# Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is the presiding officer of the provincial legislature. Since 1994 the position has been elected by MLAs using a secret ballot. Previously, the Speaker had been appointed by motion of the house, in practice moved by the Premier of New Brunswick usually after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. Shirley Dysart was the first Speaker to be elected by his or her peers.
The Speaker is usually a member of the governing party. The only recent exceptions have been Robert McCready and Michael Malley. McCready was appointed by motion of Premier Richard Hatfield following the close election of 1978. Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party had won only 30 seats compared to the 28 seats won by the opposition Liberal Party. McCready was a member of the Liberal caucus and was appointed over the objection of the Liberal Party. The Liberal opposition argued on a point of order before the clerk of the assembly that precedent required that the opposition support the motion appointing speaker, but the clerk allowed the motion to be put and carried by the government. Malley was elected in 2006 while sitting as an independent. Malley had left the government caucus following a cabinet shuffle that had seen the incumbent speaker, Bev Harrison, join the cabinet leaving the post vacant. Malley argued that he should have been included in the cabinet for regional reasons and left the government caucus in protest; to prevent losing control of the legislature in a tenuous minority government situation, the Progressive Conservative caucus supported Malley as speaker. Malley later changed his party affiliation, amid some controversy, back to that of the governing Progressive Conservatives while occupying the speakership.

## List of speakers

| No. | Name Electoral district (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Legislature |
| 1 | Amos Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1744/1745–1812) | 1786–1812 | Independent | 1st |
| 1 | Amos Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1744/1745–1812) | 1786–1812 | Independent | 2nd |
| 1 | Amos Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1744/1745–1812) | 1786–1812 | Independent | 3rd |
| 1 | Amos Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1744/1745–1812) | 1786–1812 | Independent | 4th |
| 1 | Amos Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1744/1745–1812) | 1786–1812 | Independent | 5th |
| 2 | John Robinson MLA for Saint John City (1762–1828) | 1813–1816 | Independent | 5th |
| 3 | William Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1773–1864) | 1817–1823 | Independent | 6th |
| 3 | William Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1773–1864) | 1817–1823 | Independent | 7th |
| 3 | William Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1773–1864) | 1817–1823 | Independent | 8th |
| 4 | Ward Chipman Jr. MLA for Saint John County (1787–1851) | 1824–1825 | Independent | 8th |
| 5 | Harry Peters MLA for Saint John City (1788–1870) | 1826–1827 | Independent | 8th |
| 6 | Richard Simonds MLA for Northumberland (1789–1836) | 1828 | Independent | 9th |
| 7 | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1829–1830 | Independent | 9th |
| 7 | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1829–1830 | Independent | 10th |
| 8 | William Crane MLA for Westmorland (1785–1853) | 1831–1834 | Independent | 10th |
| (7) | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1835–1842 | Independent | 11th |
| (7) | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1835–1842 | Independent | 12th |
| 9 | John Wesley Weldon MLA for Kent (1809–1885) | 1843–1850 | Independent | 13th |
| 9 | John Wesley Weldon MLA for Kent (1809–1885) | 1843–1850 | Independent | 14th |
| (7) | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1851 | Independent | 15th |
| (8) | William Crane MLA for Westmorland (1785–1853) | 1852–1853 | Independent | 15th |
| 10 | Daniel Hanington MLA for Westmorland (1804–1889) | 1853–1856 | Independent | 15th |
| 10 | Daniel Hanington MLA for Westmorland (1804–1889) | 1853–1856 | Independent | 16th |
| (7) | Charles Simonds MLA for Saint John County (1783–1859) | 1856–1857 | Independent | 17th |
| 11 | James A. Harding MLA for Saint John City (1820–1893) | 1857–1858 | Independent | 18th |
| 12 | John Mercer Johnson MLA for Northumberland (1818–1868) | 1859–1862 | Independent | 18th |
| 12 | John Mercer Johnson MLA for Northumberland (1818–1868) | 1859–1862 | Independent | 19th |
| 13 | John Campbell Allen MLA for York (1817–1898) | 1863–1864 | Independent | 19th |
| 14 | Edwin Arnold Vail MLA for Kings (1817–1885) | 1865–1866 | Independent | 20th |
| 15 | John Hamilton Gray MLA for Saint John County (1814–1889) | 1866–1867 | Independent | 21st |
| 16 | Bliss Botsford MLA for Westmorland (1813–1890) | 1868–1870 | Independent | 21st |
| (14) | Edwin Arnold Vail MLA for Kings (1817–1885) | 1871–1874 | Independent | 22nd |
| 17 | William Wedderburn MLA for Saint John City (1834–1918) | 1875–1878 | Independent | 23rd |
