1982 New Brunswick general election

The 1982 New Brunswick general election was held on October 12, 1982, to elect 58 members to the 50th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It saw Richard Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party win its largest majority ever to that time. (Bernard Lord beat this record in 1999.)

1982 New Brunswick general election

October 12, 1982
58 seats of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick 30 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Lib NDP Leader Richard Hatfield Doug Young George Little Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic Leader since 1967 1982 1980 Leader's seat Carleton Centre Tracadie Ran in Kings West (lost) Last election 30 28 0 Seats won 39 18 1 Seat change 9 10 1 Percentage 47.45% 41.3% 10.2% Swing 3.06% 3.06% 3.72%
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 50th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly decided by this election

  Progressive Conservatives (39)

  Liberals (18)

  New Democrats (1)

Background

The Opposition Liberal Party had changed leaders four times since the eve of the 1978 election. It chose Doug Young just months before the vote in a divisive contest that came down to a final ballot against Joseph A. Day.

Campaign

The PCs ran two separate campaigns - one in English and one in French. The francophone campaign, which was mostly run by Hatfield's French lieutenant Jean-Maurice Simard, began with the Grand Ralliement, a symposium on language rights which took place in Shippagan ten days before the election call. Over 400 notable Acadians and other francophones attended. The dual campaigns were remarkably separate from each other, and in some cases contradictory: the English campaign revolved around attacking Doug Young's economic record, while the French campaign pointed out Hatfield's role working with Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in enshrining francophone rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Liberals, divided by their recent leadership contest, ran a lackluster campaign which allowed Hatfield's and Simard's overtures to the Acadian population to carry many seats that had been Liberal strongholds for generations, including 10 of 21 Acadian ridings. The Parti Acadien made its last appearance, as the Conservatives adopted several key points of their former platform.

The New Democratic Party of New Brunswick elected Bob Hall as its first ever Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was later joined by a second NDP MLA, Peter Trites, in a by-election.

Results

1982 New Brunswick Election Results
Party	Leader	Results
		Seats	% of votes cast
Progressive Conservative	Richard Hatfield	39	47.45
Liberal	Doug Young	18	41.30
New Democratic	George Little	1	10.20
Parti Acadien	Louise Blanchard	0	0.87
Independents		0	0.18
Total		58	100.00

Popular vote PC   47.45% Liberal   41.30% New Democratic   10.20% Others   1.05%

Seats summary PC   67.24% Liberal   31.03% New Democratic   1.72%

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 3,015		Maurice A. Dionne 2,556		Earl W. Christensen 333				J. Douglas Moore
Grand Falls		Bessie Cote 2,017		Everard H. Daigle 3,129		Patricia Morrell 155				Everard H. Daigle
Madawaska-les-Lacs		Jean-Pierre Ouellet 3,071		Luc Daigle 2,545		Rino Pelletier 176				Jean-Pierre Ouellet
Madawaska Centre		Jacques Tremblay 1,152		Gérald Clavette 2,774		Rodolphe Martin 241				Gérald Clavette
Edmundston		Jean-Maurice Simard 3,393		Laurier Levesque 2,572		Louise Winchester 426				Jean-Maurice Simard
Madawaska South		Percy Mockler 2,561		Héliodore Côté 2,108		Paul Murphy 87				Héliodore Côté
Restigouche West		Yvon Poitras 2,885		Alfred J. Roussel 2,680				Armand Ploudre (Parti acadien) 1,195		Alfred J. Roussel
Campbellton		Fernand G. Dubé 3,917		Lumina Senechal 2,467		John F. "Lofty" MacMillan 556				Fernand G. Dubé
Dalhousie		A.R. Sandy MacLean 1,866		Allan Maher 3,179		Bertha Huard 621		Réal Gendron (Parti acadien) 91		Allan Maher
Restigouche East		Aurèle Desrosiers 2,012		Rayburn Donald Doucett 2,418		Wayne Lapointe 507				Rayburn Donald Doucett
Nigadoo-Chaleur		Daniel Comeau 2,601		Pierre Godin 4,057		Rhéal Boudreau 996		André Blanchard (Parti acadien) 174		Pierre Godin
Nepisiguit-Chaleur		Patrice Battah 1,502		Frank Branch 3,510		Sherwood Scott 634		Léon Losier (Parti acadien) 205		Frank Branch
Bathurst		Jim MacLaggan 2,820		Paul Kenny 3,406		Kevin Mann, Jr. 2,352				Paul Kenny
Caraquet		Emery Robichaud 4,619		Onil Doiron 3,733		Yvon Roy 271		Louise Blanchard (Parti acadien) 966		Onil Doiron
Shippagan-les-Îles		Jean Gauvin 5,238		André Robichaud 3,487				Laval Auclair (Parti acadien) 113		Jean Gauvin
Tracadie		Henri Thomas 3,440		Doug Young 5,308				Michael Blanchard (Parti acadien) 301 Fernand Losier (Ind.) 193		Doug Young

