MONCTON, N.B. — New Brunswick's NDP has elected a former Catholic priest to lead the party, which hasn't held a seat in the legislature for two years and saw its support drop in half in the most recent provincial election.

Roger Duguay, a 44-year-old party veteran from Maltempec, N.B., defeated communications specialist Dennis Atchison, 51, at a leadership convention in Moncton on Saturday.

Both men ran unsuccessfully in the September 2006 provincial election.

Duguay said he would immediately begin working to boost the party's profile, which received just five per cent of the popular vote last year - half of its traditional level of support - and failed to elect any of its candidates.

"I have a big respect for democracy. ... (We have) to bring back the New Democratic Party on the political chess board of the province," he said in an interview following his win.

"Something is moving right now in the party. ... We have to keep the momentum."

Duguay replaces Allison Brewer, who stepped down last year after 14 months as leader, saying she couldn't continue in the unpaid position.

The NDP lost its only seat in the legislature when Elizabeth Weir - a popular and outspoken leader who headed the party for 16 years - resigned from politics in late 2005. The party finished third in a subsequent byelection, with the seat going to the Liberals.

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton, who addressed the convention at a downtown hotel, said he believes the third-place party can rebound, though he admits the process has not been easy so far.

"We know that we can win in New Brunswick; we saw the great work that Elizabeth Weir did," he said in an interview Saturday.

"Those were pretty difficult shoes to step into because she had really quite an important presence in the politics of New Brunswick, and it's taken some time to get ourselves back to the point where we can make that breakthrough."

The governing Liberals currently occupy 32 seats in the province's 55-seat legislature, while the Conservatives hold 23.

Duguay, who works as a bilingual substitute teacher, said the party needs to restore inactive riding associations, and he plans to travel across the province to meet voters as soon as possible.

His ability to communicate with both English and French voters is important, said Duguay, who had criticized Brewer for her inability to speak both languages in Canada's only officially bilingual province.

"I think the members all across the province understand that to make a breakthrough and success with the party, we have to work not only in areas where the NDP is stronger, but in cities, in rural areas, in the north and in the south," he said.

Political observers agree the NDP needs to boost its profile, but have said the party could face problems shoring up support across the province on a shoestring budget.

Duguay said the party plans to raise $500,000 over the next four years.

"The party doesn't have a lot of money, but we have some money to make a new beginning," said Duguay.

There were 1,078 members eligible to vote Saturday, and 742 votes were cast.

Because the race was only between two candidates, convention organizers decided not to announce the number of votes Duguay and Atchison received.

Party president Pat Hanratty, who has served as interim leader since Brewer's departure, said the party's membership has doubled in the past several months.

Hanratty said he's confident the new leader will continue to shore up support as New Democrats gear up for the 2010 fixed election date.

"I don't think it's going to be a hard job to convince voters that they don't really have a say in what's going on the legislature," he said.

"A large number of New Brunswickers ... their voice has been lost because there hasn't been a third party there to represent them."