Acadie—Bathurst

Acadie—Bathurst occupies New Brunswick’s northeastern corner, stretching along Chaleur Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to encompass the Acadian Peninsula and its chain of fishing villages. The riding is overwhelmingly Francophone, with more than 80 percent of residents speaking French as their mother tongue.

Candidates

Serge Cormier (Liberal) — Raised in the fishing village of Maisonnette on the Acadian Peninsula, Cormier studied business administration and financed his education by acquiring a small company. He went on to serve as chief of staff to several New Brunswick provincial government departments and worked as a policy analyst for Premier Brian Gallant. He was also a board member of the Greater Caraquet Chamber of Commerce. Elected in 2015, he served as parliamentary secretary to multiple federal ministers, including those responsible for Fisheries and Oceans, Immigration, and National Defence. Heading into 2019, he held the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

Martine Savoie (Conservative) — A resident of Le Goulet on the Acadian Peninsula, Savoie was 28 years old and had a varied professional background that included work in education, fishing, and municipal politics. She worked as a crew member on a lobster fishing boat and was active in local government in Le Goulet.

Daniel Thériault (NDP) — Thériault had directed the Festival acadien de Caraquet and the Gala de la chanson for nine years and served as interim director of the Caraquet Cultural Commission. He was also a former director general of the Acadian Cultural Federation of Nova Scotia. The NDP introduced him as a star candidate in an effort to reclaim a riding it had held for 18 years under Yvon Godin before 2015.

Robert Kryszko (Green Party) — Kryszko ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

The inshore fishery forms the economic backbone of Acadie—Bathurst, with lobster, snow crab, shrimp, and herring among the principal catches. Caraquet is the home port of a major Atlantic fishing fleet and hosts fisheries training, boatbuilding operations, and numerous fish and crab processing plants across the peninsula. Bathurst, the riding’s largest centre on Nepisiguit Bay, was historically a mining city. The Brunswick Mine, once one of the world’s largest underground zinc mines, closed in 2013. The Glencore-owned Brunswick Lead Smelter in Belledune, which had employed approximately 420 workers, faced an uncertain future as the 2019 campaign unfolded. Seasonal employment in the fishery and tourism sectors made employment insurance policy a perennial and deeply felt local issue, particularly the so-called "EI black hole" — the gap between the end of benefits and the start of the next working season. Peat moss harvesting, forestry, and a growing tourism sector centred on the annual Caraquet Acadian Festival provided additional economic activity. The riding’s median age was among the highest in New Brunswick, reflecting persistent youth outmigration to larger urban centres.