Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly (French: Chambre d'assemblée de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador) is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.[1] It meets in the Confederation Building in St. John's. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the name of the King of Canada.[2]

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
50th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1832; 193 years ago (1832)
Leadership
Derek Bennett, Liberal
since 12 April 2021
John Hogan, Liberal
since 9 May 2025
Tony Wakeham, Progressive Conservative
since 14 October 2023
Government House Leader
Steve Crocker, Liberal
since 19 August 2020
Opposition House Leader
Structure
Seats40
Political groups
Government
  •   Liberal (19)

Official Opposition

Others

Elections
Last election
March 25, 2021
Next election
On or before November 24, 2025
Meeting place
Colonial Building (1850–1959)
Confederation Building (1959–present)
Website
www.assembly.nl.ca

The governing party sits on the left side of the speaker of the House of Assembly as opposed to the traditional right side of the speaker. This tradition dates back to the 1850s as the heaters in the Colonial Building were located on the left side. Thus, the government chose to sit near the heat, and leave the opposition sitting in the cold.[3]

Homes of Legislature

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Before 1850 the legislature has sat at various locations including Mary Travers' tavern on Duckworth Street across from War Memorial 1832, St. John's Court House (at Duckworth and Church Hill) from 1833 to 1846, a building on southwest corner of Water Street and Prescott Street (since replaced with office building) and the site of the former St. Patrick’s Hall on Queen’s Road and Garrison Hill (demolished and replace by current building 1880[4]).

Permanent homes of the legislature, Confederation Building and Colonial Building, are the only surviving structures.[5][6]

Constituencies

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Members represent one electoral district each. There are 40 seats in the House of Assembly.[7]

Seating plan

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Korab Loveless Howell Pike Reid Gambin-Walsh Stoyles
P.Parsons Stoodley Vacant Vacant Davis Hutton Vacant
Coady Crocker Hogan Dempster Haggie Byrne Trimper
Bennett
Pardy Petten Wakeham Dinn
Tibbs O'Driscoll Conway-Ottenheimer Parrott McKenna Dinn Vacant
Wall Forsey Dwyer Evans Paddock Joyce Lane

Current as of June 2025 [8]

Current members (MHAs)

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Colonial Building, the House of Assembly of the Dominion of Newfoundland
 
Newfoundland House of Assembly in Colonial Building, ca. 1914

Party leaders' names are written in bold and cabinet ministers in italic, with the Speaker of the House of Assembly designated by a dagger (†).

Name Party Riding First elected / previously elected
  Lin Paddock Progressive Conservative Baie Verte-Green Bay 2024
  Craig Pardy Progressive Conservative Bonavista 2019
  Vacant Burgeo-La Poile
  Paul Pike Liberal Burin-Grand Bank 2021
  Joedy Wall Progressive Conservative Cape St. Francis 2021
  Steve Crocker Liberal Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde 2014
  Lisa Dempster Liberal Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair 2013
  Fred Hutton Liberal Conception Bay East-Bell Island 2024
  Barry Petten Progressive Conservative Conception Bay South 2015
  Gerry Byrne Liberal Corner Brook 2015
  Pleaman Forsey Progressive Conservative Exploits 2019
  Loyola O'Driscoll Progressive Conservative Ferryland 2019
  Jim McKenna Progressive Conservative Fogo Island-Cape Freels 2024
  Elvis Loveless Liberal Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune 2019
  John Haggie Liberal Gander 2015
  Chris Tibbs Progressive Conservative Grand Falls-Windsor-Buchans 2019
  Pam Parsons Liberal Harbour Grace-Port de Grave 2015
  Helen Conway-Ottenheimer Progressive Conservative Harbour Main 2019
  Eddie Joyce Independent Humber-Bay of Islands 1989,[a] 1999,[b] 2011
  Vacant Humber-Gros Morne
  Vacant Labrador West
  Perry Trimper Liberal Lake Melville 2015
  Derek Bennett Liberal Lewisporte-Twillingate 2015
  Lucy Stoyles Liberal Mount Pearl North 2021
  Paul Lane Independent Mount Pearl-Southlands 2011[c]
  Sarah Stoodley Liberal Mount Scio 2019
  Jeff Dwyer Progressive Conservative Placentia West-Bellevue 2019
  Sherry Gambin-Walsh Liberal Placentia-St. Mary's 2015
  Krista Lynn Howell Liberal St. Barbe-L'Anse aux Meadows 2021
  Scott Reid Liberal St. George's-Humber 2014
  Jim Dinn New Democratic St. John's Centre 2019
  Vacant St. John's East-Quidi Vidi
  Siobhán Coady Liberal St. John's West 2015
  Tony Wakeham Progressive Conservative Stephenville-Port au Port 2019
  Lloyd Parrott Progressive Conservative Terra Nova 2019
  Paul Dinn Progressive Conservative Topsail-Paradise 2019
  Lela Evans Progressive Conservative Torngat Mountains 2019
  Bernard Davis Liberal Virginia Waters-Pleasantville 2015
  Jamie Korab Liberal Waterford Valley 2024
  John Hogan Liberal Windsor Lake 2021

Seat total and official layout

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Summary of the current standings of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador
Party Leader Seats
March 25, 2021 Current
Liberal John Hogan 22 19
Progressive Conservative Tony Wakeham 13 14
New Democratic Jim Dinn 2 1
Independent N/A 3 2
Vacant N/A 0 4
Members 40 40

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Maher, David. "You could say the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is in its 'infant' stage | The Chronicle Herald". www.thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Newfoundland Act, 12-13 Geo. VI [1949], c. 22 (U.K.), Sch. 1 (Terms of Union) s. 14
  3. ^ O'Neill, Paul (2003). The Oldest City: The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland. St. Philip's, NL: Boulder Publications. p. 336. ISBN 9781459301238.
  4. ^ "History – Benevolent Irish Society". Archived from the original on August 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "October 2013".
  6. ^ "Newfoundland's historic Colonial Building to undergo restoration – Daily Commercial News". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  7. ^ "Full list of winners in Newfoundland and Labrador election". CBC News, November 30, 2015.
  8. ^ "Seating Plan". Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.

Notes

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  1. ^ First Elected as a Liberal
  2. ^ Re-elected as Liberal
  3. ^ First Elected as a Progressive Conservative and Re-elected as Liberal
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