Central

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

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Carleton North		Charles G. Gallagher 2,189		Robert D. MacElwain 1,725		Larry Lamont 240				Charles G. Gallagher
Carleton Centre		Richard B. Hatfield 2,266		David E. Crouse 1,976		L. William Maxon 128				Richard B. Hatfield
Carleton South		Steven P. Porter 2,811		Stephen A.R. "Steve" Paget 1,534		Arthur L. Slipp 451				Steven P. Porter
York North		David Bishop 4,278		John Hildebrand 3,667		Elizabeth Weir 1,115				David Bishop
York South		Les Hull 5,289		Ralph Annis 3,933		Dan Weston 664				Les Hull
Fredericton South		Dave Clark 5,507		Steve Patterson 4,369		Tom Good 1,716		Harry John Marshall (Ind.) 87		Bud Bird†
Fredericton North		Edwin G. Allen 6,392		Bob C. Chase 3,384		Nancy MacFarland 958				Edwin G. Allen
Sunbury		Horace Smith 3,192		Michael Edward McTiernan 2,680		Anna Trefry 401				Horace Smith
Oromocto		Joe Mombourquette 2,583		LeRoy Washburn 2,534						LeRoy Washburn
Southwest Miramichi		Sterling Hambrook 2,343		Morris Green 3,225		John Barry 244		Floyd Wilson (Ind.) 183		Morris Green
Miramichi-Newcastle		Paul Dawson 3,461		John McKay 2,988		Jerry Dunnett 761				John McKay
Chatham		John J. Barry 2,537		Frank J. McKenna 2,618		John T. McLaughlin 633				Frank Kane†
Bay du Vin		Roger "Butch" Wedge 2,579		Reg MacDonald 2,462		Harold J. Manual 155		Robert Wilfred Melanson (Parti acadien) 35		Norbert Thériault†
Miramichi Bay		James K. "Jim" Gordon 3,263		Alcide Léger 3,051		J. Albert Richardson 275				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 G. Bishop 1,911		Cyril MacDonald 1,330		Frank Wuhr 212		William Taylor (Ind.) 93		Wilfred G. Bishop
Queens South		Robert B. McCready 1,799		Dawn Bremner 1,437		Mike Gormley 212				Robert B. McCready
Kings West		John B. M. Baxter 5,226		Malcolm A. Barry 3,219		George Little 3,034				John B. M. Baxter
Kings Centre		Harold Fanjoy 4,012		Edward Kelly 2,165		Marian Jefferies 1,283				Harold Fanjoy
Kings East		Hazen Elmer Myers 3,808		Gordon A. Lewis 2,161		Mark Connell 1,011				Hazen Elmer Myers
Saint John Fundy		Bev Harrison 3,064		Fred Fuller 1,746		Lawrence D. Hanley 1,585				Bev Harrison
East Saint John		G.S. "Gerry" Merrithew 4,246		Brian Fraser Hurley 2,359		Peter Trites 2,254				Gerry Merrithew
Saint John Harbour		Foster Hammond 1,892		Louis Edward Murphy 2,055		Dee Dee M.A. Daigle 695				Louis Edward Murphy
Saint John South		Nancy Clark Teed 1,890		Brian McCarthy 1,521		David Brown 1,012				Nancy Clark Teed
Saint John Park		Twyla Hartt 1,920		Shirley Dysart 2,247		David T. Pye 727				Shirley Dysart
Saint John North		Eric J. Kipping 2,223		Joseph A. Day 2,078		Erik Kraglund 1,079				Eric J. Kipping
Saint John West		G. M. Keith Dow 4,590		Al Brien 2,701		Barry Robson 1,167				Rodman Logan†
Charlotte-Fundy		James Tucker 2,291		Eric Allaby 1,272		Jim Aucoin 260				James Tucker
Charlotte Centre		Gregory F. Thompson 1,384		Sheldon A. Lee 1,471		Wayne Townsend 217				Sheldon A. Lee
Charlotte West		Leland W. McGaw 1,992		Dave E. Lively 1,237		Joseph N. Hansen 330				Leland W. McGaw
St. Stephen-Milltown		Bob Jackson 2,155		Joel Hansen 1,372		Judy Olsen 243				Bill Cockburn†

South East

Consisting of Kent, Westmorland and Albert county ridings.

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Kent North		Elzée Thebeau 2,129		Conrad Landry 2,750		Charles R. Richard 357				Joseph Daigle†
Kent Centre		Fernand Savoie 1,244		Alan R. Graham 2,691		Derrold H. Barnes 216		Ronald S. MacDonald (Ind.) 77		Alan R. Graham
Kent South		Omer Léger 4,829		Bertin LeBlanc 3,732		Gérald Mazerolle 236				Bertin LeBlanc
Shediac		Alfred Landry 4,842		Azor LeBlanc 5,135		Henri-Eugène Duguay 273		Omer Bourque (Parti acadien) 86		Azor LeBlanc
Tantramar		Irvin D. Robinson 2,063		John Gideon Carter 1,334		Robert Arthur Hall 2,503				Lloyd Folkins†
Memramcook		Clarence Cormier 4,032		William "Bill" Malenfant 3,951		Ulysse Bastarache 438				Bill Malenfant
Moncton East		Norman H. Crossman 2,688		Ray Frenette 3,817		Raymond Boucher 687		Gilles Frenette (Parti acadien) 165 Raymond Leger (Ind.) 75		Ray Frenette
Moncton North		Kathryn Barnes 3,032		Mike McKee 4,768		Thomas F. Wilson 802				Mike McKee
Moncton West		Mabel DeWare 4,242		Wayne Patterson 2,892		Brian Harvey 601				Mabel DeWare
Petitcodiac		C.W. "Bill" Harmer 6,388		Hollis Stanley Steeves 3,813		Charles B. Sullivan 1,474				Bill Harmer
Riverview		Brenda M. Robertson 4,949		Jim Anderson 2,151		Ed Foley 582				Brenda M. Robertson
Albert		Malcolm MacLeod 2,827		Gordon L. Rattray 1,360		Gary Wayne Bannister 605				Malcolm MacLeod

Further reading

• Byers, R. B., ed. (1984). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs, 1982. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442671966.