Duguay has been a candidate for the NB New Democratic Party on three previous occasions, dating back to the 1991 election.
As a result, he was suspended from his position as a pastor with the Catholic Church for breaking the Diocese's policy on political activity.
In the 2006 election, Duguay was the party's most successful candidate, winning 26.1 per cent of the vote in the riding of Miramichi Bay-Neguac.
[6] Duguay received a 100% vote of confidence in his leadership from the near-100 delegates in attendance for the New Brunswick NDP Biennial Convention, held October 17, 2009.
[7] On November 2, 2010, Duguay further announced that he would be leaving the NDP altogether because of what he called "feuding" between party members and "outsiders" who had been brought in to run the election campaign.