The man who unseated Poilievre: N.B.-raised Bruce Fanjoy had support from Maritimers

Hannah Rudderham · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 10:59 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

When national Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre mislaid his long-held spot past week successful the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, the antheral who unseated him gained nationalist attention.

Liberal Bruce Fanjoy, who bushed Poilievre successful an country the Conservative had represented since 2004, says he's feeling large arsenic helium transitions into the role.

He said helium is "enormously grateful" to everyone who supported his run during the national election, and that includes much than conscionable those successful his riding. 

Fanjoy, who grew up successful New Brunswick and earned 2 assemblage degrees successful Halifax, said helium had enactment from chap Maritimers during the campaign. 

"One of the singular things successful this run was however radical from each implicit that I had grown up with reached retired to me, including radical from Saint John and Fredericton," helium told Information Morning Saint John connected Tuesday. 

"It's astonishing however radical were pursuing the run and with a sanction similar Fanjoy, radical retrieve … if they met you before."

Fanjoy said his parents met successful Saint John and moved to Millidgeville in the northbound of the metropolis erstwhile helium was a young boy. He attended simple schoolhouse determination but erstwhile his begetter took a presumption with the provincial government, his household moved to Fredericton and past from determination to Halifax. 

Fanjoy lives successful the colony of Manotick, wherever helium built a carbon-neutral house. He worked successful concern and selling earlier becoming a full-time parent, according to his run materials, and the caller election was his archetypal foray into politics. 

But Fanjoy's father, Emery Fanjoy, was secretary to the Council of Maritime Premiers, and his uncle, Harold Fanjoy, was MLA for Kings Centre and a provincial furniture minister. 

Although his begetter and uncle person died, Fanjoy said, "I did consciousness that they were watching actively, and had they been here, they would person conscionable been tickled pinkish with what was happening," helium said.

"Our household was 1 that, you know, you grew up with authorities and nationalist work astir the meal table. 

"It was, you know, immoderate of that training, which I didn't recognize would yet pb maine to this point."

The Carleton riding was the people of a ballot protestation for electoral reform, with a whopping 91 candidates registered to run.

And by the clip the immense ballots were counted, Fanjoy had garnered astir 51 per cent of the ballot to Poilievre's 45 per cent.

With Poilievre unseated, Damien Kurek, the MP-elect successful the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, announced he'll measurement speech truthful Poilievre tin tally successful the there, a spot considered 1 of the safest Conservative seats successful the country.

Poilievre has already visited the riding, though he'll person to hold astatine slightest 30 days oregon much for Kurek to legally resign his seat.

It was Poilievre who motivated Fanjoy to instrumentality the measurement into Canadian politics.

"It was ne'er successful my plans, but I realized that we were facing an historical election, and successful Carleton, we had a unsocial opportunity," helium said.

"I felt a work to equine a beardown situation against [Poilievre].

"We were precise contiguous here, traveleld each implicit the riding tons of times, gathering with people, and I deliberation that we conscionable managed to instrumentality vantage of a doorway that helium opened for us."