Former interim Liberal leader Roger Melanson has become the third party MLA to announce his departure this fall from provincial politics.
Melanson said in a statement Thursday morning he’ll resign as the member for Dieppe on Oct. 21.
“The decision to step down was not taken lightly, but it was time to take a different direction with my career,” he said.
“I will soon be embarking on a new professional challenge as I take on a role within the private sector.”
First elected in 2010, Melanson took over as interim party leader after the Progressive Conservatives won a majority in the 2020 election, reducing the Liberals to 17 seats.
He held senior positions in the government of Premier Brian Gallant from 2014 to 2018, including finance minister.
His departure adds a new wrinkle to the potential timing of byelections that could allow new Liberal leader Susan Holt to get a seat in the legislature.
Restigouche-Chaleur Liberal MLA Daniel Guitard and Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore MLA Denis Landry announced earlier this fall that they’re leaving to run in November municipal elections for newly created local governments.
Depending on how they fare in those elections, their resignations may not take effect until December or even January 2023.
Premier Blaine Higgs said he wouldn’t speculate about byelection timing until the vacancies are official — meaning those votes likely would not be called until the new year.
But Melanson’s Dieppe seat will be vacant next week, which would allow that byelection to be called sooner.
