New Brunswick general election, 1978

Last updated
New Brunswick general election, 1978
Flag of New Brunswick.svg
  1974 October 23, 1978 1982  

58 seats of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
30 seats needed for a majority

 First partySecond partyThird party
 
PC
Lib
NDP
Leader Richard Hatfield Joseph Daigle John LaBossiere
Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic
Leader sinceJune 14, 1969May 6, 19781976
Leader's seat Carleton Centre Kent North Ran in Kent Centre (lost)
Last election33250
Seats won30280
Seat changeDecrease2.svg3Increase2.svg30
Percentage44.3944.366.48

New Brunswick general election 1978 - Results by Riding.svg
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding.

Premier before election

Richard Hatfield
Progressive Conservative

Premier-designate

Richard Hatfield
Progressive Conservative

Rendition of party representation in the 49th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly decided by this election.
Progressive Conservatives (30)
Liberals (28) Nb-seating-1978.png
Rendition of party representation in the 49th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly decided by this election.
  Progressive Conservatives (30)
  Liberals (28)

The 29th New Brunswick general election was held on October 23, 1978, to elect 58 members to the 49th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Richard Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party narrowly won its third term.

Provinces and territories of Canada Top-level subdivisions of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada are sub-national governments within the geographical areas of Canada under the authority of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada —were united to form a federated colony, becoming a sovereign nation in the next century. Over its history, Canada's international borders have changed several times, and the country has grown from the original four provinces to the current ten provinces and three territories. Together, the provinces and territories make up the world's second-largest country by area.

New Brunswick province in Canada

New Brunswick is one of four Atlantic provinces on the east coast of Canada. According to the Constitution of Canada, New Brunswick is the only bilingual province. About two thirds of the population declare themselves anglophones and a third francophones. One third of the population describes themselves as bilingual. Atypically for Canada, only about half of the population lives in urban areas, mostly in Greater Moncton, Greater Saint John and the capital Fredericton.

Richard Hatfield Canadian politician

Richard Bennett Hatfield, was a New Brunswick politician and the longest serving Premier in the province's history (1970–1987).

Contents

The result was the closest in New Brunswick history: the governing PCs won 30 seats to 28 for the opposition. The popular vote was very close: 146,719 votes were cast for Conservative candidates, and 146,596 for Liberals. In order to secure a workable majority following the election, Hatfield appointed Liberal Robert McCready as speaker of the legislature, despite strong objections from McCready's Liberal colleagues; McCready went on to seek re-election as a Conservative and served in Hatfield's cabinet.

Robert Black McCready was a restaurateur and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, representing Queen's County from 1967 to 1974 as a Liberal member and then Queens South from 1978 to 1987 as a Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative MLA.

Speaker (politics) presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body

The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.

The Parti Acadien had its best ever showing in the election, winning 12% of the vote in the ridings where it fielded candidates, and coming within 200 votes of electing Armand Plourde in Restigouche West.

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 Centre. The riding was re-established in the 2013 electoral redistribution from parts of Dalhousie-Restigouche East, Restigouche-La-Vallée and Campbellton-Restigouche Centre and will be contested again beginning in the 2014 general election.

Background

In the lead up to 1978, the Opposition Liberal Party seemed destined to return to power. A number of scandals had been tied to the Conservatives and Liberal leader Robert Higgins was widely popular. In early 1978, Higgins believed he had tied some of the scandals directly to Hatfield himself. In a bold move, Higgins promised to resign should Hatfield prove that he was not tied directly to the scandal, which Hatfield promptly did. Higgins was forced to abruptly resign and was replaced by Joseph Daigle as leader. The Liberals mused that Hatfield had purposely ensured false information was leaked to the Liberals to lead them into making false accusations.

New Brunswick Liberal Association political party in New Brunswick, Canada

The New Brunswick Liberal Association, more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major provincial political parties in New Brunswick, Canada. The party descended from both the Confederation Party and the Anti-Confederation Party whose members split into left-wing and right-wing groups following the creation of Canada as a nation in 1867.

