October 15, 2025 – In a significant upset, Progressive Conservative (PC) leader Tony Wakeham has secured a majority government in yesterday’s 2025 Newfoundland & Labrador general election, bringing an end to the Liberal party’s 10-year run in power. The PCs captured 21 seats with the Liberals reduced to 15. The New Democratic Party (NDP) won two seats and two independents were elected in the new legislature.
The results of the election reflect a growing public desire for change, catalyzed by ongoing concerns around health care, cost of living, and provincial finances. Specifically, the proposed multi-billion dollar Churchill Falls deal with Hydro-Québec, negotiated by the Liberals last December, emerged as a key wedge issue in this election.
Wakeham’s campaign centered on the notion of a “need for change” in the province. He positioned the PCs as a fresh alternative focused on affordability, health care reform, education, and the economy. His message of greater autonomy and self-determination in control of the province’s natural resources resonated strongly with voters and became a key swing issue.
Results at a Glance
- The PCs won a majority government, capturing 21 out of 40 seats.
- The Liberals were reduced to 15 seats, losing four seats from the previous government.
- The NPDs won two seats, flipping one previously Liberal riding. Two independents also claimed seats in the new legislature.
- The PCs were able to translate a narrow popular vote margin victory (44.4% vs. 43.4%) into a slim majority government.
- Voter turnout was just over 50%, a slight increase from 2021 (which was affected by COVID-19 lockdowns) but a significant decline from 60% in 2019.
What’s Next
- Premier-elect Wakeham will select his cabinet over the coming days. As a former senior official in the Newfoundland bureaucracy, Tony Wakeham will bring a unique perspective to the forming of the Cabinet. We expect that there will be shifts in Ministerial roles and responsibilities to have the bureaucracy align more closely with the Progressive Conservative’s priorities and approach to governance.
- The search for a speaker. A one seat majority can slightly complicate the election of a speaker. Ideally, governing parties prefer to avoid situations where the speaker must cast the deciding vote in the legislature. This scenario would occur in Newfoundland if the PCs are forced to select a speaker from their own party. It can be expected that the PCs will attempt to convince one of the sitting independents to become speaker to avoid this situation.
- Churchill Falls review and referendum. The Churchill Falls deal with Hydro-Québec became a key wedge issue in this election, dominating all other topics. There are historical reasons for the public’s concern, as many viewed the previous deal with Hydro-Québec as being exploitative and not in the best interests of Newfoundland. Tony Wakeham capitalized on this public discord by promising a full public review of the proposed Churchill Falls deal and a referendum on proceeding with the plan. Despite losing the election, Liberal Leader John Hogan urged the government to proceed with the deal, ensuring that this will continue to be debated in the legislature.
- Focusing on rural health access. Early in the campaign, Tony Wakeham stated that health care would be the top issue in this election. In picking up several rural seats, it is clear that the government will need to take immediate and decisive action to follow through on these promises and retain rural support.
- Lowering taxes while increasing social services. The Progressive Conservatives ran on a platform of increasing access to public services while lowering taxes, with Tony Wakeham stating, “You do not cut your way to a prosperous future in Newfoundland and Labrador”. In this pledge, Tony Wakeham would not commit to balancing the budget, something his government criticized heavily while in opposition. Instead, the PCs stated that they will offset these costs through better fiscal management, pointing to the costs of agency nurses as an example of the previous government’s mismanagement.
Progressive Conservative Health Platform
At the start of the election, Tony Wakeham stated that this election would be about health care, proposing over $46 million in new health spending. Newfoundland has had long-standing staffing challenges, with one third of the province lacking a family doctor. In addition, access to care in rural and remote parts of the province has been an issue for decades, further necessitating action from the government.
The Progressive Conservatives platform made a large number of promises to address staffing shortages and improve access across the province. Some of the major commitments include:
- Increasing the Role and Number of Nurse Practitioners
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- The PCs committed to covering all nurse practitioners through their provincial health plan, allowing patients full access without any added fees.
- They also stated that they would double the size of the province’s nurse practitioner program.
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- Training and Recruiting more health care providers (HCPs) to Offset Agency Nurses
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- The PCs took aim at Newfoundland’s reliance upon agency nurses, pointing to the added cost to the system. The PCs pledged to end agency nursing programs by increasing the number of nursing seats and offering recruitment incentives.
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- Creating a Dedicated Rural and Remote Team of Nurses
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- The PCs committed to adopting the Registered Nurses’ Union’s proposal to establish a permanent provincial team of local nurses and nurse practitioners. This team would deliver health care services across the province, adapting to immediate demands.
- The goal of this team would be to replace private agency nurses that are currently used in the province at a cost of over $200 million per year.
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- Helping Rural and Remote Patients with Travel Costs
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- The PCs committed to fully covering the costs of travel for essential care when services are not available in the patient’s region.
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- Negotiating a Pharmacare Deal with the Federal Government
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- The PCs stated that they would negotiate a deal with the federal government to “secure a national pharmacare (sic) program that lowers the cost of prescription drugs and diabetic supplies.”
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- Creating a Health Human Resources Plan
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- The PCs stated that they will publicly outline the needs in health care staffing across the province. The PCs committed to including health care professionals in the development of this plan.
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- Increasing Mental Health Services
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- The party committed to increasing the number of treatment centres for addiction recovery, but did not state the number of anticipated centres. They also committed to expanding the mobile mental health crisis teams and reducing wait times for mental health care by hiring more professionals.
About Premier-Elect Tony Wakeham
First elected to the Newfoundland & Labrador House of Assembly in May 2019, representing the Stephenville-Port au Port district.
On October 14, 2023, he won the leadership of the PC Party and became Leader of the Opposition.
Before entering politics, Tony was the CEO of Labrador-Grenfell Health authority, and held senior roles in health care and government finance.
While in Opposition, Tony and the PCs focused on health system reform, fiscal accountability, and regional development.
Beyond politics, Wakeham has been active in volunteer and community roles, particularly in sports, serving in leadership roles with the Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball Association and Canada Basketball.
Further Readings
Election reporting: Read More
Progressive Conservative Platform: Read More