The 1999 New Brunswick general election was held on June 7, 1999, to elect the 55 members of the 54th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly.

Campaign

The election marked the debut of both Camille Thériault and

Bernard Lord Bernard Lord (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer, business executive and former politician. He served as the 30th premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. Lord was appointed as board chair of Ontario Power Generation in 2014. Ear ...

as leaders of the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives respectively. It was Elizabeth Weir's third general election as leader of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

. Thériault's Liberals were widely expected to win a fourth majority government from the outset of the campaign, with

opinion poll An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of qu ...

s showing them leading by double-digits. However, the PCs were able to capitalize on the issue of highway tolls and use it to portray the Liberals as arrogant. Lord made the tolls an effective

wedge issue A wedge issue in politics is any issue used to create a division within a political party. These issues are usually employed as a tactic by a minority party against a governing majority party, with the aim of splitting the majority's electorate i ...

, saying they were unfair to people who lived near the toll booths and had to drive through them daily. Lord then pledged to implement 20 of his key promises in his first 200 days in office, styled as "200 Days of Change", a message modelled on the

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated by the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party during the 1994 United States House of Representatives elections, 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingri ...

and the

Common Sense Revolution The phrase Common Sense Revolution (CSR) has been used as a political slogan to describe conservative platforms with a main goal of reducing taxes while balancing the budget by reducing the size and role of government. It has been used in places ...

, and it resonated with voters. Another disadvantage for the Liberals was the loss of former premier

Frank McKenna Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Chair of Brookfield Corporation and Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador ...

, who had retired after 10 years in office in 1997. McKenna was widely popular and Thériault had difficulty shaking negative comparisons between himself and his predecessor. Following a huge surge in the final weeks of the campaign, Lord became

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

with his party winning its largest majority in the history of New Brunswick. Lord's PCs also won the majority of Acadian seats, something the party had struggled to do in the past. At 80% of the legislature, Lord's 44-seat

landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the winning Candidate#Candidates in elections, candidate or political party, party achieves a decisive victory by an overwhelming margin, securing a very large majority of votes or seats far beyo ...

was viewed as remarkable by all parties. Thériault, who came off in the campaign as cold and uncharismatic, delivered what pundits thought was his best speech of the campaign on election night when he said "the people of New Brunswick have spoken, and the people of New Brunswick are never wrong". Furthermore, Lord's massive victory had a

coattail effect The coattail effect or down-ballot effect is the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. For example, in the United States, the party of a victorious presidential cand ...

that resulted in the defeat of many Liberals who had been viewed by pundits as undefeatable.

Opinion polls

Riding-specific polls

Moncton East by-election

Summary of results

Narrow wins and losses

A lot of Liberals, many high profile, lost their seats by very narrow margins while some barely survived. Below is a list of the 14 ridings (over a quarter of all districts) decided by less than 10%. Incumbent Liberal cabinet ministers are in bold, other incumbents are in ''italics''.

Candidates

Party leaders and cabinet ministers are denoted in bold.

Northern New Brunswick

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 1.

Restigouche West Restigouche West () is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. It was used from 1974 through 2003, when it was split between the ridings of Restigouche-La-Vallée and Campbellton-Restigouche ...

, , Jean-Paul Savoie 3,328 , , , Benoît Cyr 3,592 , , Rose Duguay 255 , , , , , Jean-Paul Savoie , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 2. Campbellton , , , Edmond Blanchard 4,321 , , Pierre F. Dubé 2,569 , , Johanne Parent 295 , , , , , Edmond Blanchard , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 3.

Dalhousie-Restigouche East Dalhousie-Restigouche East () was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of ...

, , Carolle de Ste. Croix 2,830 , , , Dennis Furlong 5,148 , , Joel William Hickey 190 , , Francine Richard (NLP) withdrawn , , , Carolle de Ste. Croix , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 4. Nigadoo-Chaleur , , , Roland Haché 3,435 , , Hermel Vienneau 2,862 , , Raoul Charest 1,244 , , Gilles Godin (NLP) 106 , , , Albert Doucet , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 5. Bathurst , , , Marcelle Mersereau 3,418 , , Bob Stairs 2,427 , , Antoine Duguay 453 , , , , , Marcelle Mersereau , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 6. Nepisiguit , , Alban Landry 2,227 , , , Joel Bernard 2,534 , , Gilles Halley 1,824 , , , , , Alban Landry , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 7.

Caraquet Caraquet ( ) is a town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay in the Acadian Peninsula, its name is derived from the Mi'kmaq term for ''meeting of two rivers''. The Caraquet River and Rivière du Nord ...

