2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

October 11, 2011
All 48 seats in the 47th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador 25 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
First party Second party Third party   Leader Kathy Dunderdale Kevin Aylward Lorraine Michael Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic Leader since April 2, 2011 August 14, 2011 May 26, 2006 Leader's seat Virginia Waters ran in St. George's-Stephenville East (lost) Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi Last election 44 seats, 69.59% 3 seats, 21.69% 1 seat, 8.49% Seats before 43 4 1 Seats won 37 6 5 Seat change 6 2 4 Popular vote 124,523 42,417 54,713 Percentage 56.1% 19.1% 24.6% Swing 13.49 2.59 16.11
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding. Click the map for more details.
Premier before election Kathy Dunderdale Progressive Conservative Premier after election Kathy Dunderdale Progressive Conservative

The 2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election took place on October 11, 2011, to elect members of the 47th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) formed a majority government in the 2007 election, with the Liberal Party serving as the Official Opposition and the New Democratic Party (NDP) serving as a third party.

Under amendments passed by the Legislature in 2004, elections in Newfoundland and Labrador are now held on fixed dates: the second Tuesday in October every four years.

The Progressive Conservatives, led by Kathy Dunderdale, won their third consecutive majority government. Dunderdale became only the third woman in Canadian history to lead a political party to power. The Liberal Party, led by Kevin Aylward, formed the Official Opposition, however the party placed third in the popular vote and Aylward himself was not elected to the legislature. Lorraine Michael's New Democratic Party won a record number of seats and placed second in the popular vote for the first time in the province's history.

Background

Progressive Conservative Party

Leader: Kathy Dunderdale Under Dunderdale's leadership the PC Party won a third straight majority government, winning 37 seats in the House of Assembly and taking 56% of the popular vote. The party platform included the phasing out of the payroll tax over six years, eliminating provincial student loans and replacing them with needs-based grants over four years, improving health care wait times, establishing a ceiling for new spending growth, investing a third of any surplus into unfunded public pension funds, the creation of a population growth strategy, reforming the adoption process to make it easier for people to adopt children and provide province-wide high-speed access within four years. While releasing the platform Dunderdale stated that promises outlined were contingent on fiscal conditions in the months and years to come.

Liberal Party

Leader: Kevin Aylward Under Aylward's leadership the Liberal Party won a total of six seats. While they increased their number of seats, by two, the party placed third in the popular with 19.1%, the worst showing in their history. The party platform advocated for the creation of a legacy fund for offshore oil revenues, a new deal to develop the Lower Churchill hydroelectric development, annual increase to retired public service pensions, improve high-speed internet and cellphone service in rural areas, merge the Department of Business with the Department of Innovation, Trade, and Rural Development, establish a fisheries investment and diversification fund, creation of a fisheries loan board, initiate a judicial inquiry dealing with management of the fishery and operating a marine rescue subcentre in the province.

New Democratic Party

Leader: Lorraine Michael Under Michael's leadership the NDP won a total of five seats and took 24.6% of the popular vote, the best result in the party's history. While the party placed second in the popular vote they placed third in seats. Their platform advocated for a 25% reduction in the small business tax, an all-day kindergarten pilot project starting in September 2012, an independent review of the health care system, elimination of the “tax on tax” on gasoline and diesel fuel, regular increases in the minimum wage, reductions in public post-secondary tuition fees with a move towards free tuition, and the introduction of a three per cent petroleum royalty surcharge on oil companies.

Party leadership

Following Liberal leader Gerry Reid's defeat in the 2007 general election he resigned as the party's leader. The party subsequently chose Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair MHA Yvonne Jones as interim leader of the party and therefore the Official Opposition Leader in the House of Assembly. The party delayed calling a leadership election until 2010, and when nominations for the leadership closed on July 30, 2010, Jones was the only candidate to come forward and was acclaimed leader of the party. Only weeks later on August 13, 2010, Jones announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would be taking time off to undergo treatment. During her time off Liberal House Leader Kelvin Parsons took over for Jones on an interim basis. The Liberal convention that would swear Jones in as leader was rescheduled from October 2010, to May 2011, due to her illness. She was sworn in as leader on May 28, 2011. On August 8, 2011, it was announced that Jones would step down as leader the following day on the advice of her doctor. The Liberal Party executive chose former MHA and cabinet minister Kevin Aylward as her successor on August 14, 2011.

