1975 Newfoundland general election

1975 Newfoundland general election

←  1972 September 16, 1975 1979  →
51 seats to the 37th General Assembly of Newfoundland 26 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	72.8% ( 6.2% pp) [1]
First party Second party Third party   PC LIB Leader Frank Moores Edward Roberts Joey Smallwood Party Progressive Conservative Liberal Reform Liberal Leader since 1972 1972 1975 Leader's seat Humber West Strait of Belle Isle Twillingate [a] Last election 33 seats, 60.22% 9 seats, 37.06% New party Seats won 30 16 4 Seat change 3 7 4 Popular vote 101,016 82,270 26,552 Percentage 45.54% 37.09% 11.96% Swing 14.68pp 0.03pp n/a
Premier before election Frank Moores Progressive Conservative Premier after election Frank Moores Progressive Conservative

The 1975 Newfoundland general election was held on 16 September 1975 to elect members of the 37th General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.

Results

	Party	Leader	1972	Seats won	% change	Popular vote	(%)
	Progressive Conservative	Frank Moores	33	30	-9.1%	101,016	45.54
	Liberal	Ed Roberts	9	16	+56%	82,270	37.09
	Reform Liberal	Joey Smallwood	-	4	N/A	26,522	11.96
	New Democratic	Gerry Panting	-	-	0%	9,653	4.35
	Other (Independent Liberal)		-	*1	0%	2,357	1.06
Totals			42	51	-	222,789	100.00

Results by district

• Names in boldface type represent party leaders.
• † indicates that the incumbent did not run again.
• ₰ indicates that the incumbent ran in another district and lost the nomination.
• ‡ indicates that the incumbent ran in a different district.

St. John's

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		NDP
Kilbride 72.56% turnout		Robert Wells 2,939 62.71%		Ern Antle 1,037 22.12%		Hugh Shea 711 15.17%				New district
Pleasantville 75.76% turnout		Jerome Dinn 2,903 46.33%		Maxwell Dyke 1,125 17.95%		David Owens 479 7.65%		Gerry Panting 1,759 28.07%		New district
St. John's Centre 66.08% turnout		Anthony Murphy 2,366 59.58%		William Doyle 956 24.08%		John Coyle 649 16.34%				Anthony Murphy
St. John's East 65.30% turnout		William Marshall 2,032 55.08%		Brian Clarke 357 9.68%		David Gulliver 721 19.54%		Robert Griffiths 579 15.70%		William Marshall
St. John's North 72.49% turnout		John Carter 1,944 46.13%		Graham Wood 1,386 32.89%				Andrew Wells 884 20.98%		John Carter
St. John's South 65.66% turnout		John Collins 2,221 66.96%		Gordon Lidstone 1,096 33.04%						Robert Wells‡ (ran in Kilbride)
St. John's West 67.55% turnout		John Crosbie 2,134 55.70%		Robert Innes 1,697 44.30%						John Crosbie
Waterford-Kenmount 66.24% turnout		Gerry Ottenheimer 2,922 54.29%		Gerald Moore 1,062 19.73%		Roy Upshall 808 15.02%		Elizabeth Genge 590 10.96%		New district

St. John's suburbs

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		NDP
Conception Bay South 79.24% turnout		Gordon Dawe 3,062 44.21%		John Nolan 3,112 44.93%		Ralph Petten 467 6.74%		Wilson Porter 285 4.12%		New district
Mount Pearl 75.20% turnout		Neil Windsor 1,885 41.03%		Kell Ashford 1,513 32.93%				Helen Porter 1,196 26.04%		New district
Mount Scio 85.10% turnout		Ray Winsor 2,685 47.88%		Len Stirling 1,978 35.27%				Bill Gillespie 945 16.85%		New district
St. John's East Extern 82.05% turnout		Tom Hickey 3,318 65.28%		Michael Laurie 1,765 34.72%						Tom Hickey