Robert J. Higgins is a supernumerary justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick who served as the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party from 1971 to 1978.

Joseph Zenon Daigle, is a Canadian lawyer and a former politician and Chief Justice of New Brunswick.

Higgins' resignation created Hatfield's best chance to go to the polls. He called an election shortly after Daigle became Liberal leader. Despite the lack of a direct link to Hatfield, scandal remained tied to his government and a close election result was assured.

Campaign

Hatfield's government was not entirely clean, however. The Liberals pointed to the Conservatives' budgets, which no longer maintained a surplus. The Bricklin failure was also fresh on voters' minds. While campaigning in anglophone sections of the province, Hatfield accused Daigle of being an anti-monarchist for supporting Pierre Trudeau's constitutional reforms.

Bricklin SV-1 sports car built in Canada

The Bricklin SV-1 is a two-seat sports car that was built from 1974 to late 1975. The car was noteworthy for its gull-wing doors and composite bodywork of color-impregnated acrylic resin bonded to fiberglass. Assembly took place in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. To promote the SV-1 as a car designed with an emphasis on safety, the company touted such features as its integrated roll-over structure and energy-absorbing bumpers. The car's name is an abbreviation for "safety vehicle one".

English language West Germanic language

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and eventually became a global lingua franca. It is named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name, as England. Both names derive from Anglia, a peninsula in the Baltic Sea. The language is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon, and its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse, and to a greater extent by Latin and French.

Monarchy system of government where the head of state position is inherited within family

A monarchy is a form of government in which a single person holds supreme authority in ruling a country, also performing ceremonial duties and embodying the country's national identity. Although some monarchs are elected, in most cases, the monarch's position is inherited and lasts until death or abdication. In these cases, the royal family or members of the dynasty usually serve in official capacities as well. The governing power of the monarch may vary from purely symbolic, to partial and restricted, to completely autocratic.

Results

1978 New Brunswick Election Results
PartyLeaderResults
Seats% of votes cast
Progressive Conservative Richard Hatfield 3044.39%
Liberal Joseph Daigle 2844.36%
New Democratic John LaBossiere 06.48%
Parti Acadien Jean-Pierre Lanteigne 03.5%
Independents 01.27%
Total 58100.0%

Results by riding

North

Consisting of Victoria, Madawaska, Restigouche and Gloucester county ridings.

Victoria County, New Brunswick County in New Brunswick, Canada

Victoria County is located in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Farming, especially of potatoes, is the major industry in the county.

Madawaska County, New Brunswick County in New Brunswick, Canada

Madawaska County, also known as the "New Brunswick Panhandle", is located in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Over 90% of the county's population speaks French. Its Francophone population are known as "Brayons." Forestry is the major industry in the county.

Restigouche County, New Brunswick County in New Brunswick, Canada

Restigouche County is located in north-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county is named for the Restigouche River which flows through the county and is famous for its salmon pools, which have attracted wealthy American and Canadian tourists to the region's summer colonies for decades. Forestry dominates the local economy.

