Brian Gallant

Gallant was born in Shediac Bridge. His Acadian father, Pierre, was the youngest of seven children, while his mother, Marilyn (born Scholten), was the child of Dutch immigrants who arrived in the 1950s.{{cite web|title=Brian Gallant|url=http://www1.gnb.ca/legis/bios1/bio-e.asp?IDNo=244&version=e&legisNO=57|publisher=Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|access-date=24 September 2014|date=1 May 2013|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006111458/http://www1.gnb.ca/legis/bios1/bio-e.asp?IDNo=244&version=e&legisNO=57|archive-date=6 October 2014}} He also has two siblings, Melissa and Pierre. In his youth, he was educated at a variety of schools across New Brunswick; he ascribed his many moves to his parents' search for work, labouring at minimum wage jobs in convenience stores and fast food restaurants, eventually having to move the family into the small home of Gallant's grandparents.{{cite web|title=Meet Brian|url=http://nbliberal.ca/meet-brian/|publisher=New Brunswick Liberal Association|access-date=24 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031050/http://nbliberal.ca/meet-brian/|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status = dead}} He ended up graduating from Polyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud back in Shediac - his principal recalled telling Gallant he predicted he would one day be Premier, saying, "You have all the qualities of being a future premier here in New Brunswick."{{cite news|last1=Tucker|first1=Erika|title=Who is New Brunswick Premier-designate Brian Gallant?|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/1578233/who-is-new-brunswick-premier-designate-brian-gallant/|access-date=24 September 2014|publisher=Global News|date=23 September 2014}} Gallant says his interest in politics started when, with nobody else offering, he became vice president of his grade 5 class, and by the end of his teenage years he decided he would pursue a political career.

In order to pay his way through university, he started and ran two small companies, eventually allowing him to graduate from the Université de Moncton with both a BA in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Laws degree, later receiving a Master's in Law from McGill University. Whilst at Moncton, he was made president of the student federation. Afterwards, he practised corporate and commercial law with the firm Stewart McKelvey, and then became a partner at Veritas Law in Dieppe.

His first foray into provincial politics came at 24, when he secured the Liberal nomination to run against Premier Bernard Lord in the Progressive Conservative's riding of Moncton East for the 2006 election. Although in the end Lord held his seat, the election was far from being a runaway. The campaign against a sitting premier gave added exposure to Gallant.

When the Liberal government of Shawn Graham was defeated in 2010, Gallant authored a paper on reforming the Liberal Party, to make it more accessible for new members and a new generation of leaders to emerge; many of its recommendations were reportedly adopted. After Graham's resignation as leader of the party, Gallant put himself forward to succeed him, winning against former justice minister Mike Murphy and dairy farmer Nick Duivenvorden in its 2012 leadership election. After a successful by-election run in Graham's former riding of Kent, where he gained a commanding lead, Gallant was sworn into the Legislative Assembly on April 30, 2013, making him Leader of the Opposition to David Alward's PC government.

Heading into the 2014 election campaign, Gallant pushed a $900 million package of infrastructure spending over six years as a way to create 1,700 jobs for a province with one of the country's worst unemployment rates. He also campaigned on a tax rate increase for some of the province's biggest earners,{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-votes-2014/brian-gallant-defends-tax-plan-on-richest-new-brunswickers-1.2764461|title=Brian Gallant defends tax plan on richest New Brunswickers - CBC News}} and on removing property tax breaks for businesses.[http://nbliberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014-Liberal-Platform.pdf nbliberal.ca: "2014 New Brunswick Liberal Party Platform"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511102627/http://nbliberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014-Liberal-Platform.pdf |date=2015-05-11 }}, Sep 2014 The Liberal platform also promised a rise in the minimum wage, from $10 per hour, to $10.30 per hour by the end of 2014, and to $11 by the end of 2017.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-votes-2014/david-alward-s-pcs-pitch-tourism-marketing-fund-1.2753006 cbc.ca: "David Alward's PCs pitch tourism marketing fund"], 2 Sep 2014

On an election night marred by technical glitches with the voting tabulators, the Liberals won a majority and formed the government in the 58th New Brunswick Legislature with Gallant as Premier on October 7, 2014. Gallant's first cabinet, of 13 members, was smaller than the outgoing cabinet.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brian-gallant-s-smaller-cabinet-faces-long-list-of-demands-1.2789864 cbc.ca: "Brian Gallant's smaller cabinet faces long list of demands"], 7 Oct 2014

