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ST. JOHN’S — Voters in Newfoundland and Labrador will be heading to the polls on Oct. 14.
Liberal Leader John Hogan is seeking his first electoral win as premier. His main challenger is Progressive Conservative Leader Tony Wakeham.
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The Liberals held 19 of 40 seats in the legislature when Hogan called the election on Monday. The Progressive Conservatives held 14 seats and the NDP held one. There were two Independents and four seats were vacant.
As the campaign begins, Newfoundland and Labrador is struggling under a staggering debt load. Its net debt was expected to reach $19.7 billion next year. In a province that is home to 540,000 people, the debt works out to more than $36,400 per person.
The Liberals are hoping a sweeping new energy deal with Hydro-Québec will help turn things around. The draft deal between the two provinces’ hydro utilities promises more than $225 billion to the treasury of Newfoundland and Labrador over the next 50 years, officials have said. The majority of that money will come from Hydro-Québec paying new, higher rates for energy from the Churchill Falls power plant in Labrador.
Hogan has said the memorandum of understanding is “the election issue.” The Progressive Conservatives have said the province could get more money, and Wakeham has vowed to have it reviewed by an independent third party before any final agreements are signed.
The election call comes after a summer of destructive wildfires in eastern Newfoundland.
A fire in May destroyed about a dozen homes around Adam’s Cove, in Conception Bay North, and another fire in August demolished nearly 200 structures. Residents there are still waiting for word on whether they’ll receive any financial help from the province — or the federal government — to recover and rebuild.
Health care, housing and the cost of living are also likely to take top billing in party platforms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.
The Canadian Press
