Daniel Allain

A conversation about politics, leadership and ice cream

I stood at the back of the ballroom at the Delta Hotel in Fredericton and just watched.

The Annual General meeting of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick was underway. From where I planted myself, I watched the room move. I watched the conversations being had, the handshakes taking place, and the subtle nods. I watched as seasoned politicians worked the room with ease that’s become so natural to them; they don’t even realize they’re doing it. I watched political rookies stumble through awkward introductions. I watched party stalwarts, some of whom are still hanging around from the Hatfield years, chatting with their friends and reminiscing about the “good old days”.

I attended my first big political event in the spring of 1995 at the Aitken Center in Fredericton.

I was 16, and even then, I stood at the back of the room and watched.

This was politics, or so I thought.

For better or worse, I was hooked.

But here’s a secret about politics that you’ll never see on an agenda.

Real politics happens in hallways.

In the dark corner of hotel bars.

In hospitality suites and parking lots.

That’s where alliances are formed, and plans take shape. Where the deal is done while the meeting is taking place.

Fast forward to the present.

As I sat in my perch in the back of the ballroom, I couldn’t help but wonder if some in the crowd watched me with my face in the palm of my hands. Frustration. I scanned the room and counted maybe 140 people – where these AGMs would once draw well over 500. More comb overs than crew cuts. Very little new blood.

The PC Party is a cliquish outfit, an Animal Farm of sorts. Though many in each tent will claim it a big tent party. Groups are formed based on region, old alliances, people who just don’t want to let go, and new faces trying to just break through. Everyone believes in the cause, but not everyone gets a seat at the table.

I caught myself laughing as I watched the crowd sonder in that morning. People seemed to find their seats depending on where they aligned on the ideological political pendulum – a little too far to the right, Red Tories, and people that didn’t quite know where they fit on the political spectrum.

And there in the middle of the room – just to the right of center – sat the man who hopes to be the face of renewal of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick – Daniel Allain.

The mention of his name brings instant weight to the leadership conversation. His rise through the ranks to his announcement that he would be seeking the leadership of the New Brunswick PC party has been both typical and not so typical at the same time.

The man they affectionately nicknamed “BB” broke into the political arena under the wing of Bernard Lord and fell in love with campaigning during the 200 Days of changed campaign in 1999 that saw the Tories regain power after 12 years on the opposition benches. He was a young rookie, serving under a rookie Premier, and rookie caucus members. He was there at the beginning when the times were good, and he was there at the end when they fell on their swords. Lessons learned. We’ll get to that.

Since 2003, he’s ducked in and out of the political arena, taking and giving a few punches here and there. No knockouts yet. Never far from the levers of power, but far enough away to keep an eye on who’s pulling them.

He’s grounded himself in the private sector, where success and ambition are measured by performance indicators. All of which he has exceeded. It gave him the realization that there was a life to be made outside of the legislature, but that the door was always open to a return.

Ambition is one of his driving forces, and the risk of defeat for the good of the cause has never deterred him. His name was on the federal election ballot in 2008, and he came up 1500 votes short. He let his name stand for the councilor –at- large seat in his hometown of Dieppe, and that time, he won. Giving up is not an option.

Some would say his career path has led him to his destiny. Politics is in his soul. It’s his desire to give back that drives him. He’s been a Cabinet Minister, head of a crown corporation, Deputy Minister, consultant and volunteer. I’ve scoured the internet looking for another politician’s resume where “Santa Clause Parade Committee member” could be found. There aren’t any. Just his.

Ask him about his proudest accomplishments, and there are no mentions of positions he has held, or fancy letters after his name. It’s his two daughters.

He and his wife of 22 years, Sylvie, have raised them to be strong, confident young women. Rarely has he missed a ringette game – he even joined the ringette association to be closer to them. Evenings and weekend spent crisscrossing the Maritimes, freezing his toes in a cold rink, where the rewards were a bad cup of coffee and watching his daughters have the time of their lives. It wasn’t sacrifice. Files could wait. Meetings could be rescheduled. Family is his priority.

I can’t recall the first time I ever met him. Just like me being at all those annual meetings, he was just there. We’ve been friendly, buddies, I guess you could say. But we’ve never found the time to have that deep conversation where we get to look into each other’s souls.

I’ve admired his passion from a distance, but I wanted to know more.

I also wanted clarity on some things. His stance on Policy 713, what it was like to work under three different Premiers, why he didn’t run again in 2024, and why he wants the top job now.

I wanted to hear it in his words, not filtered through the mainstream media where parts can be filtered out to make for a juicier story.

We sat down not long ago, and I asked him some questions. He asked me some questions, too. I walked away with the clarity I was looking for.

It wasn’t an interview. It was just two buddies having a say.

I started out with hard-hitting, knock your socks off kind of question.

“What’s your favorite ice cream?”

Why this question? Simple. I consider myself an ice cream connoisseur, and a genuinely believe that a person’s go to flavor says something about who they really are. It’s not a scientific formula by any means; it’s just a metric I use to see if I can relate to this person. And the answer might be a flavor that I haven’t tried yet.

