null | Posted: July 29, 2014 1:20 PM | Last Updated: September 3, 2014
Riding 33
Riding profile
Saint John Lancaster is located in the west end of the city. The riding includes parts of Saint John that are west of the St. John River, south of Acamac Beach Road and Westfield Road and includes Partridge Island.
Saint John is New Brunswick’s largest city. The city had 70,063 people in the 2011 census, an increase of three per cent over 2006.
The city has several large employers including Irving Oil Ltd.’s oil refinery and two mills owned by J.D. Irving Ltd. There are other large employers such as the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, Moosehead Breweries and the Horizon Health Network.
Political history
Saint John Lancaster was another Saint John-area riding that elected a Progressive Conservative MLA in 2010 rather than favour an incumbent Liberal.
Tory Dorothy Shephard defeated Liberal MLA Abel LeBlanc in 2010. LeBlanc, a former labour leader, was first elected in 2003 and was re-elected in 2006. LeBlanc may be best known for being expelled from the legislature in February 2010 after giving a Tory MLA the middle finger and calling him a "punk."
LeBlanc announced in June that he would run for the NDP in the September election. LeBlanc’s friend, former Saint John mayor Ivan Court, lost the Liberal nomination to run in the riding. After that loss, LeBlanc decided to switch parties so he could also run in the riding.
As a Liberal, LeBlanc defeated former Progressive Conservative MLA Norm McFarlane in 2003. McFarlane was a cabinet minister and went on to serve one term as the mayor of Saint John.
2010 Provincial election results
Saint John Lancaster
| Party | Candidate | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Abel LeBlanc | 2,286 |
| Progressive Conservative | Dorothy Shephard | 3,429 |
| NDP | Habib Kilisli | 688 |
| Green Party | Mary Ellen Carpenter | 246 |
| People's Alliance | Wendy Coughlin | 108 |
2014 Candidates
| Party | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Liberal | Peter McGuire |
| Progressive Conservative | Dorothy Shephard |
| NDP | Abel LeBlanc |
| Green Party | Ashley Durdle |
| Independent | Mary Ellen Carpenter |