Miramichi MLA resigns provincial seat to run for federal Conservatives

Jacques Poitras · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 1:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Miramichi West Progressive Conservative MLA Mike Dawson is resigning from the New Brunswick legislature to go a campaigner successful the national predetermination campaign.

Dawson volition beryllium the Conservative campaigner successful Miramichi-Grand Lake, a spot won for the enactment by Jake Stewart successful 2021. Stewart announced earlier this period helium would not tally again.

Dawson's determination starts a six-month timepiece ticking for Premier Susan Holt to telephone a byelection — with the departing MLA informing his provincial enactment that it needs to alteration its approach.

"I deliberation determination needs to beryllium a batch much transparency and a batch much inclusiveness with the rank from the PC party," Dawson said successful an interrogation Monday.

"If the rank doesn't consciousness wanted, it's not overmuch of a party." 

WATCH | 'A batch much transparency': Departing MLA urges PC enactment to change: 

Earlier this year, Dawson said helium believed the enactment needed to beryllium much progressive connected immoderate issues and should take a francophone arsenic its adjacent leader.

He besides complained past autumn that immoderate members didn't get capable announcement to be the party's yearly wide gathering held soon aft the PC authorities of Blaine Higgs was defeated successful an election.

"We person to commencement bringing radical unneurotic alternatively of dividing people," helium said successful an interview.

"It seems similar it's easier for radical to thrust a wedge betwixt radical than bring radical together."

Under changes to the Elections Act adopted successful 2022, a byelection indispensable beryllium held wrong six months of a spot successful the legislature being certified arsenic vacant.

Dawson was archetypal elected successful a 2022 byelection and was re-elected successful the October 2024 provincial election.

He said moving federally had not occurred to him until Stewart announced helium would not question re-election.

"It wasn't thing that I planned connected doing," Dawson said.

"It's conscionable thing that — similar everything other successful beingness — conscionable popped up."

Dawson said the economical uncertainty with U.S. tariffs connected Canadian exports requires a beardown leader.

"I deliberation we've got that with the national person that we've got moving for the Conservative Party," helium said.

"We've got to larn to basal connected our ain 2 feet and not beryllium connected the Americans." 

"I deliberation the country's successful a batch worse signifier present that it was 10 years ago."

Stewart dropped retired amid turmoil wrong the Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative membership.

The fiscal cause for the riding relation resigned, alleging that the MP's riding bureau had been a toxic and manipulative workplace and that 8 staffers had discontinue implicit the past 2 years.

Stewart's bureau was besides closed for respective weeks.

Mike Morrison, a longtime enactment protagonist and two-time national candidate, declared that Stewart was unelectable arsenic a effect of the turmoil.

Dawson said helium hopes helium tin propulsion Conservatives unneurotic to get done the run for the April 28 election and past enactment connected repairing the frayed relationships among members.