1967 1971 33 25 1.54% 1.08 | 32 26 46.86% 47.52% Start date November 18, 1974 | |
 | ||
Winner Richard Hatfield | ||
The 28th New Brunswick general election was held on November 18, 1974, to elect 58 members to the 48th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It saw Richard Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick win its second majority government with a gain of one seat despite losing the popular vote to Robert Higgins' New Brunswick Liberal Party. It was the second election in a row in which the Conservatives received a majority in the parliament despite receiving fewer votes than the Liberals.
Despite the Hatfield government's involvement in the failed Bricklin SV-1 automobile plant, and a series of kickback schemes, there were few surprises during the campaign. Hatfield had made inroads in the Acadian community since the 1970 election, winning three francophone seats in by-elections. The Acadian support proved key during Hatfield's entire term as premier.
This was the first election which saw candidates contest single member ridings; previous elections had each county as an electoral district electing a varying number of members based on their respective populations.