Avalon Peninsula

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		NDP
Carbonear 79.22% turnout		Fred Earle 1,919 36.92%		Walter Milley 1,194 22.97%		Rod Moores 2,085 40.11%				Augustus Rowe†
Ferryland 83.47% turnout		Charlie Power 1,240 30.48%		Martin O'Brien 1,232 30.28%		Kenneth Carew 918 22.57%		Kevin Condon 678 16.67%		Thomas Doyle‡ (ran in Twillingate)
Harbour Grace 79.89% turnout		Haig Young 1,982 45.79%		Ted Pike 969 22.38%		Clarence Engelbrecht (Bob Lewis) 1,378 31.83%				Haig Young
Harbour Main-Bell Island 69.24% turnout		William Doody 2,944 65.96%		Wilfred Drover 1,519 34.04%						Gordon Dawe‡ Harbour Main (ran in Conception Bay South)
										William Doody Harbour Main
									Merged district
										Steve Neary₰ Bell Island (ran in La Poile)
Placentia 78.90% turnout		William Patterson 1,721 41.40%		Anthony Sparrow 1,698 40.85%		Alphonsus Best 738 17.75%				Fintan Aylward† Placentia East
Port de Grave 74.97% turnout		George Wilson 1,625 33.18%		James Hussey 1,624 33.15%		Eric Dawe 1,649 33.67%				George Wilson
St. Mary's-The Capes 77.41% turnout		Walter Carter 2,168 60.81%		Ted Noseworthy 264 7.41%		John Devereaux 1,133 31.78%				Gerry Ottenheimer St. Mary's (ran in Waterford-Kenmount)
Trinity-Bay de Verde 74.09% turnout		James Reid 1,536 37.85%		Frederick B. Rowe 2,197 54.14%		Raymond Taylor 325 8.01%				Brendan Howard† Bay de Verde
									Merged district
										James Reid Trinity South

Eastern Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		Other
Bellevue 74.42% turnout		Graham Bennett 1,303 23.55%		Hubert Kitchen 2,044 36.94%		Wilson Callan 2,186 39.51%				New district
Bonavista North 70.07% turnout		George Cross 1,518 35.80%		Paul Thoms 1,511 35.64%		Samuel King 1,211 28.56%				Paul Thoms
Bonavista South 67.69% turnout		Jim Morgan 2,326 62.23%		George Allen 474 12.68%		William Smallwood 938 25.09%				Jim Morgan
Fogo 58.14% turnout		Barton Manning 947 28.06%		Earl Winsor 2,428 71.94%						Earl Winsor
Terra Nova 68.44% turnout		Samuel Saunders 1,069 26.80%		Tom Lush 2,116 53.06%		Bill Broderick 803 20.14%				New district
Trinity North 73.04% turnout		Charlie Brett 2,554 54.67%		Calvin Lethbridge 979 20.95%		Bren Power Jr. 1,073 22.97%		Edgar Russell (Independent) 66 1.41%		Charlie Brett

Central Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		NDP
Baie Verte-White Bay 79.86% turnout		Desmond Sullivan 1,592 31.35%		Tom Rideout 2,911 57.31%		Carl Wright 576 11.34%				Bill Rowe† White Bay South
Exploits 69.70% turnout [b]		Stephen Mulrooney 2,464 50.09%		Hugh Twomey 2,455 49.91%						New district
Gander 76.91% turnout		Harold Collins 2,462 57.07%		Averill Baker 1,852 42.93%						Harold Collins
Grand Falls 77.19% turnout		John Lundrigan 2,126 70.34%		Mundun Batstone 1,014 27.21%				Ernest Duder 586 15.73%		Aubrey Senior†
Green Bay 66.60% turnout		Brian Peckford 2,639 70.34%		Corbin Clarke 1,028 27.40%				Harold Card 85 2.26%		Brian Peckford
Lewisporte 75.98% turnout		James Russell 2,214 43.18%		Freeman White 2,719 53.02%		Randolph LeDrew 195 3.80%				James Russell
Twillingate 73.80% turnout		Thomas Doyle 877 24.17%		Woodrow Philpott 1,200 33.07%		Joey Smallwood 1,467 40.42%		Roderick Woolridge 85 2.34%		Herbert Gillett†
Windsor-Buchans 75.59% turnout		Walter Critchley 1,233 29.32%		Graham Flight 2,363 56.18%				Donald Head 610 14.50%		New district

