Following the change of government in 2006 provincial election, Bernard Lord resigned as leader on December 13, 2006, and as the member of Moncton East.

[4] Quispamsis MLA Blaine Higgs was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on October 22, 2016, defeating former Saint John Mayor Mel Norton, 1,563 to 1,169 on the third ballot.

[5] In the 2018 provincial election, Higgs and the PCs won the largest share of seats in the legislature, 22, compared to 21 for the governing Liberal Party of New Brunswick, which opted to attempt to remain in power as a minority government by presenting a Throne Speech in hopes of retaining the confidence of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.

[6][7] On November 2, 2018, the Progressive Conservatives and the People's Alliance combined to defeat Premier Brian Gallant's Liberal minority government via a non-confidence vote in the legislature.

[10] In April 2023, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, led by minister Bill Hogan and premier Higgs, placed Policy 713, an educational policy setting minimum requirements for public schools and districts in the province related to individuals identifying and perceived as LGBTQ, under review, later releasing a revised version in June 2023.

[13][14] Two additional cabinet ministers, Daniel Allain and Jeff Carr, expressed their “extreme disappointment in a lack of process and transparency” in a jointly signed letter following the revision.

[17] Throughout early 2024, multiple PC MLAs and/or cabinet ministers, such as Arlene Dunn, Mike Holland, Carr, Allain,[18][19] Shephard as well as Holder have all made announcements either resigning or opting out of running for re-election.

However, initiatives by the governments of Richard Hatfield and Bernard Lord to include Acadians in the mainstream of New Brunswick life helped the party make inroads in Acadia.