On November 25, 2010, Premier Danny Williams made the surprise announcement that he would resign as leader and premier the next week. On December 3, 2010, Kathy Dunderdale, Williams' Deputy Premier, was sworn in as Newfoundland and Labrador's tenth Premier. Although she had originally stated she would not seek the permanent leadership she announced on December 30, 2010, she would run for the Progressive Conservative leadership. Her announcement came after several high-profile cabinet ministers announced they would not run and endorsed her candidacy. In January 2011, Dunderdale was acclaimed party leader when she was the only eligible candidate to seek the leadership. On April 2, 2011, she was sworn in as leader of the Progressive Conservatives.

Timeline

2007

• October 9, 2007: Elections held for the Newfoundland and Labrador Legislature in the 46th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• November 6, 2007: Progressive Conservative Susan Sullivan wins a deferred election in Grand Falls-Windsor-Buchans.
• November 13, 2007: Liberal leader Gerry Reid resign after failing to be re-elected.
• November 15, 2007: The Liberal Party select Yvonne Jones as interim leader of the party.

2008

• May 21, 2008: Tom Rideout resigns as Deputy Premier, Government House Leader and Minister of Fisheries, in a dispute with the Premier's Office.
• June 4, 2008: Cape St. Francis MHA Jack Byrne dies.
• June 30, 2008: Baie Verte-Springdale MHA Tom Rideout resigns his seat.
• August 27, 2008: Two by-elections in Cape St. Francis and Baie Verte-Springdale are won by Progressive Conservative candidates Kevin Parsons and Kevin Pollard.

2009

• October 2, 2009: The Straits – White Bay North MHA Trevor Taylor resigns from Cabinet and his seat.
• October 7, 2009: Terra Nova MHA Paul Oram resign from Cabinet and his seat.
• October 27, 2009: A by-election in The Straits – White Bay North elects Liberal Marshall Dean.
• November 26, 2009: A by-election in Terra Nova elects PC Sandy Collins.

2010

• January 29, 2010: Topsail MHA Elizabeth Marshall resigns her seat to be appointed to the Senate of Canada.
• March 16, 2010: A by-election in Topsail elects PC Paul Davis.
• July 30, 2010: Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair MHA Yvonne Jones is acclaimed Liberal leader after being the only candidate for the party's leader.
• August 13, 2010: Yvonne Jones announces she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and that MHA Kelvin Parsons will serve as interim leader while she is receiving treatment.
• October 3, 2010: Conception Bay East - Bell Island MHA and Minister Dianne Whalen dies.
• November 25, 2010: Premier Danny Williams, Humber West MHA announces his retirement, effective December 3, 2010. Deputy Premier Kathy Dunderdale will be the Premier of the province in the interim.
• December 2, 2010: Progressive Conservative candidate David Brazil is elected MHA of Conception Bay East - Bell Island.
• December 3, 2010: Kathy Dunderdale is sworn in as the province's tenth Premier upon the resignation of Danny Williams, the first woman to do so.

2011

• February 15, 2011: Progressive Conservative candidate Vaughn Granter is elected MHA of Humber West.
• April 2, 2011: Kathy Dunderdale is sworn in as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
• May 28, 2011: Yvonne Jones is sworn in as leader of the Liberal Party.
• August 9, 2011: Jones steps down as leader of the Liberal Party for health reasons.
• August 14, 2011: Kevin Aylward is chosen as leader of the Liberal Party.
• September 19, 2011: Election call, Kathy Dunderdale asks Lieutenant Governor John Crosbie to dissolve the legislature.

Campaign

At 10:00 am on September 19, 2011, Premier Dunderdale met with Lieutenant Governor John Crosbie who dissolved the 46th General Assembly, officially launching the election campaign. It was widely expected that the PCs would win the election.

Campaign slogans

The parties campaign slogans for the 2011 election are:

• Liberal Party – "We Can Do Better"
• New Democratic Party – "It's Time"
• Progressive Conservative – "New Energy"

Issues

Muskrat Falls

The tentative deal to develop the $6.2 billion Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador was negotiated by the Progressive Conservative government in November 2010. The Liberal Party opposes the deal, saying it is bad for the province because it will increase the province's debt and will see electricity rates increase for consumers. The NDP have had similar concerns and both party leaders have called for spending on the project to stop until more independent analysis' can be conducted to see if the current deal is the best one for the province.

Public sector pension increases

The Liberal Party announced they would provide a one-time increase to public sector pensioners of 2.5%, as well as provide annual increases equivalent to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up to 2%. While Aylward has said increasing payments would cost $13 million in the first year and about $10 million extra for each additional year, the Department of Finance stated that the plan would add $1.2 billion in additional liabilities to the pension plan. Dunderdale slammed the Liberal Party's plan calling it 'foolhardy'.

