Wayne Long

As the Liberal Party's nominee in Saint John—Rothesay, Long drew media attention for his outspoken support of the Energy East oil pipeline project. Long's position was far more forthright than that of the Liberal Party as a whole, which had promised to take a neutral stance. Long promised to aggressively lobby within the Liberal caucus to support the project.^[3][4]

In September 2017, Long made headlines for announcing his opposition to tax changes for private corporations proposed by Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau.^[5] On October 4, 2017, he was the only Liberal MP to vote for a Conservative Party opposition motion to extend the consultation period.^[6]

In February 2021, alongside Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Long was one of only two Liberal MPs to vote in favour of an NDP-proposed motion to take a first step towards developing a national pharmacare system. The bill, proposed by Peter Julian, would have established the conditions for federal financial contributions to provincial drug insurance plans.^[7] The following year, the Liberal Party would commit to work towards a "universal national pharmacare program" as part of their confidence and supply agreement with the NDP following the 2021 federal election.^[8]

On December 13, 2023, a video emerged showing Long arguing with protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war during a scheduled holiday celebration for the Liberal Party. Staff member Jeannette Arsenault, who accompanied him, accused the protesters of "believing in terrorism." The following month, Long apologized for his remarks in a statement released on Facebook.^[9]

On June 24, 2024, the Liberals lost the Toronto—St. Paul's by-election, a seat vacated by former minister Carolyn Bennett and represented by the Liberals since 1993, and the first time the Liberals lost a seat that they had held prior to a by-election during the 44th Parliament.^[10] In the aftermath of the by-election loss, Long became the first Liberal MP to call on Trudeau publicly to resign.^[11] In the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, he endorsed Mark Carney.^[12] Long initially intended not to seek re-election in the 2025 federal election prior to the resignation of Trudeau, but later announced that he would seek re-election if Carney wins leadership.^[13]