Graham Letto is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician, who served in the

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 2015 until 2019. He represented the district of Labrador West as a member of the

Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is one of the three parties currently represented in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, and one of two t ...

. Prior to his election to the legislature, Letto served as mayor of

Labrador City Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population cent ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

from 2001 until 2009.

Background

He was born in

Forteau Forteau is a town in southern Labrador, an area of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 377 as of the Canada 2021 Census. The town is located along Route 510 in Labrador, between L'Anse-au-Clair and L ...

and grew up in

L'Anse-au-Clair L'Anse-au-Clair is a town in the Labrador portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Touching the small portion of Labrador’s southern ocean, the town has a population of 219 in the 2021 census, up from 192 in 2011. It is located on Route ...

Political career

In 1989, Letto sought election to the town council of Labrador City, and was elected. He was also re-elected to the council in 1993 and 1997. Then in 2001, Letto was elected as mayor of Labrador City. During the

2003 Newfoundland and Labrador general election The 2003 Newfoundland and Labrador general election was held on October 21, 2003, to elect the 48 members of the 45th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador. The election was called on September 29 by Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, ...

, he ran in the provincial riding of Labrador West as the Progressive Conservative candidate, but was defeated by

Randy Collins Randy Collins is a Canadian politician and a former New Democratic Party (NDP) member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. He represented the Labrador West riding until his resignation in early 2007 due to corruption charges. ...

of the

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National Dev ...

. On May 24, 2005, Letto ran for the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

in the

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

riding in a by-election. Letto lost, but increased the Conservative vote in the traditional Liberal riding substantially. On September 27, 2005, Letto was re-elected mayor of Labrador City in the 2005 municipal election. He did not seek a third term during the 2009 municipal elections, and was succeeded by Janice Barnes. Letto received a Federation of Canadian Municipalities Roll of Honour Award in June 2014. In August 2015, Letto was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Labrador West for the 2015 provincial election. On November 30, 2015, Letto won the seat, defeating New Democrat and former Wabush Mayor Ron Barron and Progressive Conservative incumbent Nick McGrath. On November 8, 2018, Letto was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment. In the 2019 provincial election Letto was defeated by NDP candidate Jordan Brown in a major upset.

Electoral record

Provincial

Federal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Letto, Graham Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Living people 21st-century mayors of places in Newfoundland and Labrador Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador People from Labrador City Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs 21st-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Year of birth missing (living people)