, , , Bernard Theriault 4,194 , , Gaston Moore 3,369 , , Denis Doiron 596 , , , , , Bernard Theriault , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 8. Lamèque-Shippagan-Miscou , , Jean-Camille DeGrâce 2,563 , , , Paul Robichaud 5,910 , , Calixte Chaisson 368 , , , , , Jean-Camille DeGrâce , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 9. Centre-Péninsule , ,

Denis Landry Denis Landry (born November 13, 1957) is the Mayor of Hautes-Terres and a former Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, MLA and Leader of the Opposition (New Brunswick), Leader of the Opposition in the province (Canada), province of New Brunswic ...

2,097 , , , Louis-Philippe McGraw 3,045 , , Roger Duguay 955 , , , , , Denis Landry , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 10.

Tracadie-Sheila Tracadie-Sheila ( ) is a former town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. It is now part of the Regional Municipality of Tracadie. History Demographics Population Language Tourism and culture Located on the Acadian Peninsul ...

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Serge Rousselle Serge Rousselle is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2014 provincial election. He represented the electoral district of Tracadie-Sheila as a member of the Liberal Party until 2018, when ...

2,926 , , , Elvy Robichaud 5,453 , , Claudette Duguay 285 , , , , , Elvy Robichaud

Eastern New Brunswick

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 11.

Miramichi Bay Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of unin ...

, , Danny Gay 3,066 , , , Réjean Savoie 4,014 , , Donald D. Doucet 365 , , , , , Danny Gay , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 12.

Miramichi-Bay du Vin Miramichi-Bay du Vin () was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories exte ...

, , James Doyle 3,076 , , , Michael Malley 5,393 , , John Gagnon 147 , , , , , James Doyle , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 13. Miramichi Centre , , John McKay 2,975 , , , Kim Jardine 4,076 , , Terry Mullin 853 , , , , , John McKay , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 14. Southwest Miramichi , , Reg MacDonald 2,850 , , , Norman Betts 4,019 , , Terry Carter 254 , , , , , Reg MacDonald , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 15. Rogersville-Kouchibouguac , , Maurice Richard 2,700 , , ,

Rose-May Poirier Rose-May Poirier (born March 2, 1954) is a Canadian politician from New Brunswick. She has been a member of the Senate of Canada since February 28, 2010. Previously, she served as member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Rogersv ...

2,820 , , Maria Daigle 1,197 , , , , , Kenneth Johnson , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 16.

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

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Shawn Graham Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captu ...

3,264 , , Valmond Daigle 2,471 , , Charles Richard 402 , , J.R. Beers (Ind) 103 , , , Shawn Graham , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 17. Kent South , , , Camille Thériault 4,546 , , Jean-Noël Allain 3,838 , , Collette Doucette 1,171 , , , , , Camille Thériault , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 18. Shediac-Cap-Pélé , , , Bernard Richard 5,422 , , Odette Babineau 3,240 , , Anne Marie Dupuis 633 , , , , , Bernard Richard

Southeastern New Brunswick

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 19. Tantramar , , Kirk W. Meldrum 925 , , , Peter Mesheau 3,311 , , Heather Patterson 990 , , Frank Comeau (Ind) 47 , , , Peter Mesheau , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 20.

Dieppe-Memramcook Dieppe-Memramcook is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. It was known as Memramcook from 1974 to 1994, and renamed Dieppe-Memra ...

, , Greg O'Donnell 4,738 , , , Cy LeBlanc 5,206 , , Marc LeBel 754 , , , , , Greg O'Donnell , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 21. Moncton East , , Kevin John Fram 2,046 , , ,

5,248 , , Marc Robar 542 , , Laurent Maltais (NLP) 59 , , , Bernard Lord , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 22. Moncton South , , James E. Lockyer 2,710 , , , Joan MacAlpine 3,143 , , Theresa Sullivan 687 , , , , , James E. Lockyer , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 23.

Moncton North Moncton North () was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from ...

, , Gene Devereux 2,304 , , , René Landry 3,776 , , Nancy Hartling 1049 , , John Gallant (CoR) 103 , , , Gene Devereux , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 24.

Moncton Crescent Moncton Northwest () is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. It was first be contested in the 1995 general election, having been created in the 1994 redistribution of electoral boundaries wit ...