Electoral DistrictCandidates Incumbent
 PC Liberal NDPOther
Victoria-Tobique J. Douglas Moore 2,763Bruce Hoyt 2,032Earl W. Christensen 727 J. Stewart Brooks
Grand Falls Joseph H. Rideout 1,063 Everard H. Daigle 2,779Guildoi Pelletier 621Everard H. Daigle
Madawaska-les-Lacs Jean-Pierre Ouellet 2,876Nelson Bellefleur 2,071Yves C. LeClerc (Parti acadien) 90Jean-Pierre Ouellet
Madawaska Centre Léonard Plourde 1,352 Gérald Clavette 2,208Aline Thérèse Gagnon (Parti acadien) 106Gérald Clavette
Edmundston Jean-Maurice Simard 3,228Donald D'Amours 2,470Céline Couturier (Parti acadien) 194Jean-Maurice Simard
Madawaska South Jean-Marc Violette 1,398 Héliodore Côté 1,832Père Léo Theriault (Ind.) 659
Jacques Lapointe (Parti acadien) 137
Daniel Daigle
Restigouche West Jean Guy Ramond 1,576 Alfred J. Roussel 2,174Armand Plourde (Parti acadien) 2,003Alfred J. Roussel
Campbellton Fernand G. Dubé 2,734J. H. Wilfred Senechal 2,467Bryce Andrew 331Paul Aubin (Parti acadien) 337Fernand G. Dubé
Dalhousie Aubrey Brownie 2,201 Allan E. Maher 2,726Léopold Arseneault 274Réal Gendron (Parti acadien) 246 John Potter
Restigouche East Guy Laviolette 1,402 Rayburn Donald Doucett 2,035Gail Walsh 509Roland Godin (Parti acadien) 217Rayburn Donald Doucett
Nigadoo-Chaleur Roland Boudreau 2,346 Pierre Godin 2,960Kevin O'Connell 387Dr. Jean-Pierre Lanteigne (Parti acadien) 1,103Roland Boudreau
Nepisiguit-Chaleur Hilaire Brideau 1,102 Frank Branch 3,156Paul-Émile Mourant (Parti acadien) 858Frank Branch
Bathurst John A. Duffy 2,075 Paul Kenny 2,667Kevin Mann 2,176Lucie Losier (Parti acadien) 560 Eugene McGinley
Caraquet Beatrice "Bibi" Doiron 2,809 Onil Doiron 3,925Michel Blanchard (Parti acadien) 1,534Onil Doiron
Shippagan-les-Îles Jean Gauvin 3,023 André Robichaud 2,476Michel Haché (Ind.) 1,280
Laval Auclair (Parti acadien) 466
André Robichaud
Tracadie George McLaughlin 2,490 Doug Young 4,374Alyre Morais (Parti acadien) 806 Adjutor Ferguson

Central

Consisting of Carleton, York, Sunbury and Northumberland county ridings.

Electoral DistrictCandidates Incumbent
 PC Liberal NDPOther
Carleton North Charles G. Gallagher 2,397Samuel J. "Sam" Perkins 1,694Charles G. Gallagher
Carleton Centre Richard B. Hatfield 2,043David Crouse 1,734Richard B. Hatfield
Carleton South Steven P. Porter 2,317Pat Saunders 1,776Garth Brewer 389 A. Edison Stairs
York North Adelbert David Bishop 3,681Richard Albert Carr 3,137Albert Fraser MacDonald 741Adelbert David Bishop
York South Leslie "Les" Hull 4,440Blaine E. Hatt 3,036Mark Allen Canning 444Les Hull
Fredericton South J. W. "Bud" Bird 5,525Stephen Patterson 4,252Margo Dunn 643Harry John Marshall (Ind.) 92 George Everett Chalmers
Fredericton North Edwin G. Allen 5,304Carl Edward Howe 3,528Christopher Devlin Hicks 662 Lawrence Garvie
Sunbury Horace Smith 3,045Ted Rogers 2,233Randy E. Brodeur 373Horace Smith
Oromocto John Edward McKee 2,467 LeRoy Washburn 2,522Jim Aucoin 283LeRoy Washburn
Southwest Miramichi John Munn 2,578 Morris Green 2,725 Sterling Hambrook
Miramichi-Newcastle Douglas R. Woods 3,127 John McKay 3,200John McKay
Chatham Greg Barry 2,019 Frank E. Kane 2,920Lloyd Vienneau 379Frank E. Kane
Bay du Vin Robert S. Lamkey 1,816 L. Norbert Thériault 2,515Joseph Alban Mazerolle (Ind.) 101L. Norbert Thériault
Miramichi Bay James Kenneth Gordon 1,750 Edgar LeGresley 2,232Solomon Curry (Ind.) 1,524Edgar LeGresley

South West

Consisting of Queens, Kings, Saint John and Charlotte county ridings.

