ST. JOHN’S — Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberals were pulling ahead of the Progressive Conservatives on Tuesday night in the ballot count after an election campaign largely focused on a proposed multibillion-dollar energy deal with Quebec.
An hour after the polls closed, the Liberals were leading or elected in 19 ridings, with the Tories elected or leading in 17. New Democratic candidates were leading in two ridings. A total of 21 seats is needed for a majority in the 40-seat house.
Liberal Leader John Hogan, a 47-year-old lawyer, has said the proposed energy agreement between Hydro-Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro could inject $225 billion into the provincial treasury over 50 years.
Hogan, whose party is seeking a fourth consecutive term, has said the memorandum of understanding between the two utilities was “the election issue.” He was easily re-elected in Windsor Lake, a district on the east side of St. John’s.
But his main rival, Progressive Conservative Leader Tony Wakeham, has argued the deal is not as good as it could be. The former health-care bureaucrat has pledged to have the document reviewed by an independent third party, pointing to lessons from the province’s past energy project failures.
The Tory leader also focused on pocketbook issues during the campaign, repeatedly asking voters to consider whether they are better off after almost 10 years of Liberal rule.
Wakeham was easily elected in the district of Stephenville—Port au Port on Newfoundland’s west coast.
The New Democratic Party, led by 65-year-old former teacher Jim Dinn, was not expected to be a contender in the election race, having never held more than five seats in the legislature.
The election call came after wildfires in central and eastern Newfoundland destroyed more than 200 homes and other structures. During that time, Hogan’s low-key leadership won kudos for the new premier, who was sworn in to the top role on May 9.
But the Liberal campaign was partially hobbled by the loss of several cabinet ministers who quit before the election race began, including Siobhan Coady, John Haggie, Gerry Byrne, Andrew Parsons and Tom Osborne.
Whoever forms the new government will have to deal with the province’s ballooning debt, which is expected to reach almost $20 billion next year — the largest per capita provincial debt in the country. The province will spend more than $1 billion this fiscal year on interest and repayment obligations.
Meanwhile, health care, housing and the cost of living all figured prominently during the campaign, but the fate of the Quebec energy deal dominated discussion on the hustings and during a leaders debate last week.
In St. John’s, a steady stream of people arrived to cast a ballot at a downtown station an hour before polls closed. One voter, who declined to give her name, said the high cost of living was top of mind as she made her choice. She said she works two jobs to make ends meet, and her hourly wages for one job have gone up by about $1.50 over the past eight years.
When asked to name the most important issue of the campaign, a male voter said it wasn’t the proposed energy deal.
Meanwhile, about a dozen people gathered at NDP headquarters in downtown St. John’s as the polls closed. As the first partial counts were posted, they cheered for their members as their names flashed on a screen.
Hogan is seeking his first election victory as party leader, as are Wakeham and Dinn.
When the election was called, the Liberals held 19 of the legislature’s 40 seats, the Progressive Conservatives held 14, the NDP had one, and there were two Independents and four vacant seats.
Voters in Canada’s easternmost province have made a habit of granting governments at least three consecutive terms in office since the province joined Confederation in 1949.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2025.
Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