Controversies

Dunderdale confrontation with fisheries workers

Toward the end of the campaign, Tory Leader Kathy Dunderdale was confronted by frustrated fisheries workers in Marystown in the district of Burin-Placentia West held by Minister of Fisheries & Aquaculture Clyde Jackman. Dunderdale, accompanied by Jackman and Grand Bank district MHA Darin King, refused to negotiate with the workers until after the election. Jackman went on to win the election by only 40 votes.

Dumaresque comment

Controversy arose at the St. John's Board of Trade debate when Liberal candidate Danny Dumaresque was asked about an appeal by the mayor of St. John's for a new financial arrangement between the city and the provincial government. Dumaresque stated that "there are a hell of a lot more priorities outside the overpass that need to be addressed before we start forking more money over to the City of St. John's." The comment led to divisions within the party, with Liberal candidate Drew Brown stating it was an “idiotic comment by an idiotic man.”

Election summary

Party		Seats	Second	Third	Fourth
	Progressive Conservative	37	10	1	0
	Liberal	6	15	27	0
	New Democratic	5	23	20	0
	Other	0	0	0	3

Summary of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador election results

Party		Party leader	Candidates	Seats				Popular vote
				2007	Dissol.	2011	Change	#	%	% Change
	Progressive Conservative	Kathy Dunderdale	48	44	43	37	-6	124,523	56.1%	-13.49%
	Liberal	Kevin Aylward	48	3	4	6	+2	42.417	19.1%	-2.59%
	New Democratic	Lorraine Michael	48	1	1	5	+4	54,713	24.6%	+16.11%
	Independents		3	0	0	0	0	430	0.2%
Total				48	48	48		222,083	100%

Results by region

Party Name			St. John's	St. John's Metro	Avalon/Burin	Central	Western/ Southern	Labrador	Total
Parties winning seats in the legislature:
	Progressive Conservative	Seats:	4	6	9	11	5	2	37
		Popular Vote:	47.47%	63.29%	62.87%	59.18%	51.13%	44.14%
	Liberal	Seats:	0	0	0	0	4	2	6
		Popular Vote:	7.1%	5.21%	17.10%	24.49%	33.76%	31.45%
	New Democratic	Seats:	4	0	0	0	1	0	5
		Popular Vote:	45.43%	31.51%	19.08%	15.61%	14.67%	24.40%
Parties that won no seats in the legislature
	Independent	Popular Vote:				0.73%	0.14%
Total seats:			8	6	9	11	10	4	48

Results by district

Bold incumbents indicates party leaders. The premier's name is boldfaced and italicized.

• All candidate names are those on the official list of confirmed candidates; names in media or on party website may differ slightly.
• Names in boldface type represent party leaders.
• † represents that the incumbent is not running again.
• § represents that the incumbent was defeated for nomination.
• ₰ represents that the incumbent ran in another district and lost the nomination
• ‡ represents that the incumbent is running in a different district.

St. John's

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Kilbride		John Dinn 3,347 58.32%		Brian Hanlon 454 7.91%		Paul Boundridge 1,927 33.58%		John Dinn
Signal Hill—Quidi Vidi		John Noseworthy 1,550 31.17%		Drew Brown 173 3.48%		Lorraine Michael 3,239 65.13%		Lorraine Michael
St. John's Centre		Shawn Skinner 2,041 43.13%		Carly Bigelow 109 2.30%		Gerry Rogers 2,569 54.29%		Shawn Skinner
St. John's East		Ed Buckingham 2,175 40.77%		Mike Duffy 367 6.88%		George Murphy 2,766 51.85%		Ed Buckingham
St. John's North		Bob Ridgley 1,905 40.29%		Elizabeth Scammel Reynolds 201 4.25%		Dale Kirby 2,595 54.89%		Bob Ridgley
St. John's South		Tom Osborne 2,967 57.71%		Trevor Hickey 163 3.17%		Keith Dunne 1,994 38.79%		Tom Osborne
St. John's West		Dan Crummell 2,004 43.25%		George Joyce 890 19.21%		Chris Pickard 1,729 37.32%		Sheila Osborne†
Virginia Waters		Kathy Dunderdale 3,371 59.85%		Sheila Miller 536 9.52%		Dave Sullivan 1,708 30.33%		Kathy Dunderdale

