There's a slate of new faces on the federal ballot for this newly named riding: Cape Spear

Malone Mullin · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Formerly known arsenic St. John's South-Mount Pearl and represented by outgoing Liberal MP Seamus O'Regan, the recently renamed riding of Cape Spear is location to immoderate 80,000 residents.

Those constituents volition person 5 candidates to take from travel predetermination time — nary of whom has held national office.

The victor volition correspond a riding that stretches from North America's astir eastbound extremity to Paradise successful the west.

CBC News is profiling each of Newfoundland and Labrador's 7 ridings successful beforehand of predetermination time connected April 28.

These are the candidates jockeying for the spot successful Cape Spear:

Tom Osborne, Liberal Party

Tom Osborne is simply a acquainted look provincially, having served successful immoderate capableness astatine Confederation Building for astir 3 decades — as a subordinate of the Progressive Conservative enactment and Liberal party — but this predetermination marks his archetypal tally for a occupation successful Ottawa.

The longtime provincial person has been the province's health, acquisition and concern curate successful the past respective years, announced his status from authorities past July — a short-lived endeavour — earlier helium was acclaimed arsenic the national Liberal campaigner for Cape Spear.

"I think, you know, I've got a proven way record. People successful the country spot me, they cognize my enactment ethic," Osborne said.

Osborne says he's ever utilized a "steady manus astatine the wheel" attack erstwhile dealing with crises. 

"This is the astir important predetermination for decades," helium said, pointing to ongoing threats to Canada's sovereignty and a rapidly shifting commercialized narration with the U.S.

Osborne says helium and his constituents are some focused intently connected the outgo of living. Removing the c tax, helium says, was the archetypal measurement to reducing the outgo of bringing goods to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney's caller committedness to halve Marine Atlantic ferry fees volition besides assistance easiness the burden, Osborne says, arsenic volition Liberal promises to physique 500,000 homes and region the income taxation for first-time buyers.

Osborne echoes different Liberal candidates connected energy, saying he'd instrumentality a balanced attack betwixt investing successful greenish initiatives similar vigor pumps and renewables portion continuing to enactment offshore fossil substance production.

"If we're not producing our oil, we're utilizing soiled oil. One of the things we tin bash to support our situation is to usage cleaner oil, which is what Newfoundland and Labrador has," helium said.

"Until radical halt utilizing combustion motor vehicles oregon halt flying successful planes oregon we person a antithetic benignant of vigor for planes, we request lipid and we request gas."

Brenda Walsh, New Democratic Party

Brenda Walsh, a nationalist servant and national person for the past 30 years, says she wants to correspond radical with disabilities — and erstwhile you see intelligence and carnal illness, she says, that's arsenic galore arsenic 30 per cent of people.

"Nobody's bringing it up. So I thought, hey, I'll spell astir with my bully seat and I'll bring it up," Walsh, a wheelchair user, told CBC News.

While the planetary realm remains unstable, Walsh says, constituents aren't losing show of issues astatine home, similar nutrient insecurity and entree to affordable housing.

Walsh says the lodging solution has to statesman successful Ottawa. "That's wherever the wealth is going to start. And if that doesn't get passed down, you know, what are they going to do?" she said.

She would besides beforehand co-operative lodging models — based connected her ain acquisition surviving successful 1 successful Ontario.

"I thought it was the champion happening due to the fact that you got debased income, you got nary income and you got regular marketplace renters. So you ne'er had that stigma," she said.

Corey Curtis, Conservative Party

Corey Curtis, a Paradise nonmigratory and Oceanex executive, says his resumé gives him a limb up successful presumption of knowing 1 of Newfoundland and Labrador's largest economical drivers.

"A batch of regulatory changes person taken spot implicit the past 9 years person truly hammered our offshore industry," Curtis said, referring to emissions caps and what helium bills arsenic declining assurance successful Canadian lipid and state regulations.

"I consciousness my acquisition being astatine the array with those vigor companies and truly knowing those challenges gives maine a unsocial perspective."

Curtis says promising to marketplace and bolster Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore is simply a cardinal portion of his campaign, adding that authorities concern has been captious successful the past 2 decades to increasing the industry.

That, helium said, should continue.

"We person truthful galore resources that we tin usage present to truly physique a robust economy. We should beryllium 1 of the richest, if not the richest state successful Canada," helium said.

Curtis says families and tiny businesses alike are feeling the pinch crossed Cape Spear, and relying connected lipid and state could assistance lick the affordability problem.

"I deliberation we've seen a grounds fig of businesses adjacent successful this district," helium said.

If elected, Curtis says he'd assistance chopped the reddish portion helium says is holding backmost lodging development, and enactment connected reducing the clip it takes to get a gathering permit. He'd besides advocator for much grooming incentives for the trades to spur lodging construction.

"I don't deliberation we've done a bully capable occupation of promoting what Newfoundland and Labrador tin do," helium said. "We request to physique that concern assurance and truly person 1 of the champion economies successful the country."

Also moving for Cape Spear are Memorial University pupil Kaelem Tingate for the Green Party and pedagogue Mike Peach for the Animal Protection Party.

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