During his government's mandate the province's economy and exports grew each year;[https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/fin/pdf/Budget/2018-2019/FactSheet.pdf], 30 Jan 2018 the unemployment rate which was hovering around 10% was reduced to just over 7%;{{Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410028703|title=Labour force characteristics by province, monthly, seasonally adjusted|date=6 August 2021}} in 2016 KPMG found that three of the four most cost competitive cities in which to do business in Canada and the United States were in New Brunswick;{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/03/30/canada-second-among-10-countries-for-cost-competitiveness-says-kpmg.html|title=Canada second among 10 countries for cost competitiveness, says KPMG - The Star|website=thestar.com|date=30 March 2016}} one of the most vibrant cybersecurity clusters in North America was developed in New Brunswick's capital city; and the province saw its first budget surplus in a decade.https://www.agnb-vgnb.ca/content/dam/agnb-vgnb/pdf/Reports-Rapports/2018V3/Agrepe.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

The 2016 census found that New Brunswick was the only province in Canada to see a drop in population from the 2011 census, declining 0.5% to 747,101 people. Just two years later, however, due largely to an influx of immigrants and non-permanent residents, the province's population grew to a record high surpassing 770,000 people for the first time.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-brunswick-birth-levels-fall-to-historic-low-in-2018/|title=New Brunswick birth levels fall to historic low in 2018|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=28 December 2018 |last1=Leeder |first1=Jessica }} For instance, in 2016, New Brunswick welcomed the most Syrian refugees displaced by the humanitarian crisis per capita of all the provinces in the country,{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} welcoming almost 1,500 refugees.{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/where-are-syrian-refugees-settling-in-canada-1.3111972|title=Syrian refugee resettlement by province and age in Canada - CTV News|website=www.ctvnews.ca|date=12 October 2016}}

The Gallant government increased the budget for education and early childhood development by 15% over its mandate in order to invest in literacy initiatives, introduce coding in more schools, and reintroduce trades in high schools.

The Gallant government created programs to help the middle class with the cost of childcare and to provide free childcare to families which need the most support.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2018.01.0035.html|title=Free daycare for low-income families|first=Canada|last=Government of New Brunswick|date=11 January 2018|website=www2.gnb.ca}} The Gallant government also created programs to help the middle class with the cost of tuition and to provide free tuition for those who need the most support.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/post-secondary_education_training_and_labour/news/news_release.2017.12.1560.html|title=Minister: Free Tuition Program a success in its first year|first=Canada|last=Government of New Brunswick|date=6 December 2017|website=www2.gnb.ca}}

The Gallant government eliminated the two-doctor rule that was hindering women's right to choose abortion for decades in New Brunswick.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2014.11.1334.html|title=Provincial government removes barriers to a woman's right to choose|first=Canada|last=Government of New Brunswick|date=26 November 2014|website=www2.gnb.ca}} Gallant was the first premier in the history of New Brunswick to walk in a pride parade.{{cite web|url=https://www.tjsupport.news/|title=The All-New TJ.News - A Smart New Responsive Website|website=TJ News Landing Page}}

The Gallant government also advanced women's equality by moving pay equity forward to the point of New Brunswick having the second lowest gender wage gap of all the Canadian provinces in 2017;{{cite web|url=https://www.conferenceboard.ca/(X(1)S(lx4xseqqu410phkrdltqwz04))/hcp/provincial/society/gender-gap.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1|title=Gender Wage Gap - Society Provincial Rankings - How Canada Performs|website=www.conferenceboard.ca}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} by having over 50% of government appointments to agencies, boards, and commissions go to women;{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3465231/equality-more-than-just-numbers-for-new-brunswick-womens-council/|title=Equality: More than just numbers for New Brunswick Women's Council - New Brunswick - Globalnews.ca|date=19 May 2017|website=globalnews.ca}} and by providing the first gender parity on New Brunswick's provincial court.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2017.04.0564.html|title=Gender parity, first female chief judge at provincial court|first=Canada|last=Government of New Brunswick|date=25 April 2017|website=www2.gnb.ca}}

Gallant has repeatedly stated that climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity. With this in mind, the Gallant government took concrete action to protect the environment including by creating the “Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy” plan which commits to historic measures to fight climate change.https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/env/pdf/Climate-Climatiques/TransitioningToALowCarbonEconomy.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} The Gallant government also placed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and a ban on the disposal of fracked wastewater in municipal systems.{{cite web|url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2014.12.1404.html|title=Government introduces moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New Brunswick|first=Canada|last=Government of New Brunswick|date=18 December 2014|website=www2.gnb.ca}}

