The Labrador Party (or New Labrador Party) was the name of two political parties in

Newfoundland 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 population ...

advocating the interests of the region of

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 ...

, Canada.

New Labrador Party (1969–1975)

The party was founded in 1969 by Tom Burgess, a disaffected former Liberal MHA who crossed the floor to become an independent when he was passed over for a cabinet seat. He was re-elected to 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 Labrador West in the 1971 provincial election under the New Labrador Party banner. The election returned a

hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...

. Burgess initially indicated that he would support the opposition Progressive Conservative Party's bid to form a government and unseat Premier

Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...

's Liberals but, days after Conservative leader Frank Moores was sworn in as Premier, Burgess was enticed to rejoin the Liberals under the false promise that he would succeed Joey Smallwood as Liberal leader and Premier. Burgess joined the Liberals on January 31, 1972 but was defeated in the party's leadership convention. His defection and that of a Progressive Conservative MHA was enough to bring down the Moores government and force an election; however, Burgess lost his seat and Moores formed a majority Conservative government. Mike Martin won a seat for the party in a 1972

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in Labrador South. However, the MHA retired prior to the 1975 election, and the party was dissolved.

Second Labrador Party

Feelings among Labradorians that the region has been neglected by the Newfoundland and Labrador government led to the party's refounding in 2003 with Ern Condon as leader. The party nominated candidates in each of Labrador's four ridings in that year's election, with the hope of holding the balance of power in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

and being able to trade political support for more services and attention to Labrador. The party failed to win any seats, though Brandon Pardy came in second in Lake Melville with 32% of the vote. The party received 12% of the vote in Labrador West, 8% in

Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011, there are 3,131 eligible voters living within the district. The district covers remote communities in South ...

, and 5% in

Torngat Mountains The Torngat Mountains are a mountain range on the Labrador Peninsula at the northern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Quebec. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera. The mountains form a peninsula that separates Ungava Bay from the ...

. The party chose Ron Barron, the Deputy Mayor of

Wabush Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations. Economy Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a populati ...

, as the party leader in preparation for the next provincial election. In a

for the riding of Labrador West held on March 13, 2007, Labrador Party candidate Ron Barron came in third, winning 670 of a total of just over 4000 votes cast. In the fall election in 2007, the Labrador Party decided not to run candidates in three of Labrador's four ridings so the vote between parties opposed to the Progressive Conservatives would not get split. Jimmy Tuttauk, the party's only candidate, earned almost 8% of the vote in the district of

Leaders

* Tom Burgess (1969–1972) * Ern Condon (2003–2004) * Ron Barron (2004–2007)

Notes

External links

History of the New Labrador Party
(1969–1975) {{Newfoundland and Labrador provincial political parties Provincial political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador Labrador

New Labrador Party (1969–1975)

Second Labrador Party

Leaders

See also

Notes

External links