It was a conservative progressive sweep in the Miramichi region as the party won the two local by-elections on Monday night.
Both Miramichi Bay-Neguac and Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin will send PC MPs to the Fredericton legislature.
The final results in Miramichi Bay-Neguac according to Elections New Brunswick are:
- Rejean Savoie (PC) – 2286
- Shawn Wood (liberal) – 1753
- Chad Duplessie (green) – 772
- Tom L’Huillier (Popular Alliance) – 172
- Richard “Hoss” Sutherland (independent) – 99
The final results southwest of Miramichi-Bay du Vin according to Elections New Brunswick are:
- Mike Dawson (PC) – 2542
- Hannah Fulton Johnston (Liberals) – 1737
- Larry Lynch (People’s Alliance) – 363
- Julie Guillemet-Ackerman (Greens) – 223
Voters in both constituencies went to the polls after their former MPs resigned last summer to run in the 2021 federal election.
CBC News will provide a count of votes as they reach Elections New Brunswick.
PC flip to Miramichi Bay-Neguac
The PCs were able to turn the Miramichi Bay-Neguac movement upside down, which had been controlled by the Liberals since 2014.
Elected MP Réjean Savoie said he was happy to become the PC’s second French-speaking MP in the caucus, but said his job would be primarily to represent his constituents.
“I was chosen by the people in my constituency and to represent them well and that’s what I intend to do,” Savoie said.
Prime Minister Blaine Higgs, who made an appearance at Savoy’s polling station, said having another French-speaking voice in the caucus was important to the government.
“Having that diversity and opinions in our system is what we need to make the right decisions in the future, so this is great news,” Higgs said.
Liberal candidate Shawn Wood went to the PC party headquarters to congratulate Savoy on his victory.
He said he was disappointed with the result and said he would have liked to see more turnout at the polls.
Liberal candidate Shawn Wood said he was disappointed with the results, but came to congratulate Savoy. (Jacques Poitras / CBC)
He said the fact that Savoie granted him a seat in government may have pushed some voters alongside the PC.
“Obviously I would have more to offer than I could offer for the first two years for sure,” Wood said.
Tests for parties
The two by-elections will be a moral boost to the ruling conservative progressives.
Voting is almost halfway through the government, a time when governments often struggle to win by-elections.
Claude Williams, president of the PC party, said he was happy to see the party sweep the by-elections and also choose a second francophone. (Jacques Poitras / CBC)
Claude Williams, chairman of the PC party, said the results show that after more than two years of COVID-19 and inflationary problems, voters are looking for stability, which he said PCs can provide.
“I think people [have] I’ve seen good things with this government and I guess they want to [it to] continue the agenda and vision of the Blaine Higgs government, “Williams said.
Questions for the People’s Alliance
The election, however, is probably not what members of the People’s Alliance expected.
The party had disbanded earlier this year when its former leader, Kris Austin, crossed the field and joined the PC.
The party soon recovered under new leader Rick DeSaulniers, but does not appear to be on track to double its strong performance in the area in 2020 when it ranked second southwest of Miramichi-Bay du Vin and third. in Miramichi Bay-Neguac.
Rick DeSaulniers, a former Fredericton-York MP, was hailed as the leader of the New Brunswick People’s Alliance in May. (Jonathan Colicott / CBC)
The constituencies were previously represented by Liberal Lisa Harris (Miramichi Bay-Neguac) and Progressive Conservative Jake Stewart (Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin).
Stewart would later win the federal seat of Miramichi-Grand Lake under the banner of the Conservative Party of Canada.