In addition to premier, Gallant has served New Brunswick as the Attorney General, the Minister responsible for innovation, the Minister responsible for women's equality, and the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

The 2018 provincial election resulted in Gallant's Liberals winning only 21 seats compared to Blaine Higgs and the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick who won 22. Gallant vowed to attempt to remain in power with a minority government and hoped to retain the confidence of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick either on a vote-by-vote basis or with the agreement of the smaller parties, the Green Party of New Brunswick and the People's Alliance of New Brunswick, each of which won 3 seats in the election.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-brunswicks-peoples-alliance-ready-to-talk-with-liberals-prcs-to/|title=Alliances start to form in wake of N.B. election|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=26 September 2018 |last1=Leeder |first1=Jessica }}{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4482802/n-b-election-results/|title=PCs win most seats in N.B. election, Liberals vow to maintain power}}

On November 2, 2018, Gallant's Liberal minority government was defeated by a confidence vote on its throne speech by a margin of 25 to 23 with the opposition Progressive Conservatives and People's Alliance voting against the government and the Greens voting with the government.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-confidence-vote-liberals-gallant-1.4888347|title=Brian Gallant's minority New Brunswick government defeated after losing confidence vote - CBC News|author=Jacques Poitras|website=CBC}}

Gallant resigned as premier on November 2, 2018, after a vote of non confidence was held in the New Brunswick legislature. Blaine Higgs was appointed in his place after having won the most seats in the 2018 provincial general election. Gallant announced his intention to step down as Liberal leader days later and officially resigned as Liberal leader and Leader of the Opposition in February 2019, also announcing that he would not be standing for re-election as an MLA.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brian-gallant-politics-future-1.4960442| title = Brian Gallant moves up departure from helm of Liberal Party {{!}} CBC News}}

In September 2019, he announced his intention to resign his seat in the legislature by October 7, 2019, after accepting a position as an advisor to the president of Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Toronto on innovation, cybersecurity, and the law.

{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brian-gallant-resignation-mla-seat-1.5273791| title = Former premier Brian Gallant will step down as MLA within a month {{!}} CBC News}} In the 2020 general election his seat was retained for the Liberals by Robert Gauvin.

Gallant is currently the CEO of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, a think-tank which publishes thought leadership and research about the evolving purpose of business in society.{{Cite web|title=Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation|url=https://navltd.com/ccpc/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Navigator|language=en-CA}} In 2021, Gallant co-authored a report with Global Canada on “Canadian Voices on the Role of Business in Society”.{{Cite web|last=Macdonald|first=Sam|date=2021-12-02|title=Former N.B. Premier Releases Study On The Growing Social Conscience In The Business World|url=https://huddle.today/2021/12/02/former-n-b-premier-releases-study-on-growing-social-environmental-conscience-in-the-business-world/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Huddle.Today|language=en-CA}}

Since leaving office, Gallant has been a vocal champion of bilingualism. In 2019, the former premier authored a report on Bilingualism in New Brunswick{{Cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions – OCOLNB – CLONB|url=https://officiallanguages.nb.ca/content/frequently-asked-questions/|access-date=2022-01-26|language=en-US}}– Canada's only officially bilingual province.{{Cite web|last=ICI.Radio-Canada.ca|first=Zone Politique-|title=Bilinguisme : Brian Gallant dit qu'il aurait pu faire mieux|url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1150816/bilinguisme-nouveau-brunswick-brian-gallant-acadie|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Radio-Canada.ca|date=3 February 2019 |language=fr-ca}}