Daniel’s answer, without a second of thought? “Chocolate.”

Mine, too.

That tells me he’s passionate and bold and leads with his heart.

I can work with that.

Daniel’s first dream wasn’t politics. Like most young Francophone boys, he dreamed of flying down the wing with his hair blowing in the breeze like Guy Lafleur and delivering hits with the force of Larry Robinson.

He admired the steady leadership of Bob Gainey, and the grinder mindset of Guy Charbonneau and his willingness to show up and do the unglamorous parts of the job.

Hockey metaphors get used to often in politics, and usually badly. (Don’t get me started on Elbow’s up!)

However, the Montreal Canadiens teams of the late 70’s and early 80’s could be a blueprint that many political campaigns could learn from.

Every role mattered.

Success wasn’t having the fastest players with the hardest shots, or the brick wall between the pipes. It was about the team.

Daniel has committed to modernizing the Party. He has a plan to upgrade the political machine without throwing party traditions out the window. Tradition matters. And so does, social media, a strong fundraising team, and the ability to collect and input data.

While the things above are important, the most tried and trusted method of winning an election is meeting people. Door knocking. Going to 14 turkey dinners in community halls in the middle of nowhere, so old ladies can pinch your cheeks, and the men can see what you’re made of.

“Campaigns are won on doorsteps” he says. Catchy slogans and shiny advertisements are overrated. It’s where Good Politics happens. In the rain, with a dog barking at you through a window.

The basics. Always effective.

Who’s behind the curtains?

Politics is built on alliances. Alliances that can last for decades, or alliances that are formed because they are convenient.

Here comes the plot twist, or Scooby-Doo moment if you will. The part where you pull back the curtains and two unexpected people stumble out.

Enter Kris Austin and Michelle Conroy.

The People’s Alliance Party had been propping up the Higgs minority house of cards since the Liberals were brought down in the fall of 2018. Two Years later, the dice in the Premier’s pocket were getting itchy, so he decided to gamble in search of the coveted majority. The hard eight hit. The bet for the majority cashed in.

Daniel was successful in his bid for a seat in the riding of Moncton East. The only francophone elected for the Tories; he was soon sworn in as Minister of Local government and Local Governance Reform.

In March of 2022, many woke up to the news that The People’s Alliance was no more, and Austin and Conroy were now members of the government.

Given the Alliance’s stance on bilingualism, I asked Daniel, what were his thoughts on the move and if he’d been consulted on the move.

“No, I wasn’t consulted, and as a francophone, it was a little tough. It was a surprise. But, as an individual who understands politics, I get it. I must give credit to Mike Holland (former Minister of Natural Resources) for calming down the room. His point was that they were elected officials who have skills, are good constituency members, and bring other points of view to the room. I viewed it as an opportunity to be able to sit down with them and explain my position on bilingualism and get to hear theirs. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for Kris and Michelle, and I consider them good friends.”

Which Shade of Blue are you?

Defining Canadian Conservatism in today’s day and age is like asking a group of New Brunswickers agree on the provinces best hidden gem.

Some will say the Hopewell Rocks and the Bay of Fundy represents who we are. To others, it’s the drive along the Saint John River Valley or the Acadian Coast. To some it’s the warm waters of Parlee Beach and fishing in the Shediac Bay.

I am 100% biased when I say that the best hidden gem in New Brunswick is a floating down the Miramichi River, in a canoe handcrafted right in Doaktown by Miramichi Canoes (www.miramichicanoes.ca) on a hot July Saturday with a fishing rod hanging over the side of the boat.

The party can look like a flea market at times, a little bit of everything. Traditional conservatives who clutch the constitution like it is the family bible. There are Red Tories, Blue Liberals and Tories of convenience. Tories that say they were with you all along but are just there when the weathervane is pointing towards victory. There is a Libertarian faction that wants fewer rules, fewer taxes (yes, please!) and the government to just leave them alone.

It will take a special kind of Leader to be able to piece the puzzle together and not just put together the outside border of the puzzle were straight edges and corners are easy. That Leader will have to dive into the center part and find the pieces that fit together.

In Conservative party politics, there is an ideological pendulum all its own, so where does Daniel’s ideology fall on the clock?

“I am a Progressive Conservative. I believe the aims and principles of the PC Party are solid. The Will of the People. Equality and personal responsibility. I believe in free enterprise and living within our means. We must ensure are health care and education infrastructure is cutting edge and accessible. I believe these are the keys to a successful Party that wants to portray itself as a government in waiting,”

If the PC Party with Daniel as Leader wants to look like a government in waiting instead of a surprise package that was bought at Stedman’s, clarity is a must.

Connecting the Constellations

If you have followed New Brunswick elections for the last twenty years, you would think that one term governments were the provincial pastime.

Many moons ago, multi-year governments were the standard. Multiyear mandates were handed out like free samples at Costco. Hatfield hung on for 17 years. McKenna promised he’d stay for 10 years and kept his promise by retiring almost 10 years to the day after he was sworn in. Bernard Lord brought new energy and perspective and was rewarded with 2 mandates. Back then, politics felt like another night with a sunset and a moonrise not far behind. Politics felt steady and predictable.

