After 14 years on the job, Green Party of New Brunswick Leader David Coon announced Thursday he will step down once a new leader is chosen.
The decision, he said, comes as he approaches his 70th birthday, while noting that the party is “in great shape.”
“I want to make sure that the new leader has a runway of two years or so to introduce themselves to New Brunswickers and to prepare for the election in 2028, because it’s going to be an important one,” he said during a media availability.
Coon played ‘a historic role’ in Green representation
Coon was elected in 2014 as the first Green MLA in the province.
The party, which is separate from the national Green Party of Canada, garnered 51,558 votes in the most recent 2024 provincial election and is currently represented by two MLAs — Coon and deputy leader Megan Mitton.
Federal Green Leader Elizabeth May said in an interview that Coon has been pivotal in Green representation in the country.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.
“David Coon has played for sure, forever, a historic role in the growth of Greens across Canada and the breakthrough win in New Brunswick,” she said.
Coon will remain as an MLA and is open to running again in the next election.
“I think with a new leader, we’ll move to a new level of support in the province. A new leader who can generate a new level of excitement with new perspectives, new ideas, and I’m convinced that we’ll see the party support grow significantly in the province,” he said.
“It’s time for a change, to freshen things up,” he added.
Future leadership to be decided
In a release, the party said it will make an announcement on a leadership convention in the coming weeks. Mitton said she’ll think about running.
“Today is about David,” said Mitton in a scrum after the announcement. “I’m not going to make any announcements or anything today, but what I do want to talk about is the contributions that David has made — he’s changed New Brunswick politics forever.”
This comes while the federal Green Party’s Fredericton-Oromocto riding association remains de-listed on Elections Canada’s website more than a year after the party said an “error” caused it to be involuntarily de-listed.
But both Coon and May are optimistic about the future of Green representation in New Brunswick.
“David Coon has set a very high bar and big shoes to fill for the next leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick,” May said.