Newfoundland and Labrador party leaders fan out for first day of election campaign

Former deputy premier Siobhan Coady greets Liberal leader John Hogan, with his daughter Maggie, at a rally in St. John's, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, to start the 2025 provincial election campaign. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN’S — The leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador’s biggest parties will be on opposite sides of the province for the first full day of the election campaign.

Liberal Leader John Hogan will be campaigning in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, in Labrador, and Progressive Conservative Leader Tony Wakeham will be in St. John’s.

The election call Monday came as people who lost homes to wildfires in Conception Bay North were still waiting to hear if they’d receive any government money to recover and rebuild.

Jamie Korab, the Liberal minister responsible for housing, says the campaign period will not interrupt any talks between the provincial and federal governments about compensation.

He says the province doesn’t yet know what it will get through the federal government’s disaster financial assistance program, so it hasn’t been able to finalize its own relief packages.

Wildfires destroyed more than 200 homes, cabins and other structures in central and eastern Newfoundland this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2025.