Despite election defeat, John Hogan vows to remain leader of N.L. Liberals

ST. JOHN’S – The leader of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberals says he plans to stay on and fight as his party seeks recounts in three districts following a surprise defeat in this month’s provincial election.

Surrounded by most of his caucus, John Hogan spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the Liberals were booted from power and reduced to Official Opposition in the Oct. 14 election. The Progressive Conservatives won a slim majority in a result that shocked many in the province.

Hogan, who won his riding, said the election revealed that Newfoundland and Labrador is divided.

“I think there is still a little bit of Liberal hangover from the past federal Liberal prime minister, which we need to continue to work on in rural parts of the province,” he added, referring to the unpopularity of Justin Trudeau, who stepped down earlier this year after nine years in office.

Hogan noted repeatedly that the election was close: the Progressive Conservatives won 44.4 per cent of votes cast, compared with 43.4 per cent for the Liberals.

When asked if he had thought about resigning, Hogan said, “I am the leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, and I was elected now in this role by the people of this province.”

The Tories’ win ended 10 years of Liberal rule in Canada’s easternmost province. However, the Liberals announced Tuesday that they asked the province’s Supreme Court for recounts in three districts narrowly won by Progressive Conservatives, by margins ranging from 18 to 102 votes.

The Progressive Conservatives won 21 of 40 seats in the legislature, and the Liberals won 15. If any recount goes ahead and ends in the Liberals’ favour, the Tories’ majority would be lost.

Hogan, a 47-year-old lawyer, said the party filed evidence suggesting there were “different interpretations given about how to count votes.”

The Liberal leader also took a few shots at the Progressive Conservatives.

“They made a lot of promises during the last four or five weeks … which we don’t feel they will be able to live up to,” Hogan said. “We will do our job to make sure they deliver what they told Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that they would deliver.”

Hogan said he is particularly concerned about the fate of a draft deal with Hydro-Québec that promises billions of dollars in new revenue to Newfoundland and Labrador over the next five decades. The province’s hydro utilities have been negotiating final agreements with a goal of reaching binding deals by April 2026.

But premier-designate Tony Wakeham has promised an independent review of the draft deal, as well as a public referendum on the final agreement. It’s not clear how long the review or referendum would take, or how they would affect negotiations. Meanwhile, Quebec is scheduled for a general election in October 2026 and the separatist Parti Québécois is ahead in the polls.

“I’m very worried that we will see the end of this (memorandum of understanding,)” Hogan said. “Are they going to scrap the most financially positive opportunity that this province has ever seen?” 

Wakeham, a former health-care bureaucrat, is set to be sworn in as premier on Wednesday. He will be the province’s third premier in about six months. Hogan became Liberal leader and premier in May, replacing Andrew Furey, who announced in February his intention to resign.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.