1978 New Brunswick general election

The 1978 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.

1978 New Brunswick general election

October 23, 1978
58 seats of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick 30 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Lib NDP Leader Richard Hatfield Joseph Daigle John LaBossiere Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic Leader since October 13, 1967 May 6, 1978 1976 Leader's seat Carleton Centre Kent North Ran in Kent Centre (lost) Last election 33 25 0 Seats won 30 28 0 Seat change 3 3 Percentage 44.39% 44.36% 6.48% Swing 2.37% 3.12% 3.55%
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 after election Richard Hatfield Progressive Conservative

Rendition of party representation in the 49th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly decided by this election

  Progressive Conservatives (30)

  Liberals (28)

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Results

1978 New Brunswick election results
Party	Leader	Results
		Seats	% of votes cast
Progressive Conservative	Richard Hatfield	30	44.39%
Liberal	Joseph Daigle	28	44.36%
New Democratic	John LaBossiere	0	6.48%
Parti Acadien	Jean-Pierre Lanteigne	0	3.5%
Independents		0	1.27%
Total		58	100.0%

Popular vote PC   44.39% Liberal   44.36% New Democratic   6.48% Others   4.77%

Seats summary PC   51.72% Liberal   48.28%

Results by riding

North

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

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

Central

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

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

South West

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

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

South East

Consisting of Kent, Westmorland and Albert county ridings.

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