People's Alliance supporters push to resurrect party ahead of June byelections
CBC
The People's Alliance isn't dead yet.
Supporters of the party, which seemingly dissolved less than a month ago, are seeking to re-register it with Elections New Brunswick in time to field candidates in two provincial byelections in June.
Board of directors president Rudy Walters says there was unanimous support on the board for trying to carry on, despite the defection of the party's only two MLAs to the Progressive Conservatives.
"I've received a lot of support, a lot of phone calls and emails from people who were very upset by the move and who truly want to continue building on what we've developed so far," he said.
Leader Kris Austin and MLA Michelle Conroy made the stunning announcement March 30 that they were joining the PCs.
Austin said at the time that he had de-registered the party, a move that under provincial law requires only the signature of a party leader.
The provincial Elections Act allows a party to be re-registered after 60 days.
"We didn't stop existing as a party," Walters said. "We just simply were de-registered with Elections New Brunswick."
Chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth said in a statement that a party can re-register if it follows the same requirements as a newly formed party, such as having riding associations in at least 10 ridings.
Former Fredericton-York Alliance MLA Rick DeSaulniers is acting as interim leader until party members choose a leader May 28.
Austin, who founded the Alliance in 2010 and led it to its breakthrough win of three seats in the 2018 election, turned down a request for comment on the party's potential revival.
Last month he said he de-registered the party after consulting "several" board members because some members had quit the board and the internal structure of the party was "eroding" along with its public support.
On a Facebook discussion of the effort to re-register the Alliance, some supporters questioned what it could accomplish without Austin in charge.
"The People's Alliance was Kris Austin," wrote Chris-Elisabeth Paisley, adding the party "won't be able to do anything without a strong voice."
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