Former cabinet member running for leader of New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives

Former MLA Daniel Allain speaks to reporters in Fredericton, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward

MONCTON — Former provincial cabinet minister Daniel Allain is the first candidate in the race for the leadership of New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative party.

Allain announced his candidacy at an event in Moncton, N.B., on Saturday.

His return to the political arena is not a surprise after he expressed his interest in the party leadership earlier this year and travelled the province to gauge support.

“People were asking me what my intentions were. I conducted about 30 meetings over the summer,” Allain said in a telephone interview.

The former member of the legislature for the riding of Moncton East said he’s running because he wants to rebuild the party’s organization in the wake of its election defeat in October 2024. The Tories currently hold 16 seats in the 49-seat legislature.

“I want to make sure that whether you are urban, rural, francophone or anglophone that everybody feels they have a place in the PC party, that they have a voice and are respected and are listened to,” Allain said.

Former premier Blaine Higgs dropped Allain from cabinet in 2023 after he signed a letter expressing “extreme disappointment” following changes to the province’s policy on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.

The changes, which required transgender and non-binary students younger than 16 to have parental consent to use preferred names and pronouns in informal settings in schools, were reversed by the current Liberal government last December.

Allain chose not to dwell on the past when asked about the controversy.

“Look, the PC party has a rich history and there are individuals within the party who try to find balance,” he said. “We are a big tent party and for myself, it (the leadership) is an opportunity.”

Allain, who didn’t run in the last provincial election, describes himself as fiscally conservative and socially progressive.

“At the end of the day I am a Conservative,” he said, adding that he believes people want the party to talk about issues like public safety and security as well as health care and education.

Allain’s announcement comes after current Interim leader Glen Savoie announced in June that he wouldn’t run for the party’s leadership. Under party rules the interim leader position was not eligible to run as of June 30 and Savoie would have had to resign to enter the race.

Kris Austin, another former Tory cabinet minister, is also thought to be considering his options.

The Progressive Conservatives will elect a new provincial leader in October 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2025.

- By Keith Doucette in Halifax