June 2025 Newsletter

That’s a wrap for the 2025 Green Party of New Brunswick AGM in Tracadie!

Thank you to all those who joined us in person and online and of course thanks to our wonderful staff, members, volunteers, Provincial Council, and MLAs for making this year’s annual general meeting a huge success! We had an impressive turnout of around 50 members and a very productive meeting filled with great discussions, some good laughs, and a lot of fun.

We owe another huge thank you to our outgoing Executive Director, Claire Kelly, for leading a record-breaking AGM fundraiser! We were blown away by the support and generosity of our donors. Your contributions, big and small, allow us to hire staff, to promote our vision and values, and to build a “peace chest” of funds to run a competitive and professional campaign in the next election.

The day concluded with a riveting lecture by guest speaker Allain Deneault, a French-Canadian author and philosopher. He spoke poignantly about challenging the two-party system in order to deliver the bold and meaningful change needed to address the unprecedented environmental and political crises of our time.

Recent governments—both Liberal and Conservative—have failed to meet the moment. As Deneault said, “they tell us they can do the impossible while telling us they can’t do what is possible”. They gain power by selling us fear and false promises and then fail to act once elected.

In the Green Party of New Brunswick, we believe there is a better way forward. We know that a more sustainable and equitable future for all is possible. We intend to not just challenge the two-party system, but to break it.

We have a bold and ambitious vision for our province. In order to see it through, we need a concerted effort from people like you who share our values and principles. We need your skills, your ideas, and your courage. 

The work of building a winning campaign in 2028 begins now. 

 

Sincerely,

your Green Team

 

In This Issue:

 

Improving Public Transportation

Green MLAs David Coon and Megan Mitton recently took the train from Moncton to Sackville to experience New Brunswick’s intercity rail service firsthand. What could have been a 30 minute drive was a nearly 2 hour journey by train. New Brunswick is missing the train on public transportation and we're calling on the Holt Government to act.

Watch our video to see what David and Megan experienced, why rail is falling behind, and how better public transport can connect our communities and help build a resilient, low-carbon future.

Sign the petition to improve public transportation in New Brunswick.

 

Provincial Council Election Results

Congratulations to our newly-elected members of Provincial Council and thank you to those who put their names forward. To the more than 120 members who voted in our Provincial Council elections, thank you for taking the time to get to know our candidates and casting your ballots. 

We especially want to thank our outgoing Provincial Council members, Piper McCullough and Eric Allain for their service and dedication to growing the Green Party of New Brunswick. 

Here are the new and continuing members of our Provincial Council:

 

President: Ryan Spencer, Fredericton

Vice Président Francophone: Jacques Giguère, Taylor Village

Vice President Anglophone: Anthea Plummer, Fredericton

Treasurer: Emerald Gibson, Saint John

Secretary: Josh Shaddick, Fredericton

Leader: David Coon, Fredericton

Executive Director: Genevieve MacRae, Fredericton

Official Representative: Andrew Conradi, Smithtown

Youth Representative: Liam MacDougall, Fredericton

Regional Councilors – South East:

  • Karen Rogers, Riverview
  • Jean Bourgeois, Petit-Cap

Regional Councilors – Fundy:

  • Wayne Hitchcock, Rollingdam
  • Chris Kohler, St. Andrews

Regional Councilors – Capital Region (Fredericton-Miramichi Valley-Carleton):

  • Kaely Scott, Fredericton
  • Burt Folkins, Mazerolle Settlement

Regional Councilors – North (Madawaska-Restigouche-Acadian Peninsula):

  • Kevin Roussell, Saint-Jacques
  • (Vacant)

Ombud Committee:

  • Sam Arnold, Woodstock
  • Margo Sheppard, Fredericton

 

Welcoming Genevieve MacRae as Executive Director

As you may remember, last month we said goodbye to our outgoing Executive Director, Claire Kelly, as she starts an exciting new job. We were privileged to have Genevieve MacRae fill in as Interim Executive Director during Claire’s maternity leave, but now, we are thrilled to welcome Genevieve as our new permanent Executive Director of the Green Party of New Brunswick!

Genevieve’s exceptional organizational skills and compassionate leadership have proven to be invaluable to our team. She helped to guide us through a provincial election, providing support to fellow staff, candidates, and volunteers, while bringing the best out of all of us and making us smile every single day. 

We are all infinitely grateful for Genevieve’s brilliant talent and hard work, and we look forward to seeing what she will accomplish as our new Executive Director.

 

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 11

  • Shediac-Cap-Acadie RDA AGM - Shediac Multipurpose Centre, 58 Rue Festival, Shediac at 7:00pm

 

Monday, June 16

  • Fredericton-York RDA Members' Meeting - 88 Merithew Ave, Fredericton from 1pm to 2pm

 

  • RDA Executives Meeting - Join us on Zoom at 7pm. RDA executive members will receive a Zoom link invitation from Genevieve at [email protected]

 

Update On Bill 19: An Act Respecting the Right to a Healthy Environment

After a second reading and debate in the Legislature, Green Party Leader David Coon’s Bill 19: An Act Respecting the Right to a Healthy Environment will move forward to the Law and Amendments Committee to the Law Amendments Committee for further study.

The Law and Amendments Committee is the next step in moving the bill through the Legislature and enshrining it into the law, empowering New Brunswickers with a procedural tool to defend their right to a healthy environment. The Committee must now schedule public hearings in the fall and invite expert witnesses including First Nations to provide input.

Thank you to the many supporters and stakeholders who came to the Legislature for the second reading of Bill 19! And thank you to the nearly 1000 people who have signed our petition in support of the Right to a Healthy Environment.