Newfoundland and Labrador pulls out of talks about national marine conservation area

Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial legislature building is seen in St. John's, Aug. 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie

ST. JOHN’S — Newfoundland and Labrador’s new government is ending talks with Ottawa about a proposed national marine conservation area.

The Progressive Conservatives say a conservation area along Newfoundland’s south coast would threaten nearby mining, fishing and aquaculture operations, as well as the communities supported by those industries.

The federal government signed a memorandum of understanding with Newfoundland and Labrador’s then-Liberal government in 2023 to assess whether a conservation area in the region was possible.

The agreement also included the possibility of redesignating Sandbanks Provincial Park, near Burgeo, N.L., as a national park.

The Miawpukek and Qalipu First Nations and the town of Burgeo also signed the memorandum.

The union representing inshore fishers in the province, as well as the provincial aquaculture industry, opposed the idea, and the Progressive Conservatives promised ahead of the October election to pull out of the agreement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2026.