St. John's suburbs

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Cape St. Francis		Kevin Parsons 4,132 59.06%		Joy Buckle 204 2.92%		Geoff Gallant 2,623 37.49%		Kevin Parsons
Conception Bay East - Bell Island		David Brazil 3,059 54.91%		Kim Ploughman 213 3.82%		Bill Kavanagh 2,290 41.11%		David Brazil
Conception Bay South		Terry French 3,632 69.01%		Cynthia Layden Barron 354 6.73%		Noah Davis-Power 1,263 24.00%		Terry French
Mount Pearl North		Steve Kent 3,727 70.82%		Maurice Budgell 363 6.90%		Kurtis Coombs 994 18.89%		Steve Kent
Mount Pearl South		Paul Lane 2,375 54.52%		Norm Snelgrove 299 6.86%		John Riche 1,675 38.45%		Dave Denine†
Topsail		Paul Davis 3,860 68.26%		Nic Reid 280 4.95%		Brian Nolan 1,507 26.65%		Paul Davis

Avalon and Burin Peninsulas

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Bellevue		Calvin Peach 3,005 60.12%		Pam Pardy Ghent 626 12.53%		Gabe Ryan 1,356 27.13%				Calvin Peach
Burin—Placentia West		Clyde Jackman 2,538 48.34%		Jacqueline Mullett 202 3.85%		Julie Mitchell 2,498 47.58%				Clyde Jackman
Carbonear—Harbour Grace		Jerome Kennedy 3,993 75.94%		Phillip Earle 774 14.72%		Shawn Hyde 445 8.46%		Kyle Brookings (Independent) 22 0.42%		Jerome Kennedy
Ferryland		Keith Hutchings 3,640 71.99%		Dianne Randell 181 3.58%		Chris Molloy 1,224 24.21%				Keith Hutchings
Grand Bank		Darin King 3,271 68.33%		Carol Anne Haley 1,336 27.91%		Wally Layman 167 3.49%				Darin King
Harbour Main		Tom Hedderson 3,600 69.32%		Bern Hickey 580 11.17%		Mike Maher 990 19.06%				Tom Hedderson
Placentia—St. Mary's		Felix Collins 2,516 49.71%		Todd Squires 1,055 20.85%		Trish Dodd 1,475 29.14%				Felix Collins
Port de Grave		Glenn Littlejohn 3,551 59.33%		Leanne Hussey 2,022 33.78%		Sarah Downey 396 6.62%				Roland Butler†
Trinity—Bay de Verde		Charlene Johnson 2,889 61.73%		Barry Snow 1,114 23.86%		Sheina Lerman 659 14.11%				Charlene Johnson

Central Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Baie Verte—Springdale		Kevin Pollard 2,552 52.65%		Neil Ward 1,827 37.69%		Tim Howse 456 9.41%				Kevin Pollard
Bonavista North		Eli Cross 1,723 46.26%		Paul Kean 1,518 40.75%		John Coaker 467 12.54%				Harry Harding†
Bonavista South		Glen Little 2,214 55.99%		Johanna Ryan Guy 532 13.45%		Darryl Johnson 1,198 30.30%				Roger Fitzgerald†
Exploits		Clayton Forsey 2,819 68.64%		Jim Samson 654 15.92%		Grant Hemeon 629 15.32%				Clayton Forsey
Gander		Kevin O'Brien 2,393 52.09%		Barry Warren 1,415 30.80%		Lukas Norman 770 16.76%				Kevin O'Brien
Grand Falls-Windsor—Buchans		Susan Sullivan 2,957 61.44%		Wayne Morris 1,540 31.20%		John Whelan 313 6.27%				Susan Sullivan
Grand Falls-Windsor—Green Bay South		Ray Hunter 2,131 57.16%		Merv Wiseman 1,165 31.25%		Clyde Bridger 418 11.21%				Ray Hunter
Lewisporte		Wade Verge 2,450 56.48%		Todd Manuel 891 20.54%		Lloyd Snow 988 22.78%				Wade Verge
Terra Nova		Sandy Collins 2,785 62.92%		Ryan Lane 631 14.26%		Robin Brentnall 648 14.64%		John Baird (Independent) 346 7.82%		Sandy Collins
The Isles of Notre Dame		Derrick Dalley 2,746 67.48%		Danny Dumaresque 1,070 26.12%		Tree Walsh 252 6.15%				Derrick Dalley
Trinity North		Ross Wiseman 3,211 66.74%		Brad Cabana 344 7.15%		Vanessa Wiseman 1,247 25.92%				Ross Wiseman

