‘It’s going to inspire a whole generation:’ Canadian province gets long overdue first female premier
One small step for women, a leap for humanity. As of 2024, every Canadian territory and province has had a female premier except Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, with New Brunswick having just elected their first on October 21, 2024: Liberal Party Leader Susan Holt.
Having been the leader of the Opposition since 2023 and the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party Association since 2022, Susan Holt will soon take office as the official Premier of New Brunswick in a Liberal majority government.
New Brunswick has had a Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Blaine Higgs for the past six years—since 2018. As of October 21, Higgs has lost his spot as New Brunswick Premier and his constituency seat to Liberal Aaron Kennedy.
This majority government means change for New Brunswick, not only in having their first-ever female premier but in terms of social programming, health care, and LGBTQ2S+ rights. Previously, Blaine Higgs had rigorously blocked approvals for safe injection sites and continuously bashed the use of pronouns; he was also in favour of making massive cuts to social programming.
Despite being a small province, New Brunswick’s electing its first female premier shows a significant shift in political thought among the masses. With women elected to prominent government positions across North America, Europe, and the southern globe, such as Australia and New Zealand, we can only hope these women make good on their promises and help others join them up the ladder.
At the celebratory event for her win, Susan Holt said, “This is something that I wanted for someone else for a long time. I’ve been waiting to see this achievement in New Brunswick. I’ve been jealous every time another province ticks off this milestone, and it blows my mind that it’s me, the first woman.”
She continued, “It’s incredible to see my kids’ faces and their friend’s faces. All the little girls that have come along this campaign and who have come up to me and said, ‘I want to be Prime Minister.’”
Her husband, Jon Holt, added, “We have three daughters, and it’s clear they have all their friends around, and they’ve seen Susan do this; they’ve seen her heart, she’s working, she’s seen her as the boss. And it’s going to inspire a whole generation of women and young girls in New Brunswick to feel like they can do whatever they want to do, whatever they dream to do. They’ll be able to tackle hard work and persistence.”
Premier Susan Holt’s three daughters accompanied the proud New Brunswickers and former leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party (NDP), Elizabeth Weir. Weir is a pioneer of women in Canadian politics, having held the sole NDP seat in New Brunswick from 1991 to 2005. For generations to come, Weir and Holt will hold special recognition for their strides in gender equality in New Brunswick.
In an interview with the CBC, Premier Susan Holt discussed her intentions to increase investment in education and health care while balancing New Brunswick’s budget. Holt intends to focus on community-driven solutions and legislation. She also has a career in technology and used to play rugby under the New Brunswick banner. A strong woman in STEM—we love to see it!
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