Brian Gallant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Gallant
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Gallant in 2017
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| 33rd Premier of New Brunswick | |
| In office October 7, 2014 – November 9, 2018 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Graydon Nicholas Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau |
| Deputy | Stephen Horsman |
| Preceded by | David Alward |
| Succeeded by | Blaine Higgs |
| Attorney General of New Brunswick | |
| In office May 11, 2018 – November 9, 2018 |
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| Premier | Himself |
| Preceded by | Serge Rousselle |
| Succeeded by | Andrea Anderson-Mason |
| Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick | |
| In office November 9, 2018 – February 14, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Blaine Higgs |
| Succeeded by | Denis Landry |
| In office April 30, 2013 – October 7, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Victor Boudreau |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Fitch |
| Leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association | |
| In office October 27, 2012 – February 12, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Shawn Graham Victor Boudreau (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Denis Landry |
| Member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for Shediac Bay-Dieppe Kent (2013–2014) |
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| In office April 15, 2013 – October 7, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Shawn Graham |
| Succeeded by | Robert Gauvin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Brian Alexander Gallant
April 27, 1982 Shediac Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Political party | New Brunswick Liberal Association |
| Spouse |
Karine Lavoie
(m. 2017) |
| Education | Université de Moncton (BBA, LLB) McGill University (LLM) |
| Occupation | Politician, Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Brian Alexander Gallant was born on April 27, 1982. He is a Canadian politician who used to be the 33rd Premier of New Brunswick. A Premier is like the leader of a province. Brian Gallant held this important job from October 7, 2014, to November 9, 2018.
Before becoming Premier, Brian Gallant worked as a lawyer. He became the leader of the Liberal Party in New Brunswick in 2012. He then won a special election in the area of Kent in 2013. This made him the Leader of the Opposition. This means he was the main leader of the party not in power.
In the 2014 election, his party won. Brian Gallant became Premier when he was only 32 years old. This made him the second youngest Premier in New Brunswick's history. When he left office at 36, he was the youngest Premier in Canada at that time.
Brian Gallant announced in November 2018 that he would step down as the Liberal leader. He also left his job as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Shediac Bay-Dieppe in October 2019. Today, Brian Gallant is the CEO of a research group called the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation.
Contents
Growing Up
Brian Gallant was born in Shediac Bridge, New Brunswick. His father, Pierre, was from an Acadian family. His mother, Marilyn, was the child of Dutch immigrants. They came to Canada in the 1950s. Brian has two siblings, Melissa and Pierre.
As a child, Brian moved around a lot in New Brunswick. His parents often looked for work, taking jobs in stores and restaurants. Sometimes, his family even lived in his grandparents' small home. He finished high school at Polyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud in Shediac. His principal there even predicted he would become Premier one day!
Brian says he first became interested in politics in grade 5. He became vice president of his class because no one else wanted the job. By the time he was a teenager, he knew he wanted a career in politics.
To pay for university, Brian started two small businesses. He earned degrees in Business Administration and Law from the Université de Moncton. Later, he got a Master's degree in Law from McGill University. While at Moncton, he was the president of the student federation. After university, he worked as a lawyer, focusing on business law.
Starting in Politics
Brian Gallant first tried to get into provincial politics when he was 24. He ran against the Premier at the time, Bernard Lord, in the 2006 election. Even though he didn't win, running against a Premier helped him become well-known.
After the Liberal government lost the 2010 election, Brian Gallant wrote a plan to improve the Liberal Party. He wanted to make it easier for new people and younger leaders to join. Many of his ideas were used.
When the party's leader, Shawn Graham, stepped down, Brian Gallant decided to run for the leadership. He won the election in 2012. Then, he won a special election in the area of Kent. On April 30, 2013, he officially joined the Legislative Assembly. This made him the Leader of the Opposition.
