Libertarian Party of New Brunswick

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Libertarian Party of New Brunswick Parti libertarien du Nouveau-Brunswick
Leader	Keith Tays
President	François Provost
Founded	July 2024[1]
Headquarters	New Brunswick
Ideology	Libertarianism, Individualism, Localism[citation needed]
Colours	Navy Blue, Yellow
Seats in the Legislative Assembly	0 / 49
Website
www.lpnb.ca
Politics of New Brunswick Political parties Elections

The Libertarian Party of New Brunswick is a provincial political party in the Canadian province of New Brunswick which adheres to the general principles of libertarianism to "significantly cut taxes and reduce the size of government".^[2][3] It was formed in the months prior to the 2024 New Brunswick general election, with party leader Keith Tays saying ""I don't expect to win any seats this early on just because we've had so little time to get the word out."^{[4][2][5][6][7]}

The party advocates for free market growth, and "reducing the size and intrusiveness of government, cutting and eliminating taxes at every opportunity, and allowing peaceful, honest people to offer their goods and services without inappropriate interference from the government", specifically referencing a proposed provincial police force, a provincial referendum to determine the breadth of issues like abortion, school choice and self-defence.^[4][8] Leader Keith Tays indicated that many of the initial party members had also opposed lockdowns and mandates during Covid-19.^[9]

The party identifies as neither left-wing nor right-wing, noting its mandate is to "take power away from government because it's not the role of government to interfere in people's lives and people's businesses...we're talking about cutting government in half".^[10][11] However, they have been described by CBC News as being on the "populist right"^[9] and by the Telegraph-Journal as being on the "political right".^[5]

In 2024, Libertarian Party fielded 18 candidates, winning 0.5% of the popular vote overall, behind the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, Greens, NDP, and People's Alliance, and placed last in each riding contested by the party. Individual candidates received from 0.6% to 1.9% of the vote in their constituencies.^[12][13] The party ran more candidates than the People's Alliance, which leader Keith Tays criticized as having failed to stand on principle and embraced centrism.^[9][14][15]

The election guide for the University of New Brunswick student newspaper, The Baron, described the Libertarian Party as "radically different...as they believe in a form of government that holds limited power, especially over one's wallet, body, and mind, meaning the government should hold the most power on a local level."^[16][17] In an editorial, the Telegraph-Journal daily newspaper welcomed the creation of the party prior to the election, while not endorsing it, calling it "a necessary balance on the political right" to the social conservativism of the Progressive Conservatives under Premier Blaine Higgs.^[5]

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government	Source
2024	Keith Tays	1,710	0.5%	0 / 49	0	6th	Extra-parliamentary	[12]