N.B. Conservatives set convention date

New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives will choose a new leader Oct. 18.

Party president Robert MacLeod announced on Tuesday that the leadership convention will be held at the Aitken Centre at the University of New Brunswick's Fredericton campus. There will also be at least four satellite voting stations across the province.

The party will use a one-member, one-vote system to choose the new leader, MacLeod said.

The convention comes 11 years after the party chose Bernard Lord as their last leader. Lord resigned in January 2007 after his government lost the 2006 provincial election.

Since then, Jeannot Volpé has been serving as interim leader.

There are no declared candidates in the leadership race. But MacLeod said he has heard from a number of people who are interested in running.

"I am optimistic that we will have some great candidates and am looking forward to a great race, a great convention and of course, I am also looking forward to the next leader who will help bring the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick back to government," MacLeod said.