Majority government within reach for both Liberals and PCs in Newfoundland and Labrador’s general election

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Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde is also tied up in what is believed to be a first for Newfoundland and Labrador since Confederation: a candidate running twice in one election.

Former NDP leader Alison Coffin is on the ballot as an Independent in Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde and Harbour Grace-Port de Grave.

Why? She says it highlights the need for electoral reform — an issue she’s been vocal about since the beginning of her time in politics.

"There are very huge gaps in our electoral system and in our act that need to be fixed. And this is another way that's going to cause that to happen."

There is some precedent here, though it goes all the way back to elections in 1836, 1869 and 1870 when candidates were elected in two districts. Running for multiple seats was outlawed in 1897, but made legal again in 1913.

Coffin says she has no idea what will happen if she wins both seats.

Wildfires response lacking ‘co-ordination, communication’ could make regionalization an election issue

With many rural communities still reeling from wildfires, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador says the fires should force the province to revisit the issue of regionalization. The organization says the fire response lacked co-ordination and communication in unincorporated communities.

This one is another nail-biter, with the lead flipping back and forth.

Part of this district has been through turmoil in recent months, with a massive wildfire destroying about 200 homes in Conception Bay North. It’s been a safe seat for the Liberals since 2014, but longtime MHA Steve Crocker isn’t running again.

I’ve spent time reporting on the north shore since the fires, and people are angry. The provincial and federal governments have yet to announce details of disaster relief plans. To make matters worse, there has been a spike in break-ins and looting after the fire, leaving people feeling unsafe.

But Conception Bay North is just one part of the district.

PC candidate Riley Balsom hails from the other side. Balsom has been a town councillor for Heart’s Content since 2021, and a key organizer for the PCs since 2014. He’s up against Danielle Doyle for the Liberals — a special education teacher and town councillor in Carbonear.

Both Parsons and Pender are former mayors of Corner Brook, and they have a history of bad blood.

The seat was held by Liberal Gerry Byrne for the past decade. Byrne opted for retirement this time around.

McDonald is well-known for his time in Ottawa. He was one of the first Liberal MPs to voice his displeasure with a government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Petten has held Conception Bay South since 2015, and won the two previous elections by wide margins.

Longtime cabinet minister Lisa Dempster is projected to win her seat in Cartwright-L’Anse au Claire.

The district has been Liberal dating back to the 1950s, save for three years where it was held by the former Labrador Party, and three years where former Liberal leader Yvonne Jones sat as an Independent.

Dempster has served in numerous cabinet roles, most recently minister responsible for fisheries, forestry and agriculture, as well as Labrador affairs.

The air is thin at the Days Inn as the Progressive Conservatives bob in and out of the lead.

Party president Shane Skinner said he’s “about to have heartburn,” laughing as he watches results come in from the other districts. Just minutes later, he was clapping.

He’s nervously checking his phone as the numbers shuffle.

To have a chance, the Progressive Conservatives needed gains in rural regions of the island and in Labrador.

As we get deeper into the night, that is on track to happen.

The Tories are leading in three seats on the west coast: St. George’s-Humber, St. Barbe-L’Anse aux Meadows and Humber Gros-Morne.

All would be pickups from the Liberals. Humber-Gros Morne was held by the last two Liberal premiers.

In Labrador, the Tories lead in three seats. They only held one in 2021.

This is her fourth straight win in the district. Parsons served in cabinet under former leader Andrew Furey and Hogan, most recently as minister of rural economic development and labour.

As for Independents: Paul Lane is projected to return to the House of Assembly in Mount Pearl-Southlands. Lane first took a seat in the legislature in 2011, switching between the PCs and Liberals before sitting as an Independent.

With a number of incumbents projected to win their districts an hour after polls closed, Liberal campaign chair Judy Morrow says tonight is a nail-biter.

“We knew from the beginning that this was going to be a district-by-district ground game,” she said.

Still, Morrow said she’s “cautiously optimistic" about a Liberal win.

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