FREDERICTON — New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon says he plans to step down after 12 years in the role.

Coon says he plans to remain the MLA for Fredericton Lincoln.

He said he’s resigning as leader to give the party time to choose a successor before the next election.

Coon joined the provincial Green Party in 2006 and became its leader, without a seat in the legislature, in September 2012.

He was elected in 2014, becoming the first Green member of the legislative assembly in the Maritimes and just the second party member elected to a provincial legislature in Canada.

Coon is a trained biologist who was an environmental educator, organizer and activist with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick before becoming a politician.

“With the Greens firmly woven into the body politic of our province, it’s time for a new leader who will grow our party’s electoral success to the point where more New Brunswickers will see our party as one that is capable of winning provincial elections,” Coon said at a news conference in Fredericton on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

— By Devin Stevens in Halifax.



— With files from Eli Ridder.

The Canadian Press