The Green Party of Canada chose its New Brunswick candidate for the next federal election Thursday night in Fredericton.

Mary Lou Babineau, a Spanish professor at St. Thomas University, won the nomination on first ballot as the Fredericton riding association met at the Odell Park Lodge.

In interviews with the media, Babineau said the area has made progress recently in raising awareness of environmental concerns and in taking action.

"Fredericton has been standing out in the last year for the efforts that it has made to become more green, more environmentally friendly and conscientious," she told the Fredericton Daily Gleaner.

Babineau pointed to the Green Matters program, a plan to educate residents on reducing greenhouse gases in the city, as an example of the city's efforts to help the environment.

"I think that there is an energy here, there is an interest and there is an incentive. We can build on that and there needs to be a voice for that incentive," she said.

Babineau received 80 per cent of the vote, beating out UNB economics professor Tony Myatt and John Fearon, who's been an advocate for victims of abuse at the Kingsclear Training School.

The riding association has nearly 100 members, officials said.