David Coon

About David Coon

David Coon became the first Green Party MLA elected to the Provincial Legislature in 2014 to represent the people of Fredericton South. He was re-elected on September 24, 2018, and again on September 14, 2020. He has served as the Leader of the New Brunswick Green Party since 2012.

Mr. Coon is a member of the COVID-19 Cabinet Committee, and has served as a member of the Standing Committee on Estimates and Fiscal Policy, the Standing Committee on Procedure, Privileges and Legislative Officers, and the Legislative Administration Committee. He also served as a member of the Select Committee on Climate Change, whose recommendations formed the basis of New Brunswick’s Climate Action Plan.

Mr. Coon was successful in securing all party support for adding a code of conduct and a statement on the roles and responsibilities for MLAs to the Standing Rules of the Legislative Assembly. He also had a bill passed to ensure students in the public school system learn about historical and contemporary relationships with First Nations; implementing one of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

He has introduced private member’s bills aimed at improving the social assistance system, strengthening legal protections for tenants, enabling municipalities to purchase electricity from local renewable power producers, restoring fair market access for woodlot owners, ending the spraying of glyphosate on Crown lands, increasing the fairness of the property tax system, increasing local food security, lowering the voting age, and protecting citizens against frivolous lawsuits.

In the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Coon has championed improved access to mental and physical health care, alleviating poverty, the provision of midwifery services, climate action, and forest management that is socially and ecologically sound.

Mr. Coon has established permanent round tables for youth and seniors in his riding to ensure he can represent their concerns in the Legislative Assembly.

After earning a science degree at McGill University, Mr. Coon had a 32-year career as an environmental advocate, organizer and educator – most of it at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

His work to protect drinking water led to the creation of New Brunswick’s Clean Water Act. This earned the Conservation Council the United Nations Environmental Programme’s Global 500 Award. His work in advancing public policy on climate change, provincially and nationally, earned him a silver medallion at the Canadian Environmental Achievement Awards.

Mr. Coon and his wife, Janice Harvey, have two daughters, and live in Fredericton’s Skyline Acres neighborhood.