Electoral DistrictCandidates Incumbent
 PC Liberal NDPOther
Queens North Wilfred George Bishop 2,059Eva Andries 1,145Wilfred George Bishop
Queens South A.P. Hetherington 1,446 Robert B. McCready 1,577Charles Viger 202 Robert Corbett
Kings West John B. M. Baxter 4,047Jack Stevens 3,023 George Little 1,132John B. M. Baxter
Kings Centre Harold N. Fanjoy 3,284David L. Nice 2,130R. Harvey Watson 745Harold N. Fanjoy
Kings East Hazen Myers 3,251Gordon A. Lewis 2,135Ernest A. Seedhouse 342 George Horton
Saint John Fundy Beverly J. Harrison 2,196Kevin Kilfoil 1,370Larry Hanley 932 William J. Woodroffe
East Saint John G.S. "Gerry" Merrithew 3,626George Creary 2,220Douglas Justason 1,143Gerry Merrithew
Saint John Harbour E. Lorne Richardson 1,680 Louis E. Murphy 1,772Harrison G. Harvey 625 John Turnbull
Saint John South Nancy Clark 1,622 John P. Mooney 1,543David M. Brown 416John P. Mooney
Saint John Park Garry Bona 1,677 Shirley Dysart 1,976David T. Pye 551 Robert J. Higgins
Saint John North Eric J. Kipping 1,906Harry G. Colwell 1,569Henry Thomas Watts 430 Shirley Dysart*
Saint John West Rodman Emmason Logan 3,935Delvan G. O'Brien 2,411James William Orr 886Rodman Emmason Logan
Charlotte-Fundy James Nelson Tucker 1,741Bernard L. Moses 1,311George Robertson 164James Nelson Tucker
Charlotte Centre Robert D. "Bob" Lee 1,210 Sheldon Lee 1,404 DeCosta Young
Charlotte West Leland W. McGaw 1,815Philip Earl Johnson 1,074William C. Mosher 201Leland W. McGaw
St. Stephen-Milltown Bill Cockburn 1,986Sydney Holmes 1,238Charles Roland Campbell 136Bill Cockburn

South East

Consisting of Kent, Westmorland and Albert county ridings.

Electoral DistrictCandidates Incumbent
 PC Liberal NDPOther
Kent North Louis Arsenault 1,070 Joseph Daigle 3,156Philippe Ouellette (Parti acadien) 358Joseph Z. Daigle
Kent Centre Claude Giruan Warren 1,171 Alan Robert Graham 2,352 John B. LaBossiere 249Pierrette Leblanc (Parti acadien) 121Alan Robert Graham
Kent South Omer Léger 3,279 Bertin LeBlanc 4,276Dolan Surette (Parti acadien) 138Omer Léger
Shediac Régis Cormier Azor LeBlanc 5,342Henri-Eugène Duguay (Parti acadien) 603Azor LeBlanc
Tantramar Lloyd Folkins 2,019James G. Purdy 1,232 Robert Arthur Hall 1,924Lloyd Folkins
Memramcook Euclide Daigle 1,348 William "Bill" Malenfant 4,605Joseph Eugene Guy LeBlanc 345Donatien Gaudet (Parti acadien) 643Bill Malenfant
Moncton East Raymond J. Thibodeau 2,006 Ray Frenette 3,921John William Kingston 592Simone LeBlanc-Rainsville (Parti acadien) 469Ray Frenette
Moncton North Albert L. Galbraith 3,023 Father Mike McKee 4,362Guy J. Richard 477David Britton (Parti acadien) 225Mike McKee
Moncton West Mabel DeWare 4,211Donald A. Canning 2,831Paul Hebert (Parti acadien) 230 Paul Creaghan
Petitcodiac C.W. "Bill" Harmer 4,911Harold Alward 3,420Ronald McGrath 621Rev. C. Edward Pickett (Ind.) 556
Patrick D. Clarke (Parti acadien) 117
Bill Harmer
Riverview Brenda M. Robertson 4,443W. A. "Bill" Payne 1,967Brenda M. Robertson
Albert Malcolm MacLeod 2,669Grant William Colpitts 1,289Robert J. Candy 351Malcolm MacLeod

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