Western and Southern Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Bay of Islands		Terry Loder 2,003 37.05%		Eddie Joyce 2,760 51.05%		Tony Adey 625 11.56%				Terry Loder
Burgeo—La Poile		Colin Short 1,850 43.14%		Andrew Parsons 2,228 51.96%		Matt Fuchs 197 4.59%				Kelvin Parsons†
Fortune Bay—Cape La Hune		Tracey Perry 2,592 67.06%		Eric Skinner 596 15.42%		Susan Skinner 665 17.21%				Tracey Perry
Humber East		Tom Marshall 3,493 77.97%		Charles Murphy 378 8.44%		Marc Best 593 13.24%				Tom Marshall
Humber Valley		Darryl Kelly 2,541 46.72%		Dwight Ball 2,609 47.97%		Sheldon Hynes 270 4.96%				Darryl Kelly
Humber West		Vaughn Granter 2,335 59.28%		Donna Luther 832 21.12%		Jordan Stringer 765 19.42%				Vaughn Granter
Port au Port		Tony Cornect 2,609 58.69%		Kate Mitchell-Mansfield 954 21.46%		Jamie Brace 860 19.35%				Tony Cornect
St. Barbe		Wallace Young 1,779 44.05%		Jim Bennett 1816 44.94%		Diane Ryan 437 10.82%				Wallace Young
St. George's—Stephenville East		Joan Burke 2,104 49.08%		Kevin Aylward 1,396 32.56%		Bernice Hancock 705 16.45%		Dean Simon (Independent) 62 1.45%		Joan Burke
The Straits - White Bay North		Selma Pike 1,336 31.46%		Marshall Dean 1,382 32.54%		Chris Mitchelmore 1,511 35.58%				Marshall Dean

Labrador

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Cartwright—L'Anse au Clair		Glen Acreman 576 26.77%		Yvonne Jones 1,516 71.07%		Bill Cooper 44 2.06%		Yvonne Jones
Labrador West		Nick McGrath 1,843 50.80%		Karen Oldford 593 16.35%		Tom Harris 1,182 32.58%		Jim Baker†
Lake Melville		Keith Russell 1,741 49.50%		Chris Montague 531 15.10%		Arlene Michelin-Pittman 1,209 34.38%		John Hickey†
Torngat Mountains		Patty Pottle 586 37.66%		Randy Edmunds 744 47.81%		Alex Saunders 186 11.95%		Patty Pottle

MHAs not running again

Liberal

• Roland Butler, Port de Grave
• Kelvin Parsons, Burgeo-LaPoile

Progressive Conservative

• Jim Baker, Labrador West
• Dave Denine, Mount Pearl South
• Roger Fitzgerald, Bonavista South
• Harry Harding, Bonavista North
• John Hickey, Lake Melville
• Sheila Osborne, St. John's West

Opinion polls

Polling Firm	Date of Polling	Link	Progressive Conservative	Liberal	New Democratic
Corporate Research Associates	September 29 – October 3, 2011	HTML	59	16	25
Environics	September 29 – October 4, 2011	HTML	54	13	33
MarketQuest Omnifacts Research	September 28–30, 2011	HTML	54	13	33
MarketQuest Omnifacts Research	September 16–19, 2011	HTML	53	18	29
Corporate Research Associates	August 15–31, 2011	PDF	54	22	24
Corporate Research Associates	May 11–28, 2011	PDF Archived April 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine	57	22	20
Corporate Research Associates	February 10–28, 2011	PDF Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine	73	18	8
Corporate Research Associates	November 9–30, 2010	PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine	75	16	8
Corporate Research Associates	August 10–30, 2010	PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine	76	17	7
Corporate Research Associates	May 11–31, 2010	PDF Archived October 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine	75	16	8
Corporate Research Associates	February 9–25, 2010	PDF Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine	80	15	5
Corporate Research Associates	November 5–22, 2009	PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine	77	16	7
Corporate Research Associates	August 11–29, 2009	PDF Archived December 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine	77	15	8
Corporate Research Associates	May 12–30, 2009	PDF	72	19	8
Corporate Research Associates	February 11–28, 2009	PDF	71	22	7
Corporate Research Associates	November 5 – December 2, 2008	PDF	72	19	9
Corporate Research Associates	August 12–30, 2008	PDF	78	14	7
Corporate Research Associates	May 8 – June 1, 2008	PDF	77	13	8
Corporate Research Associates	February 12 – March 4, 2008	PDF	79	14	6
Corporate Research Associates	November 9 – December 3, 2007	PDF	82	12	7
Election 2007	October 9, 2007	HTML	69.6	21.7	8.5

Further reading

• Marland, Alex (2012). "A Race for Second Place: The 2011 Provincial Election in Newfoundland and Labrador". Canadian Political Science Review. 6 (2): 287–300. ISSN 1911-4125. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

Political parties

• Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party

External links

• CBC – Newfoundland and Labrador Votes 2011
• Elections Newfoundland and Labrador
• Election Almanac – Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Election 2011