 He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1995 and re-elected in 2003 and 2006 after being defeated in his first bid for re-election in 1999.He was chosen interim leader of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick on February 12, 2019 following the resignation of Brian Gallant.He had previously been Minister of Justice in the government of Brian Gallant until the Liberals lost power in 2018.