Meet The Liberal Party Leader Candidates

The New Brunswick Liberal Party will announce a new leader at the Fredericton Convention Centre on August 6, 2022. The candidates are: Donald Arsenault, Susan Holt, TJ Harvey, and Robert Gauvin. Voting began on July 30 and runs until 2 p.m. on convention day, August 6.

CHCO-TV sat down one-on-one with Donald Arsenault, Susan Holt, TJ Harvey, and Robert Gauvin to find out where they stand on issues affecting southwest New Brunswickers' lives to give voters a better idea of who their candidates are and what leadership characteristics and values they hold. 

The deadline for people to sign up as Liberals and register to vote was June 15. Approximately 9,400 people are registered to cast ballots, which is about half the number that registered during the party's last contest a decade ago.

The decision to pick a new leader is coming in the wake of back-to-back election losses to the Blaine Higgs' Conservatives. In the 2018 provincial election, the Conservatives beat Brian Gallant's Liberal Party by one seat, which left the Higgs' government operating within a minority government with the Green Party and the People's Alliance both securing three seats each.

In 2020, it was a more devastating outcome for the Liberals when Higgs called a snap election during the COVID-19 pandemic at the height of the current Premier's popularity.

The Conservatives won a majority government with then Liberal Party leader Kevin Vickers failing to win his own seat. Since then, the Liberals have been struggling to find their footing in the province. Roger Melanson has been holding the reins as the party's interim leader. Whoever is elected as the Liberal's new frontperson will provide a glimpse into the pathway the party tends to find its footing on.