Gallant has also been a weekly business and public policy commentator including on CBC Power & Politics,{{Cite web|date=January 26, 2022|title=Meet the Power & Politics panellists|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/meet-the-power-politics-panellists-1.4074188|website=CBC News}} Radio-Canada's zone économie{{Citation|title=C.A.: réconciliation et TPS|url=https://www.facebook.com/zoneeconomie/videos/721935572539570/|language=en|access-date=2022-01-26}} and Radio-Canada's coverage{{Cite web|date=2021-09-24|title=Brian Gallant, de premier ministre à analyste politique|url=https://francopresse.ca/2021/09/24/brian-gallant-de-premier-ministre-a-analyste-politique/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Francopresse|language=fr-CA}} of the 2021 Canadian federal general election. In May 2021 he appeared on Ici Radio-Canada's literary debate show Le Combat des livres, advocating for Jean Babineau's novel Infini.[https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1779680/combat-livres-2021-cinq-personnalites-canada "Cinq combattantes et combattants dans l’arène pour le Combat national des livres"]. Ici Radio-Canada, April 1, 2021. Gallant also serves on the boards of the Canadian Olympic Foundation{{Cite web|title=Brian Gallant|url=https://olympic.ca/board-members/brian-gallant/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website|language=en-US}} and Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada.{{Cite web|last=Canada|first=Asia Pacific Foundation of|title=Brian Gallant|url=https://www.asiapacific.ca/about-us/board-directors/brian-gallant|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada|language=en}} In 2022, Gallant was named the CEO of Space Canada.{{Cite web|last=MacIsaac|first=Alex|title=Former New Brunswick premier named CEO of Space Canada|url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/former-new-brunswick-premier-named-ceo-of-space-canada-1.5805155|website=CTV News Atlantic|date=4 March 2022 |language=en}} He declined to run in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election.{{cite news |last1=Caruso-Moro |first1=Luca |title=Liberal leadership: Melanie Joly, Brian Gallant will not run, both focused on other matters |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-leadership-melanie-joly-brian-gallant-will-not-run-both-focused-on-other-matters-1.7171212 |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=CTV News |date=10 January 2025}}

{{Election box begin | title=2006 New Brunswick general election: Moncton East}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Bernard Lord|3816|54.8%|+2.7%}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Brian Gallant|2827|40.6%|+1.8%}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Mark Robar|319|4.6%|-4.4%}}

{{s-end}}

{{Election box begin | title=April 15, 2013 by-election: Kent}}

|-

{{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal|row}}

|Liberal

|Brian Gallant

|align="right"|3,543

|align="right"|59.10%

|align="right"| +3.38

|-

{{Canadian party colour|NS|NDP|row}}

|NDP

|Susan Levi-Peters{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/susan-levi-peters-wins-ndp-nomination-in-kent-1.1320621|title=Susan Levi-Peters wins NDP nomination in Kent|work=CBC News|date=March 24, 2013|access-date=November 1, 2014}}

|align="right"|1,615

|align="right"|26.94%

|align="right"| +11.62

|-

{{Canadian party colour|NS|PC|row}}

|Progressive Conservative

|Jimmy Bourque{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/kent-byelection-tory-candidate-acclaimed-1.1353224 | title=Kent byelection Tory candidate acclaimed |work=CBC News |date=March 19, 2013 |access-date=September 24, 2014}}

|align="right"|837

|align="right"|13.96%

|align="right"| -11.79

|}{{cite web |url=http://www.gnb.ca/elections/10prov/13apr15/13apr15HTMLresults-e.asp |title=Elections New Brunswick |publisher=Gnb.ca |access-date=2014-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140622160611/http://www.gnb.ca/elections/10prov/13apr15/13apr15HTMLresults-e.asp |archive-date=2014-06-22 |url-status = dead}}

{{CANelec/top|NB|2014|Shediac Bay-Dieppe|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|NB|Liberal|Brian Gallant|5,661|64.61|}}

{{CANelec|NB|PC|Dolorès Poirier|1,678|19.15|}}

{{CANelec|NB|NDP|Agathe Lapointe|803|9.16|}}

{{CANelec|NB|Green|Stephanie Matthews|620|7.08|}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|8,762|69.54}}

{{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|12,643}}

{{CANelec/notgain|NB|Liberal|}}

{{end}}

{{CANelec/top|NB|2018|percent=yes|change=yes}}

|-

{{CANelec|NB|Liberal|Brian Gallant|6,162|67.09|+2.48}}

{{CANelec|NB|PC|Paulin Blaise Ngweth|1,353|14.73|-4.42}}

{{CANelec|NB|Green|Michel Albert|906|9.96|+2.79}}

{{CANelec|NB|NDP|Michel Boudreau|764|8.32|-0.85}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|9,185|99.48}}

{{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|48|0.52|+0.18}}

{{CANelec/total|Turnout|9,233|69.17|-0.37}}

{{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|13,349}}

{{CANelec/hold|NB|Liberal|+3.45}}

{{end}}

{{reflist}}

{{NBPremiers}}

{{Gallant Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallant, Brian}}

Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:New Brunswick Liberal Association leaders

Category:People from Westmorland County, New Brunswick

Category:New Brunswick Liberal Association MLAs

Category:Université de Moncton alumni

Category:Canadian people of Acadian descent

Category:Canadian people of Dutch descent

Category:Lawyers in New Brunswick

Category:Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick

Category:Corporate lawyers

Category:Université de Moncton École de droit alumni

Category:McGill University Faculty of Law alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

Category:Attorneys general of New Brunswick

Category:Premiers of New Brunswick