Elizabeth Weir, champion of social issues and the cause of the little man, is quitting as leader of the New Brunswick NDP after 16 years.
Ms. Weir, 56, announced Friday she will continue to represent her Saint John seat in the legislature, but believes it is time the party pick a new leader.
Ms. Weir is the only New Democrat in the 55-seat legislature and has been the only member since she was first elected in 1991.
"It is time for new leadership and new opportunities for our party," she said.
Ms. Weir has always been a thorn in the side of the New Brunswick government, demanding that legislators remember the poor and address the needs of the disadvantaged.
"Through the years, working with many members of our party and many groups and individuals across the province, I have had the unique honour to have been able to play a small part in landmark decisions that have shaped the relationship between our province's citizens and their government," she said.
Most recently, Ms. Weir presided over an all-party committee of the legislature that recommended a public auto-insurance model for the province.
Although the provincial Progressive Conservative government rejected the idea, Ms. Weir made it clear there are other choices the government could make to ease the burden of soaring insurance premiums.
"She has been one of the most visible politicians in our province," said Don Desserud, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. "She has been a person who has had an astonishing impact on the political agenda.
"When she makes a statement, everyone listens, and the government has to respond."
Despite Ms. Weir's personal popularity, she and the NDP have not been able to make significant inroads in New Brunswick's political system, which is dominated by the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals.
She said it is now time to let someone else try to forge new opportunities for the party.