 1878 |
Designated July 5, 1872 | |||
| 23rd | Re-elected June 4, 1874 | |||||
| 5th | John James Fraser[10] | June 1878 May 25, 1882 |
24th | Elected June 25, 1878 Resigned May 25, 1882 |
||
| 6th | Daniel L. Hanington[11] | May 25, 1882 February 1883 |
Designated May 25, 1882 | |||
| 25th | Elected June 15, 1882 Resigned February 1883 |
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| 7th | Andrew G. Blair[12] (Liberal, unofficially) |
March 3, 1883 July 17, 1896 |
Designated March 3, 1883 | |||
| 26th | Re-elected April 26, 1886 | |||||
| 27th | Re-elected January 20, 1890 | |||||
| 28th | Re-elected November 22, 1892 | |||||
| 29th | Re-elected October 9, 1895 Resigned July 17, 1896 |
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| 8th | James Mitchell (Liberal, unofficially) |
July 17, 1896 October 29, 1897 |
Designated July 17, 1896 Resigned October 29, 1897 |
|||
| 9th | Henry R. Emmerson[13] (Liberal, unofficially) |
October 29, 1897 August 31, 1900 |
Designated October 29, 1897 | |||
| 30th | Re-elected February 18, 1899 Resigned August 31, 1900 |
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| 10th | Lemuel J. Tweedie (Liberal, unofficially) |
September 1, 1900 March 2, 1907 |
Designated September 1, 1900 | |||
| 31st | Re-elected February 28, 1903 Resigned March 2, 1907 |
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| 11th | William Pugsley (Liberal, unofficially) |
March 6, 1907 May 31, 1907 |
Designated March 6, 1907 Resigned May 31, 1907 |
|||
| 12th | Clifford W. Robinson (Liberal, unofficially) |
May 31, 1907 March 24, 1908 |
Designated May 31, 1907 | |||
| 13th | John Douglas Hazen (Conservative, unofficially) |
March 24, 1908 October 10, 1911 |
32nd | Elected March 3, 1908 Resigned October 10, 1911 |
||
| 14th | James Kidd Flemming[14] (Conservative, unofficially) |
October 16, 1911 December 6, 1914 |
Designated October 16, 1911 | |||
| 33rd | Re-elected June 20, 1912 Resigned December 6, 1914 |
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| 15th | George Clarke[15] (Conservative, unofficially) |
December 6, 1914 February 1, 1917 |
Designated December 6, 1914 | |||
| 16th | James A. Murray[16] (Conservative, unofficially) |
February 1, 1917 April 4, 1917 |
Designated February 1, 1917 | |||
| 17th | Walter E. Foster[17] (Liberal, unofficially) |
April 4, 1917 February 1, 1923 |
34th | Elected February 24, 1917 | ||
| 35th | Re-elected October 9, 1920 to a minority government Resigned February 1, 1923 |
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| 18th | Peter J. Veniot[18] (Liberal, unofficially) |
February 28, 1923 September 10, 1925 |
Designated February 28, 1923 to a minority government | |||
| 19th | John B. M. Baxter[19] (Conservative, unofficially) |
September 14, 1925 May 19, 1931 |
36th | Elected August 10, 1925 | ||
| 37th | Re-elected June 19, 1930 Resigned May 19, 1931 |
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| 20th | Charles D. Richards[20] (Conservative) |
May 18, 1931 June 2, 1933 |
Designated May 18, 1931 Resigned June 2, 1933 |
|||
| 21st | Leonard P. D. Tilley[21] (Conservative) |
June 1, 1933 July 12, 1935 |
Designated June 1, 1933 | |||
| 22nd | Allison A. Dysart[22] (Liberal) |
July 16, 1935 March 13, 1940 |
38th | Elected June 27, 1935 | ||
| 39th | Re-elected November 20, 1939 Resigned March 13, 1940 |
|||||
| 23rd | John B. McNair (Liberal) |
March 13, 1940 October 7, 1952 |
Designated March 13, 1940 | |||
| 40th | Re-elected August 28, 1944 | |||||
| 41st | Re-elected June 28, 1948 | |||||
| 24th | Hugh John Flemming (Progressive Conservative) |
October 8, 1952 July 11, 1960 |
42nd | Elected September 22, 1952 | ||
| 43rd | Re-elected June 18, 1956 | |||||
| 25th | Louis Joseph Robichaud (Liberal) |
July 12, 1960 November 11, 1970 |
44th | Elected June 27, 1960 | ||
| 45th | Re-elected April 22, 1963 | |||||
| 46th | Re-elected October 13, 1967 | |||||
| 26th | Richard Bennett Hatfield (Progressive Conservative) |
November 11, 1970 October 26, 1987 |
47th | Elected October 26, 1970 | ||
| 48th | Re-elected November 18, 1974 | |||||
| 49th | Re-elected October 23, 1978 | |||||
| 50th | Re-elected October 12, 1982 | |||||
| 27th | Francis Joseph McKenna[23] (Liberal) |
October 27, 1987 October 13, 1997 |
51st | Elected October 13, 1987 | ||
| 52nd | Re-elected September 23, 1991 | |||||
| 53rd | Re-elected September 11, 1995 Resigned October 13, 1997 |
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| 28th | Joseph Raymond Frenette (Liberal) |
October 14, 1997 May 14, 1998 |
Designated October 14, 1997 Resigned May 14, 1998 |
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| 29th | Camille Thériault (Liberal) |
May 14, 1998 June 21, 1999 |
Designated May 14, 1998 | |||
| 30th | Bernard Lord (Progressive Conservative) |
June 21, 1999 October 3, 2006 |
54th | Elected June 7, 1999 | ||
| 55th | Re-elected June 9, 2003 | |||||
| 31st | Shawn Michael Graham (Liberal) |
October 3, 2006 October 12, 2010 |
56th | Elected September 18, 2006 | ||
| 32nd* | David Alward (Progressive Conservative) |
October 12, 2010 Present |
57th | Elected September 27, 2010 | ||
* The New Brunswick practice is to count George E. King as the 2nd and 4th Premier, making David Alward the 32nd Premier.[24]
As of March 2011[update], five former Premiers are alive, the oldest being Ray Frenette (1997–1998, born 1935). The most recent former Premier to die was Louis Robichaud (1960–1970), on January 6, 2005. The most recently-serving Premier to die was Richard Hatfield (1970–1987), on April 26, 1991.
| Name | Term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Frank McKenna | 1987–1997 | January 19, 1948 |
| Ray Frenette | 1997–1998 | April 16, 1935 |
| Camille Thériault | 1998–1999 | February 25, 1955 |
| Bernard Lord | 1999–2006 | September 27, 1965 |
| Shawn Graham | 2006–2010 | February 22, 1968 |
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