2025 Platform Highlights
Newfoundland and Labrador is at a turning point. After a decade of Liberal government, life has become more expensive, healthcare is in crisis, and too many of us no longer feel safe in our communities. The current Liberal government has chosen photo ops over meaningful action, leaving too many people behind. It’s time for a government that listens, delivers, and puts the people of this province first.
A Progressive Conservative government will be different. We will restore affordability, ensure that healthcare works for all of us, and make our communities safer. Our plan is built on three key commitments:
Lower Taxes for All of Us,
Better Healthcare for All of Us, and
Safer Communities for All of Us.
These are commitments and priorities that reflect the everyday challenges Newfoundlanders and Labradorians face and the solutions we will deliver.
We know that affordability isn’t just about tax cuts—it’s about making life more manageable for families, seniors, and businesses struggling under rising costs. We will take real steps to ease financial pressures and put more money back in the pockets of hardworking people. We also know that fixing healthcare isn’t about more reports and empty promises—it’s about ensuring that everyone, no matter where they live, can access the care they need when they need it. It’s about supporting local health care professionals - not giving millions away to out of province agencies. And when it comes to safety, we won’t turn a blind eye to growing concerns—we will take decisive action to hire more police officers, invest in crime prevention, and ensure that every community feels more secure.
This election is about more than changing governments—it’s about building a future where people don’t just come from Newfoundland and Labrador; they come to it. A future where opportunity thrives, where no one is left behind, and where government works for all of us. Four more years of Liberal government will not change the path we’re on. The time for action is now, and with your support, we will make it happen.
Tony Wakeham
Leader of the PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
Our Team
A proud son of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, a father and grandfather, Tony is deeply invested in creating a better future for the next generation. His work in healthcare has given him the insight needed to improve access to services and ensure that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians get the care they need. With experience as a small business owner, he is a proven leader with a strong background in finance, auditing, and administration. Tony understands the challenges local businesses face and knows how to foster economic growth across the province.
Our team is made up of individuals from every corner of the province, with backgrounds that reflect the strength of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are not a team of political elites, but a group of community leaders, professionals, and experts who understand the needs of our regions. With experience in the military, law, education, business, resource development, and the social sector, our team represents the full province. We are deeply connected to the land, the sea, and the communities we serve.
Together, we will bring lower taxes, better healthcare, and safer communities for all of us.
Nina Rumbolt-Pye
Jim McKenna Tom Healey
Chris Tibbs Walter Yetman
Helen Conway Ottenheimer Fogo Island-Cape Freels Gander Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune Grand Falls-Windsor-Buchans Harbour Grace-Port de Grave Harbour Main Ethan Wheeler-Park
- Humber Ben Duggan Kristina Ennis
Better Healthcare
After ten years of Liberal government, Newfoundland and Labrador has fallen to the bottom of the rankings in healthcare across the country. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed, wait times are unacceptable, and far too many people are left without access to a family doctor.
After a decade of empty Liberal promises, our healthcare system has been pushed to the brink. Empty promises and self-serving photo-ops won’t recruit a single doctor or nurse, open up a single new hospital bed, or unclog a single Emergency Room.
It is time for meaningful and practical action to turn our health care system around today. A Progressive Conservative government will take action to fix healthcare, ensuring that all of us can get the care we need, when we need it.
Healthcare isn’t just about numbers—it’s about people. It’s about the mother waiting too long for a specialist appointment, the senior struggling to access home care, and the frontline workers stretched to the breaking point. A Wakeham government will focus on solutions that make a real difference, from recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals to expanding access in rural communities, reducing wait times across the system. We will support local health care professionals - not give millions away to out of province agencies.
We need a government that prioritizes patients over bureaucracy, outcomes over excuses. It means where you live should never determine the level of healthcare you receive. It means listening to frontline workers, ensuring our hospitals and clinics have the resources they need, and making healthcare truly work for the people it serves.
Healthcare should never be a privilege—it should be a right for all of us. Our plan will rebuild the system, reduce wait times, and provide better healthcare — FOR ALL OF US.
MAKING HEALTHCARE BETTER
A Wakeham PC government will:
• Replace out-of-province travel nurses with local nurses with a permanent province-wide program that brings registered nurses and nurse practitioners to you. A recommendation of the RNU.