, , Kenneth R. MacLeod 2,233 , , , John Betts 4,825 , , Carl Fowler 699 , , Albert H. Wood (CoR) 85 , , , Kenneth R. MacLeod , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 25. Petitcodiac , , Gary Stewart Armstrong 1,171 , , , Wally Stiles 4,284 , , Blair McInnis 447 , , Donald R. Alward (CoR) 278 , , , Hollis Steeves , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 26. Riverview , , Al J. Kavanaugh 2,151 , , , Pat Crossman 4,439 , , Brad Smith 888 , , Shane Harvey (CoR) 137
Jamie Ed Borden (Ind) 81 , , , Al J. Kavanaugh , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 27. Albert , ,

Harry Doyle Harry Doyle (born February 23, 1941) is an educator and former political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Albert in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1995 to 1999 as a Liberal member. He was born in Saint John, New ...

2,065 , , ,

Wayne Steeves O. Wayne Steeves (born December 12, 1944) is a politician in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Steeves was born in Lower Coverdale, New Brunswick, the son of Noel Steeves and Vera Downing. A Progressive Conservative, he has been a candidat ...

3,633 , , Myrna Geldart 529 , , Dean Ryder (CoR) 136 , , , Harry Doyle , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 28. Kings East , , LeRoy Armstrong 2,420 , , , Doug Cosman 4,310 , , Jessica Coleman 354 , , Eldon MacKay (CoR) 109 , , , LeRoy Armstrong

Greater Saint John & Fundy Coast

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 29. Hampton-Belleisle , , Georgie Day 2,628 , , , Bev Harrison 4,551 , , Jocelyne Comeau 769 , , , , , Georgie Day , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 30. Kennebecasis , , Peter LeBlanc 2,388 , , , Brenda Fowlie 4,070 , , Albert Charles Joseph Comeau 939 , , Greg Boyle (CoR) 192 , , , Peter LeBlanc , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 31. Saint John-Fundy , , Stuart Jamieson 1,933 , , , Rodney Weston 3,473 , , Robert E. Holmes-Lauder 494 , , David Lytle (CoR) 115 , , , Stuart Jamieson , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 32. Saint John-Kings , , Zita Longobardi 1,752 , , , Margaret-Ann Blaney 4,605 , , Ken Wilcox 664 , , , , ,

Laureen Jarrett Ella Laureen Jarrett (born November 2, 1938) is a teacher and former political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. She represented Kings West and then Saint John Kings in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1987 to 1999 as a Liberal mem ...

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 33. Saint John Champlain , , Roly MacIntyre 1,949 , , ,

Carole Keddy Carole Juanita Keddy (June 20, 1937 – January 2016) was a Canadian educator and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. She represented Saint John Champlain in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2003 as a Progressive Con ...

2,073 , , Dr. Paula C. Tippett 1,597 , , Dolores H. Cook (CoR) 98
Jeanne Geldart (NLP) 36 , , , Roly MacIntyre , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 34. Saint John Harbour , , Mark Thomas McNulty 1,347 , , Tim Clarke 1,349 , , , Elizabeth Weir 2,398 , , Thomas Mitchell (NLP) 54 , , , Elizabeth Weir , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 35. Saint John Portland , , Leo McAdam 1,668 , , ,

Trevor Holder Trevor Arthur Holder (born May 8, 1973) is a former Canadian politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2024. At the time of his resignation, he was the longest serving member of the legislature. ...

3,773 , , Pam F. Coates 844 , , Miville Couture (NLP) 45 , , , Leo McAdam , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 36. Saint John Lancaster , , Jane Barry 2,190 , , , Norm McFarlane 3,999 , , Bill Farren 945 , ,

Jim Webb James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States ...

(CoR) 154
Christopher B. Collrin (NLP) 96 , , , Jane Barry , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 37. Grand Bay-Westfield , , Grace Losier 1,433 , , , Milt Sherwood 3,546 , , Percy Ward 490 , , Colby Fraser (CoR) 240 , , , Milt Sherwood , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 38. Charlotte , , , Sheldon Lee 3,263 , , Sharon Tucker 2,071 , , Eugene A. Dugas 299 , , , , , Sheldon Lee , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 39. Fundy Isles , , , Eric Allaby 1,248 , , Ed Brine 1,192 , , Bill Barteau 66 , , , , , Eric Allaby , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 40. Western Charlotte , , Peter Heelis 3,071 , , , Tony Huntjens 3,490 , , Andrew Gordon Graham 283 , , , , , Ann Breault

Greater
Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 41. Oromocto-Gagetown , , Ron Lindala 2,059 , , , Jody Carr 4,372 , , Terry John Hovey 283 , , Paul Pye (CoR) 151 , , , Vaughn Blaney , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 42. Grand Lake , , Doug Tyler 3,245 , , , David Charles Jordan 3,769 , , Phyllis MacLean 384 , , Murray C. Barton (CoR) 223 , , , Doug Tyler , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 43.