And then the sun came up over the horizon.

Shawn Graham? One term. David Alward? One term. Brian Gallant? You guessed it, one term. Three Premiers in a row shown the door after only four years in the office. It seemed that the New Brunswick voters all of the sudden decided to say “Thanks, but we’ll look up to the sky for a different constellation now.”

Daniel must first secure the Leadership of the Party. Then he can reach into his Milky Way bag of tricks and get to work unseating the one term Holt government. He understands it will be no easy task.

In this game, the narrative can shift on a dime. Which means Daniel may have to reach back to the tickle trunk of the three Premiers he’s worked under and put what he’s learned from them to work. He’s taken some things good, and some things not so good from each of them. He paid attention.

“Bernard Lord taught me to analyze everything. Know every detail. But over analyzing is time consuming, and in politics, time is short. Premier Alward showed me the value in consultations but be careful about who you’re consulting with because some of those people you’re seeking advice from may have their own agendas. Blaine Higgs taught me the value of a dollar, and it is something that I have passed on to my daughters every day. But government isn’t just about being a good manager, it requires leadership, especially on files that you may not be comfortable with.”

The Elephant in the room

So, was he comfortable with Policy 713?

Nothing gets the juices flowing like a good old-fashioned slobber-knocker over parental rights and the protection of vulnerable children in the education system. This issue set the woodshed on fire and became one of the focal point issues of the 2024 election.

The issue lit a fire like throwing a lit cigarette out the car window in the summer of 2025. The debate over parental rights, children’s protections and who gets to decide what goes on in New Brunswick schools was the hot button issue leading up to the election of 2024.

The issue got Daniel and a few others booted from the cabinet and sent to the wilderness. Where was the contention that ultimately led to his break from the ranks and removal from cabinet?

“There was a gray area, about the age where the children could choose which pronouns they could use at school. Kids have rights to. Some 13- or 14-year-old kids are very mature for their age. We were looking at writing our Gender Identity policy like the policies in Nova Scotia and PEI. We agreed to come back to the table and take a deeper look at it. The next day in the press, the Premier said the age would be 16, and the decision was final.”

So, did he agree with Policy 713?

“Yes, with a few tweaks,” he said. “I voted the way I did on principle, not the policy. The way in which in the final decision was made, I did not agree with.”

In March of 2024, Daniel announced his name wouldn’t be on the ballot for the fall election? Why?

“It’s pretty simple, I wasn’t asked to run.”

From price tags to plaid shirts.

Daniel announced his leadership intentions almost a year to the day before the party delivers the results of the vote. He’s crisscrossed the province so many times he’s been able to take detailed notes on which roads need new chipseal or asphalt.

What is he hearing when he’s tucked in the back corner of a rec hall, listening to the folks that are there looking for some new hope?

“Affordability is the number one concern. Taxes are too high. Groceries cost a small fortune, and housing prices are going through the roof. Everything that should be an everyday necessity now feels like a luxury.”

But it doesn’t stop there.

“Public safety, energy, finding a family doctor, or being able to get in to see your family doctor if you are lucky enough to have one. These aren’t just New Brunswick problems, every jurisdiction has them, we need made in New Brunswick solutions, and that takes leadership.”

How is he going to deal with the imaginary fault line that supposedly exists between the North and South? You know the one the mainstream media brings out from time to time to stir the pot.

“In some ways, the gap is always going to be there. It is ingrained in the DNA. I don’t think the gap is so big that the bridge can’t be built.”

This sidetracked to something I wasn’t expecting.

“The more concerning gap for me right now is the disconnect between rural and urban New Brunswick. There is a lot of contention there, and it must be addressed before it becomes unrepairable.”

He went to the Stop the Gun Grab rally in Boiestown. There were over 200 people there, some stopping in on their way home from work, and others still dressed in their hunting gear, still smelling like the days hunt. And Daniel? The French city boy who owns more neck ties than hand knit socks?

“I stuck out like a sore thumb. These are some of the best people I have met since I started this business. They just want to protect their way of life, and they want the government to let them. It was an eye opener.”

“I stood there, and thought, how do I be more like this? How can I be more ‘folksy’?”

Here is a suggestion, Daniel.

In your first Question period as Premier, stand in the Legislature dressed in Miramichi Tuxedo. Plaid shirt, green woolen pants, gumshoes and bright orange Husqvarna suspenders. That’ll get you every vote in Northumberland County.

The PC Party will announce their next leader in October of 2026. It may seem like an eternity, but it will sneak up quickly.

What is the game plan?

“Meet as many people as I can. Engage the young people of our province. Make them feel included. Show vulnerability on some files but always let them know I’ll do what I think is right, even if they don’t agree. Leadership isn’t always about saying yes.”

“Politics is a serious business, but elements of it should be fun and never personal. We forget that in today’s day and age of politics. Everyone, for the most part, offers their name to make things better. We need to check our filters.”

So far, he’s the only official candidate. He welcomes others to enter the race; he loves the debate.

He may be the only fisherman in the boat today, but you never know who is casting up stream.