David Coon to step down after 14 years as Green Party Leader

David Coon has announced that he will step down as leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick after his successor is chosen at an upcoming leadership convention. He has served in the role since 2012.

“It has been such an honour to serve New Brunswickers as the leader of the Green Party,” he said in a statement. “I entered politics 14 years ago with the goal of bringing the concerns of everyday New Brunswickers to the floor of the Legislative Assembly and bringing a Green perspective to solving our province’s biggest issues.”

He expressed pride for helping to “build the Green Party into a truly provincial party, with support from Anglophones, Acadians, Indigenous people, and newcomers from every corner of the province” and thanked Green Party voters and volunteers.

In 2014, Coon became the first Green Party politician in the country to win an election outside of B.C. when he defeated incumbent Tory energy minister Craig Leonard in Fredericton South.

Coon was re-elected in 2018 and 2020 in that riding and in 2024 in the newly recreated Fredericton Lincoln riding.

Under his leadership, the Green Party saw two other members elected to the Legislative Assembly, namely Megan Mitton and Kevin Arseneau, who were both elected in 2018.

Mitton continues to serve as MLA for Tantramar, and Arseneau represented Kent North until 2024, when he was defeated by Liberal Pat Finnigan. 

Popular vote for the Greens grew by 200 per cent between the 2010 and 2024 elections, according to the party. The Green Party garnered roughly 51,500 votes in the most recent election (13.7 per cent of the popular vote) and 57,250 votes in 2020 (15.2 per cent).

The Green Party’s executive director expressed gratitude for Coon’s work in a separate statement issued Thursday. “David has given so much to this Party and to New Brunswick since 2012,” Genevieve MacRae said.

“Through his integrity, compassion and unwavering commitment to doing politics differently, he has helped build something truly special. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and for the strong foundation he has created for the future.”

The statement added that a leadership convention is in the works and that an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.