Leader of the Opposition
Before the 2014 election, Brian Gallant had big plans. He suggested spending $900 million over six years to improve roads and buildings. This would create about 1,700 jobs. New Brunswick had a high unemployment rate at the time.
He also wanted to raise taxes for some of the province's highest earners. And he planned to remove property tax breaks for businesses. The Liberal Party also promised to increase the minimum wage. It would go from $10 per hour to $10.30 by the end of 2014, and to $11 by the end of 2017.
Premier of New Brunswick
On election night in 2014, there were some problems with the voting machines. But the Liberals won enough seats to form the government. Brian Gallant became Premier on October 7, 2014. His first cabinet, which is a group of advisors, had 13 members. This was a smaller group than the previous government's cabinet.
During his time as Premier, New Brunswick's economy grew each year. The number of people without jobs also went down. In 2016, a study found that three of the four most affordable cities for businesses in Canada and the United States were in New Brunswick. The province also became a leader in cybersecurity. For the first time in ten years, New Brunswick had more money than it spent.
The 2016 census showed that New Brunswick's population had slightly decreased. But just two years later, the population grew to a record high. This was mainly because many immigrants came to the province. For example, in 2016, New Brunswick welcomed almost 1,500 Syrian refugees. This was a large number compared to its population.
The Gallant government also increased money for education. They invested in reading programs and taught computer coding in more schools. They also brought back trade skills classes in high schools.
His government created programs to help families with childcare costs. They also offered free childcare to families who needed the most help. They made programs to help students with university costs. Free tuition was offered to those who needed the most support.
Brian Gallant was the first Premier in New Brunswick's history to walk in a pride parade. His government also worked to improve women's equality. They made sure that over half of government appointments went to women. New Brunswick also had the second smallest difference in pay between men and women in 2017.
Brian Gallant has often said that climate change is a huge challenge. His government took steps to protect the environment. They created a plan called "Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy." This plan aimed to fight climate change. They also stopped hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and banned the disposal of fracked wastewater.
Besides being Premier, Brian Gallant also served as the Attorney General. He was also the Minister responsible for innovation and for women's equality.
In the 2018 provincial election, Gallant's Liberal party won 21 seats. Blaine Higgs and the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick won 22 seats. Brian Gallant wanted to try and stay in power with a minority government. This means his party had fewer seats than all other parties combined. He hoped to get support from the smaller parties. These were the Green Party of New Brunswick and the People's Alliance of New Brunswick. Each of these parties won 3 seats.
However, on November 2, 2018, Brian Gallant's government lost a vote. This was a "confidence vote" on their plans for the province. The Progressive Conservatives and People's Alliance voted against the government. The Greens voted with the government. But the government was defeated by a vote of 25 to 23.
Leaving Office
Brian Gallant resigned as Premier on November 2, 2018. This happened after his government lost the confidence vote. Blaine Higgs became the new Premier. Days later, Brian Gallant announced he would step down as Liberal leader. He officially resigned in February 2019. He also said he would not run for re-election as an MLA.
In September 2019, he announced he would leave his seat in the legislature by October 7, 2019. He had accepted a job as an advisor at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Toronto. He would advise on topics like innovation, cybersecurity, and law. In the 2020 general election, his old seat was won by a Liberal, Robert Gauvin.
After Politics
Today, Brian Gallant is the CEO of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation. This group researches how businesses can serve society. In 2021, he helped write a report about the role of business in society.
Since leaving politics, Brian Gallant has spoken out about the importance of bilingualism. In 2019, he wrote a report about bilingualism in New Brunswick. New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that is officially bilingual.
Brian Gallant also comments on business and public policy for TV and radio. He has appeared on shows like CBC's Power & Politics. In May 2021, he was on a literary debate show called Le Combat des livres. He supported the novel Infini by Jean Babineau. Brian Gallant also serves on the boards of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada. In 2022, he became the CEO of Space Canada.
Images for kids
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Brian Gallant's signature
