Mackenzie Thomason

Thomason grew up in Tracy, New Brunswick until the age of 11 when his family moved to Alberta. He returned to New Brunswick upon acceptance to the University of New Brunswick.{{Cite web|title=Our Leader – NB NDP|url=https://nbndp.ca/en-our-leader/|access-date=2020-08-17}}

Before becoming interim leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party, he worked for UPS and as a newspaper carrier in Fredericton.{{Cite news|title=In New Brunswick, being leader of the struggling NDP is a fourth job for 22-year-old|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/in-new-brunswick-being-leader-of-the-struggling-ndp-is-a-fourth-job-for-22-year-old|access-date=2020-08-17|website=National Post|date=9 September 2019|last1=Warnica |first1=Richard }} He is currently a bus driver in Fredericton.

Thomason first became involved with politics during the 2015 Alberta general election where Rachel Notley's Alberta New Democratic Party won a majority government. He later volunteered with the federal New Democratic Party during the 2015 Canadian federal election in the Fredericton area.

During the 2018 New Brunswick general election, Thomason ran in New Maryland—Sunbury. He was named interim leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party in March 2019. In 2019 federal election, he ran as the NDP candidate in Fredericton. Thomason led the New Brunswick NDP into the 2020 provincial election, he unsuccessfully ran in Fredericton North and the NDP did not win any seats in the legislature.{{Cite news|last=Poitras|first=Jacques|date=Aug 12, 2020|title=Interim NDP leader, 23, confesses to 'a little bit of panic' over possible fall election|work=CBC New Brunswick|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-interim-ndp-leader-ready-election-1.5682661}}

Thomason had intended to only lead the party until a new leader was found. A leadership election that had been scheduled for August 2019 was postponed until June 2020 due to a lack of candidates and then was postponed again until April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when Premier Blaine Higgs called a snap election for September 14, 2020, he led the party through the election campaign, saying beforehand that he was in "a little bit of panic" at the prospects of leading the party in an election campaign, saying, "It wasn't something I ever thought of when I first signed up for the job."{{cite news |title=Interim NDP leader, 23, confesses to 'a little bit of panic' over possible fall election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-interim-ndp-leader-ready-election-1.5682661 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |work=CBC News |date=August 12, 2020}} Thomason positioned the party further to the left than in previous campaigns, in order to distinguish the party from the Green Party and the Liberals. He told CBC News: "I think it's really about making sure that we cement our values... A lot of this back and forth between centre and centre left, it's not working. It's not working for the party. It's not working for electoral chances. It's definitely not working for New Brunswickers."{{cite news |title=NDP needs to solidify position as party of left, says interim party leader |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/interim-party-leader-mackenzie-thomason-1.5717751 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |work=CBC News |date=September 9, 2020}}

He participated in the televised leaders' debate on September 3, 2020, saying that the province may have to continue to run deficits in order to ensure people had access “to the services they pay for.”{{cite news |title=New Brunswick leaders' debate: NDP's Mackenzie Thomason says province may need to run deficit |url=https://globalnews.ca/video/7315371/new-brunswick-leaders-debate-ndps-mackenzie-thomason-says-province-may-need-to-run-deficit |access-date=September 18, 2020 |work=Global News |date=September 3, 2020}}

Thomason's campaign focussed on bringing in a $15/hour minimum wage, senior care, making prescription medicine affordable,{{cite news |title=NDP Feeling Optimistic Ahead of Election |url=https://www.country94.ca/2020/09/01/ndp-feeling-optimistic-ahead-of-election/ |accessdate=September 1, 2020 |work=Country 94 |date=September 18, 2020}} as well as reducing and eventually eliminating tuition for post-secondary education.{{cite news |title=N.B. NDP Leader Says Economic Recovery Should Focus On Small Businesses |url=https://www.country94.ca/2020/09/11/n-b-ndp-leader-says-economic-recovery-should-focus-on-small-businesses/ |access-date=September 11, 2020 |date=September 18, 2020}}

In the 2020 New Brunswick general election, the NDP failed to win a seat, and received only 1.7% of the vote province-wide.{{cite news |title=New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives win majority in pandemic vote |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-election-day-results-2020-1.5722438 |access-date=September 14, 2020 |work=CBC News |date=September 18, 2020}}{{cite news |title=Progressive Conservatives win majority in New Brunswick's pandemic election |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/progressive-conservatives-win-majority-in-new-brunswick-s-pandemic-election-1.5103470 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |work=CTV News |agency=Canadian Press |date=September 14, 2020}} Thomason resigned as interim leader on November 15, 2020.{{Cite web|date=15 November 2020|title=New interim leader resigns shortly after New Brunswick NDP election|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-ndp-to-choose-interim-leader-1.5802758|access-date=15 November 2020|website=CBC News}}

Thomason reassumed the NDP leadership on September 14, 2021 when he was acclaimed as permanent leader.{{Cite web|date=15 November 2020|title=Mackenzie Thomason Acclaimed as NB NDP Leader|url=https://nbndp.ca/mackenzie-thomason-acclaimed-as-nb-ndp-leader/|access-date=14 September 2021|website=NB NDP}} He resigned eight months later, due to internal turmoil.{{cite news|author=Hannah Rudderham|title=New Brunswick NDP leader reluctantly resigns|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-ndp-mackenzie-thomason-resigns-1.6488246|access-date=November 8, 2022 |work=CBC |date=June 14, 2022}}

{{CANelec/top|NB|2020|Fredericton North|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|NB|PC|Jill Green|3,226|41.12|+12.89}}

{{CANelec|NB|Green|Luke Randall|2,464|31.41|+14.42}}

{{CANelec|NB|Liberal|Stephen Horsman|1,464|18.66|-12.95}}

{{CANelec|NB|PANB|Allen Price|591|7.53|-13.83}}

{{CANelec|NB|NDP|Mackenzie Thomason|100|1.27|-0.53}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|7,845|100.0}}

{{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|42|0.53}}

{{CANelec/total|Turnout|7,887|67.87}}

{{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|11,620}}

{{CANelec/gain|NB|PC|Liberal|-0.77}}{{end}}

{{2019 Canadian federal election/Fredericton}}

{{CANelec/top|NB|2018|percent=yes|change=no|prelim=no|New Maryland-Sunbury}}

{{CANelec|NB|PC|Jeff Carr|3,844|41.2|+0.25}}

{{CANelec|NB|PANB|Morris Shannon|2,214|23.7|+23.7}}

{{CANelec|NB|Liberal|Alex Scholten|2,210|23.7|-7.64}}

{{CANelec|NB|Green|Jenica Atwin|902|9.7|+3.57}}

{{CANelec|NB|NDP|Mackenzie Thomason|143|1.5|-20.08}}

{{CANelec|NB|KISS|Danelle Titus|14|0.2|+0.2}}

{{CANelec/hold|NB|PC}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections NB{{Cite web |url=https://www.electionsnb.ca/content/dam/enb/pdf/2018ProvRpt.pdf |title=Thirty-Ninth General Election, September 24, 2018 |date=February 22, 2019 |publisher=Elections New Brunswick |page=15|access-date=October 27, 2021 }}|}}

{{end}}

{{New Brunswick NDP Leaders}}

{{NDP}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomason, Mackenzie}}

Category:Leaders of the New Brunswick CCF/NDP

Category:Living people

Category:People from Sunbury County, New Brunswick

Category:University of New Brunswick alumni

Category:1997 births