Susan Holt

Susan Holt (born April 22, 1977) is a Canadian politician and businesswoman, who has served as the 35th premier of New Brunswick since November 2, 2024, and has been the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association since August 6, 2022. She has served as the MLA for Fredericton South-Silverwood since 2024. Previously, she was the MLA for Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore and as the leader of the Opposition from 2023 to 2024. She is the first woman to become premier of New Brunswick.

Early life and career Susan Holt was born on April 22, 1977 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She grew up in Fredericton where she attended French immersion school and became fluently bilingual in English and French.

Prior to entering politics, Holt worked in Fredericton, and served as president and CEO of the New Brunswick Business Council. In 2015, Holt was appointed by Premier Brian Gallant to serve as chief of business relationships on the New Brunswick Jobs Board secretariat, and simultaneously served as senior economic development advisor to Gallant. Holt ran as the Liberal candidate in Fredericton South in the 2018 New Brunswick general election, losing to New Brunswick Green Party leader David Coon. In November 2022, Holt announced that she would accept his offer and run in Landry's riding of Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore. Landry then confirmed that he was resigning the seat. On April 24, 2023, Holt won a by-election in Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore to win a seat in the Legislative Assembly. On May 9, 2023, she became the official opposition leader in New Brunswick.

Premier (2024–present) The Liberals won 31 seats in the 2024 general election, making Holt the premier-designate to succeed Blaine Higgs of the Progressive Conservative Party. Holt was elected MLA for Fredericton South-Silverwood, a newly created riding partly overlapping the former Fredericton South where she had run in 2018. She was sworn in along with her cabinet on November 2.

On November 7, 2024, Holt and her government approved changes to Regulation 84-20, repealing a 1984 rule which restricted Medicare funding for surgical abortions performed outside of hospitals.

In March 2025, the Holt government tabled its first budget. Amid proposed U.S. tariffs under the second Trump administration, Holt held briefings in March and April 2025 to outline the province's response strategy defending a "cooler heads" approach that avoided using electricity exports to Maine as leverage. In 2025, she signed agreements with other provinces to reduce interprovincial trade barriers in the midst of the United States trade war with Canada.

During the 2025 New Brunswick wildfires, which peaked in August with blazes in areas like Irishtown and Miramichi considered out of control, Holt's government restricted access to Crown land to mitigate risks. Holt held multiple news conferences to provide updates, thanking firefighters and emphasizing mental health support for affected residents amid evacuations and smoke concerns. Opposition MLAs called for more investigations into the wildfires' causes, with some criticizing slow pace of information being released.

In early 2026, the Holt government 2026 budget recorded a $1.3 billion deficit, the largest in provincial history. As a result, the Holt government directed all departments to find 10-15% savings for the 2026-27 budget. One of these departments, the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, received significant attention due to the propositions made to cut its budget which included merging St. Thomas University into the University of New Brunswick and privatizing Mount Allison University. Holt reversed course on the St. Thomas closure a few days later. As a result of the deficit, the provincial government also initiated plans for installing highway tolls on the Trans Canada Highway in Aulac by 2028, similar to those in Nova Scotia and on the Confederation Bridge; non-New Brunswickers would pay a fee to pass. Those who expressed disagreement with the plan included Green MLA Megan Mitton and prime minister Mark Carney, stating that the federal government is attempting to "reduce internal trade barriers".

Personal life Holt lives with her family in Fredericton. She is married to Jon Holt, and they have three children.

Electoral record Fredericton South-Silverwood

Bathurst East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore

Fredericton South