| 18 | Benjamin Robert Stephenson MLA for Charlotte (1835–1890) | 1879–1882 | Independent | 24th |
| 19 | James E. Lynott MLA for Charlotte (1839–1890) | 1883–1886 | Independent | 25th |
| 20 | William Pugsley MLA for Kings (1850–1925) | 1887–1889 | Independent | 26th |
| 21 | Albert Scott White MLA for Kings (1855–1931) | 1890–1892 | Independent | 27th |
| 22 | John Percival Burchill MLA for Northumberland (1855–1923) | 1893–1899 | Independent | 28th |
| 22 | John Percival Burchill MLA for Northumberland (1855–1923) | 1893–1899 | Independent | 29th |
| 23 | Clifford William Robinson MLA for Westmorland (1866–1944) | 1901–1907 | Independent | 30th |
| 23 | Clifford William Robinson MLA for Westmorland (1866–1944) | 1901–1907 | Independent | 31st |
| 24 | Charles J. Osman MLA for Albert (1851–1922) | 1907 | Independent | 31st |
| 25 | Donald Morrison MLA for Northumberland (1852–1920) | 1908 | Independent | 32nd |
| 26 | George Johnson Clarke MLA for Charlotte (1857–1917) | 1909–1914 | Independent | 32nd |
| 26 | George Johnson Clarke MLA for Charlotte (1857–1917) | 1909–1914 | Independent | 33rd |
| 27 | Walter B. Dickson MLA for Albert (1847–1916) | 1914–1916 | Independent | 33rd |
| 28 | Olivier-Maximin Melanson MLA for Westmorland (1854–1926) | 1916 | Independent | 33rd |
| 29 | William Currie MLA for Restigouche (1862–1934) | 1917–1918 | Liberal | 34th |
| 30 | Judson Hetherington MLA for Queens (1866–1928) | 1919–1920 | Liberal | 34th |
| 31 | Allison Dysart MLA for Kent (1880–1962) | 1921–1925 | Liberal | 35th |
| 32 | Joseph Leonard O'Brien MLA for Northumberland (1895–1973) | 1926–1930 | Conservative | 36th |
| 33 | Frederick C. Squires MLA for Carleton (1881–1960) | 1931–1935 | Conservative | 37th |
| 34 | Hedley Francis Gregory Bridges MLA for Restigouche (1902–1947) | 1936–1938 | Liberal | 38th |
| 35 | Frederic McGrand MLA for Queens (1895–1988) | 1940–1944 | Liberal | 39th |
| 36 | Harry O. Downey MLA for Albert (1897–1974) | 1945–1952 | Liberal | 40th |
| 36 | Harry O. Downey MLA for Albert (1897–1974) | 1945–1952 | Liberal | 41st |
| 37 | Elmor T. Kennedy MLA for Kings (1885–1953) | 1953 | Progressive Conservative | 42nd |
| 38 | Walter Powers MLA for Victoria (1895–1954) | 1954 | Progressive Conservative | 42nd |
| 39 | J. Arthur Moore MLA for Queens (1891–1979) | 1955–1960 | Progressive Conservative | 42nd |
| 39 | J. Arthur Moore MLA for Queens (1891–1979) | 1955–1960 | Progressive Conservative | 43rd |
| 40 | Ernest Richard MLA for Gloucester (1922–2006) | 1960–1963 | Liberal | 44th |
| 41 | Bernard Jean MLA for Gloucester (1925–2012) | 1963–1966 | Liberal | 45th |
| 42 | H. H. Williamson MLA for Gloucester (1916–1972) | 1966–1967 | Liberal | 45th |
| 43 | Robert McCready MLA for Bathurst (1921–1995) | 1968–1970 | Liberal | 46th |
| 44 | Lawrence Garvie MLA for Fredericton (1933–2011) | 1971–1973 | Progressive Conservative | 47th |
| 45 | William J. Woodroffe MLA for Saint John East (until 1974) MLA for Saint John-Fundy (from 1974) (1933–2003) | 1973–1978 | Progressive Conservative | 47th |
| 45 | William J. Woodroffe MLA for Saint John East (until 1974) MLA for Saint John-Fundy (from 1974) (1933–2003) | 1973–1978 | Progressive Conservative | 48th |
| (43) | Robert McCready MLA for Queens South (1921–1995) | 1979–1980 | Liberal | 49th |
| 46 | James N. Tucker Jr. MLA for Charlotte-Fundy (born 1934) | 1981–1985 | Progressive Conservative | 49th |
| 46 | James N. Tucker Jr. MLA for Charlotte-Fundy (born 1934) | 1981–1985 | Progressive Conservative | 50th |
| 47 | Charles Gallagher MLA for Carleton North (1925–2007) | 1985–1987 | Progressive Conservative | 50th |
| 48 | Frank Branch MLA for Nepisiguit-Chaleur (1944–2018) | 1987–1991 | Liberal | 51st |
| 49 | Shirley Dysart MLA for Saint John Park (1928–2016) | 1991–1994 | Liberal | 52nd |
| 50 | Gérald Clavette MLA for Madawaska Centre (born 1941) | 1994 | Liberal | 52nd |
| (49) | Shirley Dysart MLA for Saint John Park (1928–2016) | 1994–1995 | Liberal | 52nd |
| 51 | Danny Gay MLA for Miramichi Bay (born 1950) | 1995–1998 | Liberal | 53rd |
| 52 | John McKay MLA for Miramichi Centre (born 1948) | 1998–1999 | Liberal | 53rd |
| 53 | Bev Harrison MLA for Hampton-Belleisle (born 1942) | 1999–2006 | Progressive Conservative | 54th |
| 53 | Bev Harrison MLA for Hampton-Belleisle (born 1942) | 1999–2006 | Progressive Conservative | 55th |
| 54 | Michael Malley MLA for Miramichi-Bay du Vin (born 1962) | 2006 | Progressive Conservative | 55th |
| 55 | Eugene McGinley MLA for Grand Lake-Gagetown (1935–2019) | 2007 | Liberal | 56th |
| 56 | Roy Boudreau MLA for Campbellton-Restigouche Centre (1946–2023) | 2007–2010 | Liberal | 56th |
| 57 | Dale Graham MLA for Carleton (born 1951) | 2010–2014 | Progressive Conservative | 57th |
| 58 | Chris Collins MLA for Moncton Centre (born 1951) | 2014–2018 | Liberal | 58th |
| 59 | Daniel Guitard MLA for Restigouche-Chaleur (born 1959) | 2018–2020 | Liberal | 59th |
| 60 | Bill Oliver MLA for Kings Centre (born 1959) | 2020–present | Progressive Conservative | 60th |