New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Party is set to announce its new leader today. Members will convene at the Fredericton Convention Centre to unveil the winner of the mail-in ballot between former cabinet minister Daniel Allain and rookie MLA Don Monahan. The party has scheduled the announcement for approximately 4:45 p.m., with no in-person voting taking place at the convention. The deadline for the receipt of mail-in ballots was Wednesday.
The leadership race was initiated last year following the resignation of former premier Blaine Higgs in October 2024 after the PCs were defeated by the Liberals in a provincial election. The competition has been marked by division within the party.
Allain has garnered substantial support from key party figures, including current and former MLAs and MPs. However, some party members have criticized him for voting against Higgs, aligning with the opposition Liberals in 2023 on a controversial policy regarding gender-inclusive pronouns in provincial schools.
Allain previously served as the minister of local government in the Higgs administration from 2020 until his removal in 2023 after the contentious vote. Monahan, on the other hand, secured his first term as the MLA for Arcadia-Butternut Valley-Maple Hills in the 2024 provincial election. Both candidates are proficient in both English and French.
The upcoming New Brunswick election is slated for October 2028.
