Fredericton

The Fredericton riding encompasses New Brunswick's capital city along with the neighbouring military town of Oromocto and the suburban village of New Maryland. With a 2021 population of 87,436, it is the province's political and administrative centre. Fredericton proper (population 63,116) sits along the Saint John River—known by the Wolastoq name to the Maliseet people—and is home to the provincial legislature, the University of New Brunswick, and St. Thomas University. The riding also includes St. Mary's First Nation and Oromocto First Nation.

Fredericton's population grew 7.5% between 2016 and 2021, nearly double the provincial rate of 3.8%. The city is 82.5% white, 14% visible minority, and 3.5% Indigenous. English is the mother tongue of roughly 80% of residents. The riding is more diverse and younger than most New Brunswick constituencies, shaped by two universities, a military base, and a growing technology sector.

Candidates

Jenica Atwin (Liberal) A former teacher and community organizer from Oromocto, Atwin won the riding in 2019 as a Green Party candidate—the first Green MP elected east of British Columbia and the first woman elected in the Fredericton riding. In June 2021, she crossed the floor to the Liberal Party, citing internal turmoil within the Green caucus. She ran for re-election as a Liberal in the 2021 contest. Her husband, Chris Atwin, is a councillor with the Oromocto First Nation.

Andrea Johnson (Conservative) A business professional with over 20 years of experience in business development and economic development, Johnson had recruited more than 30 international companies to New Brunswick during her career with the provincial government, delivering nearly 2,000 full-time jobs. She served as Executive Director of the PC Party of New Brunswick and ran in the Fredericton riding in both 2019 and 2021.

Nicole O'Byrne (Green Party) A law professor at the University of New Brunswick, O'Byrne was nominated as the Green candidate after Atwin's departure from the party. Her campaign focused on health care, climate change, affordable housing, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Shawn Oldenburg (NDP) A 30-year Canada Post employee and mail carrier, Oldenburg is a member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. His priorities included universal pharmacare, mental health services, and the reopening of Clinic 554.

About the Riding

Fredericton's economy is anchored by three pillars: government, education, and the military. The provincial government is the largest employer, while the University of New Brunswick—Canada's oldest English-language university—and St. Thomas University together enrol thousands of students and employ hundreds of faculty and staff. South of the city, 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown is the Canadian Army's largest training facility and the second-largest public-sector employer in New Brunswick, providing approximately 6,500 military positions and 1,000 civilian jobs. The base contributes over $200 million annually to the local economy and more than $700 million to the provincial economy.

The city has invested heavily in its transformation into a knowledge economy hub. Knowledge Park, Atlantic Canada's largest research and technology park, houses 40 companies and over 800 employees across six buildings, including the $37 million Cyber Centre—a state-of-the-art cybersecurity facility supporting more than 600 jobs and adding over $125 million in GDP to the province. The broader Innovation District, a two-kilometre radius encompassing over 60 research and development organizations, is anchored by Knowledge Park, the Research and Productivity Council, UNB, and the New Brunswick Community College.

Health care access was among the most contentious issues in the 2021 campaign. Clinic 554, the only facility providing abortion services outside New Brunswick's three designated hospitals, faced closure after the province refused to fund outpatient procedures. In August 2021, the federal government announced $366,000 for UNB research with Clinic 554 to study barriers to abortion access in the province. Affordable housing was another prominent concern, as Fredericton's rental market tightened amid pandemic-driven migration and rising construction costs.