Fredericton North Fredericton North () is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada from New Brunswick electoral redistribution, 1973, 1973 to New Bruns ...

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Brad Woodside Bradley Stanford Woodside (born October 9, 1948, in Fredericton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian Politician who served as the mayor of Fredericton, New Brunswick, between 1986 and 1999 and again between 2004 and 2016. Woodside also served as the pre ...

3,698 , , , D. Peter Forbes 4,081 , , Todd Joseph Tingley 632 , , Ronald Bubar (CoR) 203
William Parker (NLP) 34 , , , Jim Wilson , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 44. Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak , , Greg Byrne 2,685 , , , Eric MacKenzie 2,949 , , Pat A. Kennedy 715 , , David Alexander Brown (CoR) 96
Andie Haché (NLP) 31 , , , Greg Byrne , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 45.

Fredericton South Fredericton South () was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. It was first contested in the 2014 general election, having been created in the 2013 redistribution of electoral boundaries by ...

, , Lorraine Siliphant 2,510 , , , Brad Green 4,070 , , Myrna Gunter 1,409 , , Michael McKay (NLP) 66 , , , Brad Green , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 46. New Maryland , , Joan Kingston 3,077 , , , Keith Ashfield 4,223 , , Carol E. Moore 441 , , George Rennick (CoR) 182 , , , Joan Kingston , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 47.

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, , John Flynn 3,783 , , , Don Kinney 4,332 , , Josh Johnson 449 , , Malcolm MacNeil (CoR) 88 , , , John Flynn , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 48. Mactaquac , , David Olmstead 2,385 , , , Kirk MacDonald 4,405 , , Sandra Burtt 463 , , Wilmot F. Ross (CoR) 217 , , , David Olmstead

Upper Saint John River Valley

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 49.

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

, , James W. Andow 1,989 , , ,

David Alward David Nathan Alward (born December 2, 1959) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 32nd premier of New Brunswick, 2010 to 2014. Alward has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick since 1999 and has been the leader of the ...

5,354 , , Sheila Moore 242 , , , , , Bruce Atherton Smith , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 50. Carleton , , David Harvey 3,240 , , ,

Dale Graham Dale Allison Graham (born October 6, 1951''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1997'', Kathryn O'Handley ) is a former politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He served as an MLA from 1993 to 2014, as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswi ...

4,561 , , Marilyn Young 176 , , , , , Dale Graham , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 51. Victoria-Tobique , , , Larry Kennedy 3,127 , , Carmen Cecil Pirie 2,768 , , Amy Dunham 144 , , Carter Charles Edgar (Ind) 204 , , , Larry Kennedy , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 52.

Grand Falls Region Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

, , Marcel Deschênes 3,094 , , , Jean-Guy Laforest 3,493 , , Jean-Paul Gallant 265 , , , , , Paul Duffie , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 53. Madawaska-la-Vallée , , Huguette Plourde 1,798 , , ,

Percy Mockler Percy Paul Mockler (born April 14, 1949 in St. Leonard, New Brunswick) is a retired Canadian politician who served as a Canadian Senator for New Brunswick from 2009 until his retirement in 2024. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, Mo ...

4,367 , , Jean-Charles Lombard 189 , , , , , Percy Mockler , - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 54.

Edmundston Edmundston () is a city in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada. Established in 1850, it had a population of 16,437 as of 2021. On January 1, 2023, Edmundston amalgamated with the village of Rivière-Verte, New Brunswick, Rivière-Verte and ...

, , Roland Beaulieu 2,173 , , ,

Madeleine Dubé Madeleine "Mado" Dubé (born September 26, 1961) is a Canadian social worker and politician from New Brunswick. Early life and education Dubé was born on September 26, 1961, in Edmundston, the daughter of Adrien and Huguette Dubé. She atten ...

3,567 , , Michael Gagné 366 , , , , ,

Bernard Valcourt Bernard Valcourt (born February 18, 1952) is a Canadian politician and lawyer, who served as Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Madawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick until he was defeated in the 2015 federal election. Early ...

, - , bgcolor=whitesmoke, 55. Madawaska-les-Lacs , , Georges Corriveau 2,138 , , , Jeannot Volpé 4,289 , , Marie-Pierre Valay-Nadeau 154 , , , , , Jeannot Volpé , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Brunswick General Election, 1999 1999 elections in Canada Elections in New Brunswick 1999 in New Brunswick June 1999 in Canada