• Pay medical transportation costs if you need to receive essential care outside your local region.
• Cover the costs of Nurse Practitioner visits - no strings attached.
• Guarantee jobs for students training in a program where there are staff shortages.
• Reduce wait times with the purchase of at least 4 new MRI machines for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. New MRIs will be located in Labrador, Grand Falls-Windsor, the Burin Peninsula with the fourth local to be determined based on need.
• Provide paid work terms for students training in medical and healthcare professions.
• Train more nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors.
• Increase access and decrease wait times for people who need mental healthcare and addiction services.
Lower Taxes
Life in Newfoundland and Labrador has become more expensive. Families, seniors, and businesses are feeling the pressure. For too long, the government has stood by while the cost of living soars, piling on taxes and fees that make it harder to get ahead.
Right now, 30% of residents struggle to afford groceries—proof that too many are being left behind. A cart of groceries that cost $142 ten years ago, now costs $188. It’s time to stop making life harder for families and start creating real opportunities for them to succeed.
Affordability is about lowering the everyday costs that eat away at household budgets. It’s about ensuring businesses have the stability they need to grow, create jobs, and keep our economy strong.
We believe that no one should have to choose between paying their bills and building a future in this province. Under Tony Wakeham’s leadership, our focus will be on practical solutions that deliver immediate relief and long-term prosperity
A Progressive Conservative government will take real action to make life more affordable — starting by reducing the taxes you pay. But just as our affordability challenges go far beyond the tax burden, so will our solutions with a plan that will do more than just cut taxes but also put more money back into your pockets through targeted support.
Newfoundland and Labrador should be a place where people can afford to stay, build a life, and thrive. Our plan will put affordability first — FOR ALL OF US.
AWakeham PC government will:
• Not charge provincial income tax on the first $15,000 you earn. The highest tax exemption in Atlantic Canada.
• Increase the NL Seniors’ Benefit by 20% and provide the NL Child Benefit to 3,000 more children.
• Provide a tuition refund for graduates who work in the province.
• Permanently reduce the Gas Tax.
• Provide a tax credit for rotational workers.
• Provide paid work terms for students.
Safer Communities
Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian deserves to feel safe at home and in their community. But after a decade of Liberal inaction, crime, drug-related violence, and repeat offenders are on the rise. In fact, Newfoundland and Labrador experienced the largest increase in the overall crime rate of any province in Canada last year.
Newfoundland and Labrador has devolved from a province where people felt safe to leave their doors unlocked. Where once violence and crime were only on television, it is now a very real fear for residents. Many people no longer feel safe—not in schools, on the streets, or even in their homes.
Our police services are stretched thin, responding to calls but unable to provide the thorough investigations and support that residents need. Residents are afraid when they hear about break and enters, theft, and drug overdoses. Far too often we hear that people are being asked to “shelter in place.” This isn’t just a problem in St. John’s—it’s a problem across our province, including in rural communities.
There simply aren’t enough police officers in this province. A Wakeham government will change that. We will invest in policing and crime prevention. We’ll also ensure the justice system holds offenders accountable, with enough Police and Crown Prosecutors to keep dangerous individuals off our streets.
At the same time, those who suffer from an addiction and want help are forced to wait far too long for treatment. Some are even left with no option but to leave the province to access the care they need. That is unacceptable.
We believe in focusing on recovery. We commend those here at home who have the expertise and the passion to provide treatment and rehabilitation. We will support the creation of new treatment centres right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. People struggling with addiction should have better access to detox, faster admission to treatment, and the ability to live in communities that support their long-term sobriety.
No one should feel unsafe where they live. A Progressive Conservative government will act decisively to restore public safety — FOR ALL OF US.
CREATING SAFER COMMUNITIES
A Wakeham PC government will:
• Hire at least 25 new RCMP Officers.
• Hire at least 21 new RNC Officers – returning the force to the highest level in a decade.
• Hire more Crown Attorneys.
• Push the federal government for bail reform to end the practice of “catch and release”
• Support municipalities’ community safety plans.
• Increase access to detox, rehab treatment, and sober living for those recovering from addictions.
• Reduce wait times for mental healthcare.
• Expand mobile mental health crisis teams.
Authorized by the Official Agent for the PC party of Newfoundland and Labrador