Southern Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		Other
Burgeo-Bay d'Espoir 72.00% turnout		Brendan Howard 770 23.19%		Roger Simmons 2,550 76.81%						Allan Evans Burgeo-La Poile (ran in La Poile)
Burin-Placentia West 81.02% turnout		Leo Barry 2,237 39.95%		Patrick Canning 3,363 60.05%						Leo Barry Placentia West
Fortune-Hermitage 66.59% turnout		H.R.V. Earle 1,219 34.71%		Jack Winsor 1,696 48.29%		William Brown 597 17.00%				H.R.V. Earle Fortune Bay
									Merged district
										Roger Simmons‡ Hermitage (ran in Burgeo-Bay d'Espoir)
Grand Bank 75.07% turnout		Alex Hickman 2,038 39.72%		Ted Skakum 1,912 37.26%		Robert Field 1,054 20.54%		Esther Spracklin (NDP) 127 2.48%		Alex Hickman Burin
La Poile 76.96% turnout		Allan Evans 1,558 34.23%		Walter Hodder 758 16.66%				Steve Neary (Independent Liberal) 2,185 48.01%		New district
								Eric Hiscock (Independent) 50 1.10%

Western Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		Other
Bay of Islands 75.29% turnout		Luke Woodrow 1,726 37.71%		David Barter 1,250 27.31%		Arthur Vincent 970 21.19%		David Hunt (NDP) 631 13.79%		New district
Humber East 72.03% turnout		Tom Farrell 2,595 58.17%		Clayton Hutchings 1,866 41.83%						Tom Farrell
Humber Valley 69.42% turnout		Wallace House 2,221 53.03%		Stanley Parsons 902 21.54%		Alex Wiseman 865 20.65%		Kenneth Prowse (Independent) 200 4.78%		New district
Humber West 78.22% turnout		Frank Moores 2,419 49.77%		Fred Basha 927 19.07%		Geoff Stirling 1,380 28.39%		Gordon Mullett (NDP) 135 2.77%		Frank Moores
Port au Port 80.87% turnout		James Cochrane 1,543 43.69%		Jim Hodder 1,989 56.31%						Jim Hodder
St. Barbe 70.35% turnout		Edward Maynard 2,019 50.96%		Wilson Brown 1,943 49.04%						Frederick B. Rowe‡ St. Barbe North (ran in Trinity-Bay de Verde)
									Merged district
										Edward Maynard St. Barbe South
St. George's 76.85% turnout		Alexander Dunphy 1,990 48.15%		Hazel McIsaac 2,143 51.85%						Alexander Dunphy
Stephenville 71.65% turnout		Wayne Morrison 1,823 46.32%		William MacNeil 2,113 53.68%						New district
Strait of Belle Isle 67.45% turnout		Marlene Maynard 982 21.71%		Edward Roberts 2,819 62.33%		Cyril Humber 568 12.56%		Raymond Elliott (NDP) 154 3.40%		Edward Roberts White Bay North

Labrador

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		Reform Liberal		NDP
Eagle River 66.58% turnout		Winston White 585 37.82%		Ian Strachan 962 62.18%						Michael Martin† Labrador South
Menihek 50.39% turnout		Joseph Rousseau 2,561 65.00%		Eric Chaulk 621 15.76%		Eugene Canning 434 11.02%		William Smeaton 324 8.22%		Joseph Rousseau Labrador West
Naskaupi 62.86% turnout		Joseph Goudie 1,869 54.32%		Melvin Woodward 1,572 45.68%						Melvin Woodward Labrador North

Notes

1. Not the incumbent, but stood in this seat and won
2. The results were subsequently voided by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and a by-election was held which was won by Twomey.

References

1. "Election Returns 1975" (PDF). Elections NL . Retrieved April 4, 2025.

Further reading

• Saywell, John, ed. (1976). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs, 1975 . Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN   9781442671898.
• Riggs, Bert (1981). "General Election #37: September 16, 1975". Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1. St. John's: Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. Retrieved April 2, 2025.