Megan Mitton will keep her seat in the provincial legislature representing Memramcook-Tantramar, but she will be facing a majority PC government this time around.
Mitton beat out Liberal candidate Maxime Bourgeois by 523 votes.
The Green MLA got 3,425 votes. Liberal Maxime Bourgeois garnered 2,902, and PC Carole Duguay was in third place with 1,678 votes.
Former People’s Alliance candidate Heather Collins received 192 votes, and independent Jefferson George Wright pulled up the rear with 34.
Province-wide the PC party established a majority with 27 seats in the legislature. The Liberals lost seats, going forward with just 17 this time around, and none for their leader Kevin Vickers, who lost to incumbent People’s Alliance MLA Michelle Conroy from Miramichi.
The People’s Alliance are also lost ground, going from three down to two MLAs in the legislature.
The Greens maintained their three MLA caucus, with Mitton, David Coon, and Kevin Arseneau winning their seats back.
Local journalist Bruce Wark reached out to Mitton after the results came in to ask her how she envisioned getting things done under a majority, with less leverage in the house:
“Well, it will be a bit of a different makeup. One thing that is an advantage is that I’ve had the chance over the last couple of years to get to know some of the MLAs from the PC party, and the some of the ministers, and build relationships, and be able to work with them across party lines. So we look forward to sitting down and being able to share our ideas and work together. It will be a majority, but having just come out of minority government, I’m hopeful that there will be more of a spirit of collaboration. And I’m really hoping to see the All Party Cabinet Committee that was addressing COVID, meet as soon as possible so we can get back to the work of making sure that everyone gets through this pandemic, not just surviving, but living with dignity, and that we focus on the things that matter, the priorities for New Brunswickers.”
