PCs end almost 40 years of Liberal MLAs in one Saint John-area riding

History wasn't enough to save Liberal cabinet minister Rick Doucet from defeat in what had been a Liberal stronghold in southwestern New Brunswick. 

Progressive Conservative Andrea Anderson-Mason beat the energy minister in Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West, which can trace continuous Liberal representation back almost 40 years.

While the result Monday night may be considered a shock given the length of Liberal rule in the riding, Anderson-Mason said she has felt for a while that the mood was changing.

"When I won the nomination last year, we had over 500 people attend that nomination," she said. "We knew that we were starting something then."

Formerly known as Charlotte

The riding's roots go back to 1785, when it was called Charlotte. In the 1973 electoral redistribution created the riding of Charlotte Centre and was first contested in the 1974 election.

It was won by Progressive Conservative DeCosta Young but starting with the 1978 election it was held by Liberals for 39 years, 11 months and two days. Sheldon Lee was the MLA for 24 years during which the riding's borders were redrawn and it was named Charlotte again.

Doucet held the riding for 14 years during which it was redrawn twice, first as Charlotte-The Isles, then as Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West.

Winds of change

Anderson-Mason said the long Liberal history resulted in the riding being overlooked for a while. 

Going door to door, she said, she could feel voters were ready to make a change.

"To hear people at the doors saying how discouraged they were with the direction that the province of New Brunswick was going in was challenging to say the least," said Anderson-Mason, a lawyer.

She defeated Doucet by 1,386 votes and was one of 11 women elected to office Monday.

But the fact she's helped raise the number of women in the 49-seat legislature — there were eight in the last house — didn't hit her until later. 

"That doesn't even hit the radar for me," Anderson-Mason said. "I wasn't elected because I was a woman. I was elected because I was the right person for the job."