It saw Richard Hatfield's Progressive Conservative Party win its largest majority ever to that time.

It chose Doug Young just months before the vote in a divisive contest that came down to a final ballot against Joseph A.

The francophone campaign, which was mostly run by Hatfield's French lieutenant Jean-Maurice Simard, began with the Grand Ralliement, a symposium on language rights which took place in Shippagan ten days before the election call.

The Liberals, divided by their recent leadership contest, ran a lackluster campaign which allowed Hatfield's and Simard's overtures to the Acadian population to carry many seats that had been Liberal strongholds for generations, including 10 of 21 Acadian ridings.

The New Democratic Party of New Brunswick elected Bob Hall as its first ever Member of the Legislative Assembly.