Miramichi—Grand Lake

Miramichi—Grand Lake is New Brunswick’s largest federal riding by land area, covering more than 17,000 square kilometres across the central and eastern interior of the province. The riding takes in the city of Miramichi—an amalgamation of the former towns of Newcastle and Chatham—along with communities including Doaktown, Boiestown, Chipman, Minto, and Neguac, as well as several First Nations including Natoaganeg (Eel Ground), Esgenoopetitj (Burnt Church), and Metepenagiag (Red Bank). Parts of Northumberland, Kent, Queens, Sunbury, and York counties fall within its boundaries, encompassing both anglophone and francophone communities.

Candidates

Mike Dawson (Conservative) grew up in Newcastle, New Brunswick, and entered provincial politics in a 2022 by-election, winning the Southwest Miramichi–Bay du Vin seat as a Progressive Conservative. Re-elected in Miramichi West in the 2024 provincial election, Dawson resigned his provincial seat in March 2025 to seek the federal riding. In departing provincial politics, he publicly called for greater transparency and inclusiveness within the provincial PC party.

Lisa Harris (Liberal) is a veteran politician who represented Miramichi Bay–Neguac in the New Brunswick legislature from 2014 to 2021, serving as provincial Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care from 2016 to 2018 under Premier Brian Gallant. She previously served as a Miramichi city councillor before entering provincial politics and was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for 2025.

Josh Floyd (NDP) is a lifelong New Brunswicker and graduate of NBCC’s International Travel and Tourism Program with experience in the hospitality sector. An NDP organizer who serves on the provincial party executive, Floyd previously ran for the NDP in Fundy Royal in 2021 and in Saint John East in the 2024 provincial election. His campaign focused on protecting the Miramichi River and creating incentives for young workers to remain in rural communities.

Matthew Ian Clark (Green Party) is a certified accounting technician who has run provincially for the Green Party in New Brunswick.

About the Riding

The Miramichi River—one of the world’s premier Atlantic salmon waterways—is the defining natural feature and economic thread of this riding. Commercial and recreational fishing sustain communities along its length, while the sport-fishing tourism season draws anglers from across North America. Forestry has long been the other pillar of the regional economy, though mill closures over the past two decades have sharply reduced employment. The city of Miramichi (population roughly 17,500) serves as the riding’s commercial and service centre, hosting the regional hospital and government offices.

Chipman and Minto, in the southern portion of the riding near Grand Lake, are former coal-mining communities that have struggled with economic transition. Several First Nations communities along the Miramichi hold treaty rights to the river’s fishery and play a significant role in the riding’s cultural and economic life.

In 2025, the riding embodied rural New Brunswick’s most pressing challenges. Population decline, youth out-migration, and an aging demographic strained health-care services and school enrollments. The cost of living—particularly food and fuel in communities far from major distribution centres—was a top concern. US trade tensions threatened the forestry and seafood exports on which many families depend. The future of the Miramichi River’s salmon population, imperiled by rising water temperatures and environmental pressures, remained a deeply felt local issue that transcended party lines. The race itself was one of the closest in the province, reflecting the riding’s political competitiveness and the intensity of local engagement.