Dale Graham

Who is Dale Graham?

Dale Allison Graham is a politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He is currently a member and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick and was a member of the provincial cabinet from 1999 to 2006.

Born in Woodstock, New Brunswick, the son of Robert Graham and Letha Delong, Graham attended school in Centreville. He became a small business owner and was involved in local politics at the school board level. He married Shelley McDougall in 1972. In the 1991 provincial election, Graham was defeated by Liberal incumbent Fred Harvey, however Harvey's victory was later declared void when Harvey was convicted of violating election spending laws. Graham was successful in a by-election in 1993 winning the Carleton North seat. Graham went on to be re-elected in the new electoral district of Carleton in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2006 elections.

Graham's 1993 victory was a key test of his Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. His party had been defeated provincially in 1987 going from having led the government for 17 years to being shut out of the legislature. Though the party regained 3 seats in the 58 seat legislature in 1991, the upstart Confederation of Regions Party of New Brunswick had won 8 seats and claimed official opposition. This victory was seen as a sign that CoR would not necessarily displace the Progressive Conservatives as the voice of conservatism in Anglophone New Brunswick.