Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick

Initially, Conservative supporters tended to be United Empire Loyalists and supporters of the business community. In the 1860s, both the Conservative and Liberal parties split over the issue of Canadian confederation, and were replaced by the Confederation Party and the Anti-Confederation Party. By 1870, the pro-Confederation party became generally known as the Liberal-Conservatives or just "Conservatives", and were aligned with the national Conservative Party of Sir John A. Macdonald.

The party was aligned with the historic federal Conservative party. When the federal party changed its name to the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1942, the New Brunswick party did the same. The federal Progressive Conservative Party dissolved in 2003, to merge with the Canadian Alliance and a new Conservative Party of Canada was created. The provincial party has no formal link with the current federal Conservative Party, but several of its members and elected MLAs, including former premier Premier Lord, publicly endorsed the federal party and in some cases its candidates in the 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2015 federal elections.

Following the change of government in 2006 provincial election, Bernard Lord resigned as leader on December 13, 2006, and as the member of Moncton East. On December 19, Jeannot Volpé, MLA for Madawaska les Lacs-Edmundston, was selected as interim leader. On October 18, 2008, David Alward, MLA for Carleton, was elected leader of the party at the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick Leadership Convention in Fredericton. Alward beat his only opponent, Robert MacLeod, by a margin of 2,269 votes to 1,760.

The Progressive Conservatives won a sweeping majority, with 42 of 55 seats in the 2010 provincial election. In doing so, PC party leader David Alward became the 32nd Premier of New Brunswick.

In 2013, Saint John area MLA Dr. Jim Parrott, a retired heart surgeon and former head of the New Brunswick Heart Centre, was kicked out of the caucus after criticizing his government over health issues.

The controversial backbencher had spoken out about bilingualism and duality, and written a newspaper commentary about a lack of consultation with physicians. Before the 2014 election, he was allowed to return[3]

Alward's government was defeated after one term in the 2014 provincial election, after which Alward announced his resignation as party leader. On October 18, 2014, Bruce Fitch was selected as interim leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick.[4]

The Tories have alternated power with the New Brunswick Liberal Association since Confederation. The party tends to hold a moderate Red Tory stance, being socially and fiscally centrist.[2]

For most of New Brunswick's history, the party had greater support among English speakers, while the Liberals were more popular among Acadians. However, initiatives by the governments of Richard Hatfield and Bernard Lord to include Acadians in the mainstream of New Brunswick life helped the party make inroads in Acadia. In fact, even though he was born in Quebec, former Premier Bernard Lord is widely perceived to be an Acadian, due to his Francophone heritage and the fact that he was raised in Moncton where he attended French language schools and university.

• Peter Mitchell (1866–1867)
• Andrew R. Wetmore (1867–1870)
• George Edwin King (1870–1871)
• George L. Hathaway (1871–1872)
• George Edwin King (1872–1878)
• John James Fraser (1878–1882)
• Daniel L. Hanington (1882–1892)
• Alfred Augustus Stockton (1892–1899)
• John Douglas Hazen (1899–1911)
• James Kidd Flemming (1911–1914)
• George Johnson Clarke (1914–1917)
• James Alexander Murray (1917–1920)
• John B. M. Baxter (1920–1921)
• Charles D. Richards (1921–1925)
• John B. M. Baxter (1925–1931)
• Charles D. Richards (1931–1933)
• Leonard P. D. Tilley (1933–1935)
• Frederick C. Squires (1935–1939)
• Hugh H. Mackay (1939–1948)
• Hugh John Flemming (1948–1960) (House leader 1948–1951)
• Cyril Sherwood (1960–1966)
• Charles Van Horne (1966–1967)
• Richard Hatfield (1967–1987) (House leader 1967–1969)
• Malcolm MacLeod (1987–1989) (interim)
• Barbara Baird Filliter (1989–1991)
• Dennis Cochrane (1991–1995)
• Bernard Valcourt (1995–1997)
• Bernard Lord (1997–2007)
• Jeannot Volpé (2007–2008) (interim)
• David Alward (2008–2014)
• Bruce Fitch (2014–2016) (interim)
• Blaine Higgs (2016–present)

• List of premiers of New Brunswick
• List of New Brunswick political parties
• Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick leadership elections