Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve a better deal — and that starts with how decisions are made in this province. NDP Leader Jim Dinn, together with a strong team of candidates, has been showing how to deliver that better deal — not just during the 28-day campaign, but well before it began. – not just during the 28-day campaign, but long before it began.With a fully costed and balanced four-year platform, the New Democrats laid out a clear, credible path forward – projecting a $500 million surplus by year four with while lowering costs for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. It’s not just talk, it’s a plan backed by real numbers and real work.
Affordability
Throughout the campaign, Jim Dinn laid out clear, practical policies to help people make ends meet. The NDP is committed to removing the provincial HST from all forms of home heating – including wood, oil, electricity, and propane – while keeping the $500 oil rebate in place. A $22/hour minimum wage, paired with a cut to the small business corporate income tax, will help workers and small businesses thrive.
To help families, New Democrats will eliminate the HST on children’s essentials like clothing and footwear, and strengthen $10-a-day childcare by providing early childhood educators with 10 paid sick days, pensions, and benefits – a critical step in recruiting and retaining workers.
Students will benefit from rolled-back tuition to 2022 levels, a freeze on further increases, renewed investment in Memorial University, and paid work terms for nursing, teaching, pharmacy, and social work students.
For seniors, the NDP will increase the Seniors’ Benefit by 25 per cent and improve wages and benefits for home support workers – the first step in integrating them into the public system.
Healthcare
Both patients and healthcare workers deserve a better deal – and the NL NDP’s NL Cares Plan is designed to deliver just that. Focused on two urgent priorities – recruitment and retention – the plan recognizes that high-quality public healthcare starts with valuing the people who provide it.
The plan includes safe hours legislation, the creation of an independent Health Sector Safety Council, and the recruitment of 1,000 new healthcare workers to the public system – ending the reliance on costly travel nurses. It also expands access to primary care in rural and remote areas by scaling up the nurse travel locum program province-wide and adds 20 new seats at Memorial’s Medical School.
New Democrats will also integrate students into the health system early in their careers, with paid work terms and a guaranteed full-time, permanent job – so healthcare graduates can build their future right here at home.
An NL NDP government would also move immediately to sign on to the federal Pharmacare program – action that’s long overdue.
Housing
New Democrats understand that safe, affordable housing is foundational – not only for people’s well-being, but for easing pressure on public systems like healthcare and reducing crime in our communities. That’s why the NL NDP will launch the NL Homes Plan, building 1,000 affordable, non-market housing units per year in the areas that need them most.
To protect renters, the plan includes rental and vacancy controls to prevent people from being priced out of their homes – particularly by large corporate landlords and real estate investment trusts more focused on profits than stability.
The NDP will also double the First-Time Home Buyers Program to $3,000, adding $1,500 in savings to help make homeownership a reality for more people. And to ensure housing support puts people before profit, New Democrats will begin phasing out for-profit shelters and invest in the non-profit organizations already doing critical work on the ground.
Labrador
Labrador faces unique challenges – and New Democrats are committed to delivering a better deal for people across the Big Land. That’s why the NL NDP has released a dedicated Labrador Platform focused on real, community-driven solutions.
The plan includes a new 40-unit seniors’ complex in Labrador West to improve long-term care and support aging with dignity, and the construction of 200 new affordable housing units to address the housing crisis and reduce waitlists. It also commits to hiring 140 additional healthcare workers – including nurses, home care staff, and specialists – to reduce wait times and improve access to care.
The NDP will strengthen the Medical Transportation Assistance Program (MTAP), repair the province’s fifth water bomber to boost wildfire response, and introduce a Regional Transit Strategy to tackle the high cost of air travel.
To help power the future, New Democrats will advance a Critical Minerals Strategy – ensuring good union jobs, benefits, and lasting opportunities for Labrador communities.
Workers
As the party that proudly stands with workers, the NL NDP has put forward the NL Works Plan – a bold, comprehensive strategy to protect and create good jobs across the province.
The plan includes passing anti-scab legislation and restoring card check union certification to protect the right to organize. A dedicated Occupational Health Clinic will be established to improve workplace safety, and local procurement rules will be strengthened – with a clear mandate to Buy NL/Canadian unless no viable alternative exists.
To ensure public investments benefit local communities, the NDP will implement stronger local hiring and sourcing requirements for companies receiving government contracts, and mandate regional benefits agreements for all new resource projects. These agreements will prioritize local hiring, ensure Indigenous and municipal governments receive a fair share of royalties, and enforce strong environmental and labour standards.
The NL Works Plan also guarantees 10 paid sick days for all workers, invests in trades training and upskilling to prepare for the jobs of the future, increases Workers’ Compensation income replacement from 85% to 90%, and mandates that all Occupational Health and Safety inspection reports be published on the provincial government’s website.
Transparency
Getting a better deal for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians starts with getting ‘Big Money’ out of politics. That’s why Jim Dinn and the NL NDP are committed to banning corporate and union donations within the first 100 days of forming government.
The plan includes capping individual donations at $1,750, banning out-of-province donations, and introducing long-overdue reforms to conflict of interest laws for elected officials. The NDP will extend the current 12-month “cooling-off” period for former Executive Council members to four years – the length of one election cycle – and increase the period for former MHAs from 12 months to two years, aligning with standards in other provinces.
Conflict of interest rules will also be expanded to include board appointments, bringing the province in line with the federal Conflict of Interest Act. To ensure transparency, the NDP will make all MHA conflict of interest disclosures easily accessible to the public online.
Over the past 28 days – and since the 2021 election – New Democrats, under the leadership of Jim Dinn, have shown that a New Democratic government is focused on people, focused on the future, and committed to delivering a better deal for Newfoundland and Labrador.