HALIFAX — New Brunswick's provincial Liberal leader is taking federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's line in warning his candidates to either support abortion rights or get out of the way.

Brian Gallant said he plans to "remove barriers" to abortion if elected.

"Any candidate that will respect that position and that will support that position can run for us," he told reporters at a stop in Moncton after campaigning with Trudeau. "It's not about personal preference. It's about ensuring that we respect a woman's right to choose and I've made that very clear to all 48 candidates that will be running with me in this election."

Currently, a pregnant woman in New Brunswick needs two doctors to declare an abortion medically necessary before she can get one at a hospital.

The province doesn't give taxpayer dollars to private, for-profit, abortion clinics and the lone Morgentaler facility closed up shop in Frederiction earlier this year because it was losing money.

However, Gallant's hardline stance with his candidates is at odds with at least one neighbouring province.

Nova Scotia Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil said pro-lifers are welcome in his caucus.

"They are in our party and there are members, dare I say, in our caucus," Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said after an event with Trudeau, Monday. "We have the most diverse government in the history of this province ... I'm very proud of the fact that members of our party get a chance to express those diverse views internally, and then we make a decision as a government on how to move forward."