Federal Tory Leader Andrew Scheer is on a campaign-style swing through New Brunswick, as the party seeks to make gains in a province and region it was shut out of last time.

The Liberals captured all 32 federal seats in Atlantic Canada during the 2015 election, including 10 in New Brunswick.

Scheer is holding a town hall meeting tonight in Fredericton, as the clock ticks toward a federal election this fall.

On Tuesday, he speaks to a business audience in the morning before meeting with Tory Premier Blaine Higgs and his cabinet, and then holds a policy brainstorming session with Conservatives from across Atlantic Canada.

Higgs became the region’s lone Tory premier last fall, after ousting Liberal Brian Gallant, a close ally of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Donald Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick, says the national Conservative party needs to find strong local candidates to ensure they aren’t shut out again in Atlantic Canada.

“They can’t write off the region as Liberal territory,” Wright said.

“Very often these national elections come down to 338 mini-elections.”

Wright said Scheer’s base is in western Canada, and he will need to raise his profile in the east.

He expects the Conservatives will also target a number of key issues, including the Liberal carbon tax.

Scheer’s visit comes on the heels of recent New Brunswick stops by Trudeau and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier. Green Leader Elizabeth May will be in the province later this week.

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