The 1989 Newfoundland general election was held on April 20, 1989 to elect members of the 41st General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was won by the Liberal party despite polling fewer votes than the Conservatives.
Unusually, however, Liberal leader Clyde Wells was defeated by Lynn Verge in his own riding of Humber East despite having led his party to victory. Consequently, a member of his caucus, Eddie Joyce, resigned shortly after the election, and Wells was acclaimed to office in the riding of Bay of Islands.Newfoundland and Labrador Votes 2007: Bay of Islands. cbc.ca. Seven years later, Verge was the leader of the Progressive Conservatives during the 1996 election, and she also lost Humber East in the election, though her party did not win that election.
Opinion polls + Evolution of voting intentions at provincial level Polling firmLast day of survey Source LPNL PCNL NLNDP Other SampleElection 1989April 20, 198947.247.64.40.8OmnifactsApril 198941.652.16.3April 198943.9506.1Election 1985November 6, 198436.748.614.40.3
Results
|- style="background:#ccc;" ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Party ! rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Party leader !rowspan="2"|Candidates ! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|Seats ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|Popular vote |- style="background:#eee;" | style="text-align:center;"|1985 | style="text-align:center;"|Dissol. | style="text-align:center;"|1989 | style="text-align:center;"|Change | style="text-align:center;"|# | style="text-align:center;"|% | style="text-align:center;"|% Change
| style="text-align:left;" |Clyde Wells | style="text-align:right;" |52 | style="text-align:right;" |15 | style="text-align:right;" |14 | style="text-align:right;" |31 | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" |137,271 | style="text-align:right;" |47.2 | style="text-align:right;" |+10.5
| style="text-align:left;" |Tom Rideout | style="text-align:right;" |52 | style="text-align:right;" |36 | style="text-align:right;" |34 | style="text-align:right;" |21 | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" |138,609 | style="text-align:right;" |47.6 | style="text-align:right;" |–1.0
| style="text-align:left;" |Cle Newhook | style="text-align:right;" |36 | style="text-align:right;" |1 | style="text-align:right;" |2 | style="text-align:right;" |0 | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" |12,929 | style="text-align:right;" |4.4 | style="text-align:right;" |–10.0
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2 |Independents | style="text-align:right;" |5 | style="text-align:right;" |0 | style="text-align:right;" |0 | style="text-align:right;" |0 | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" |2,138 | style="text-align:right;" |0.8 | style="text-align:right;" |+0.5
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left;"|Vacant | style="text-align:right;" |2 | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | |- | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"|Total | style="text-align:right;"|145 | style="text-align:right;"|52 | style="text-align:right;"|52 | style="text-align:right;"|52 | style="text-align:right;"|- | style="text-align:right;"|291,785 | style="text-align:right;"|100 | style="text-align:right;"|-
Results by district
Names in boldface type represent party leaders. † represents that the incumbent did not run again. ‡ represents that the incumbent ran in a different district.
St. John's
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kilbride77.25% turnout || |Robert Aylward3,45249.08% | |Gerry Glavine2,96042.09% | |Kevin James6218.83% || |Robert Aylward |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Pleasantville74.87% turnout | |Stephen Stafford2,97242.65% || |Walter Noel3,28447.12% | |Dennis MacKay71310.23% || |Jerome Dinn† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's Centre79.52% turnout | |Patrick McNicholas2,83844.14% || |Hubert Kitchen2,96746.14% | |Vicky Silk6259.72% || |Patrick McNicholas |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's East83.00% turnout || |Shannie Duff2,39741.72% | |Lynette Billard1,21221.09% | |Gene Long2,13737.19% || |Gene Long |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's North69.73% turnout | |Tom Osborne1,93737.71% || |Phil Warren2,70552.66% | |Dorothy Inglis4959.63% || |John Carter† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's South71.49% turnout | |Douglas Atkinson2,10543.04% || |Tom Murphy2,10743.08% | |Linda Hyde67913.88% || |John Collins† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's West72.52% turnout | |Harold Barrett2,58340.67% || |Rex Gibbons3,38953.35% | |Larry Power3805.98% || |Harold Barrett |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Waterford-Kenmount79.59% turnout | |Ralph Tucker3,18842.85% || |Eric Gullage3,94753.06% | |Wayne James3044.09% || |Eric Gullage
St. John's suburbs
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Conception Bay South91.44% turnout | |John Butt2,58044.42% || |Pat Cowan3,10753.50% | |Edgar Russell1212.08%
|John Butt |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Mount Pearl86.13% turnout || |Neil Windsor4,27351.57% | |Gordon Seabright3,83446.27% | |Leo Thistle1792.16%
|Neil Windsor |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Mount Scio-Bell Island74.89% turnout | |Myrle Vokey3,10744.22% || |Jim Walsh3,14344.73% | |Kevin Walsh4256.05% | |Josiah Harvey (Independent)3515.00% || |Leo Barry† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. John's East Extern85.57% turnout || |Kevin Parsons3,75048.84% | |John O'Brien2,43031.65% | |Cle Newhook1,49819.51%
|Kevin Parsons
Avalon Peninsula
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carbonear90.70% turnout | |Milton Peach3,38748.18% || |Art Reid3,58150.94%
|Nicholas Murray (Independent)620.88% || |Milton Peach |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Ferryland89.25% turnout || |Charlie Power2,95461.61% | |Tom Carey1,71135.68% | |Aiden Coady1302.71%
|Charlie Power |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Harbour Grace85.79% turnout | |Joe Gregory2,42843.04% || |John Crane3,21356.96%
|Haig Young† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Harbour Main78.65% turnout || |Norman Doyle4,12365.59% | |Rod Fowler1,48523.62% | |Gus Flannigan67810.79%
|Norman Doyle |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Placentia83.95% turnout | |William Patterson1,76037.93% || |William Hogan2,70258.23% | |Cletus Canning1783.84%
|William Patterson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Port de Grave87.77% turnout | |Lewis Gosse2,05029.67% || |John Efford4,79769.43% | |Wayne Lucas620.90%
|John Efford |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. Mary's-The Capes79.95% turnout || |Loyola Hearn3,10075.13% | |Don O'Keefe91322.13% | |Ian Penney1132.74%
|Loyola Hearn |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Trinity-Bay de Verde81.39% turnout | |Wayne Quinlan1,99939.66% || |Lloyd Snow2,76854.92% | |Bert Pitcher1893.75% | |Bren Howard (Independent)841.67% || |James Reid†
Eastern Newfoundland
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bellevue77.31% turnout | |Bruce Stagg2,23335.40% || |Percy Barrett3,84260.91% | |Harvey Thistle2333.69% || |Wilson Callan† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bonavista North88.06% turnout | |Eli Cross2,35139.59% || |Tom Lush3,47058.44% | |Ingwald Feltham1171.97% || |Tom Lush |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bonavista South67.54% turnout | |Roger Fitzgerald1,93246.63% || |Aubrey Gover1,95247.12% | |Rex Sheppard2596.25% || |Jim Morgan† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fogo84.85% turnout || |Sam Winsor2,96650.81% | |Beaton Tulk2,87249.19%
|Beaton Tulk |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Terra Nova78.52% turnout || |Glen Greening2.92054.50% | |Ray Goulding2,37044.23% | |Randy Miller681.27% || |Glen Greening |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Trinity North79.02% turnout || |Charlie Brett3,43156.61% | |Wendell Moore2,50641.35% | |Sam Kelly1242.04% || |Charlie Brett
Central Newfoundland
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Baie Verte-White Bay84.36% turnout || |Tom Rideout4,10982.38% | |Joe Gedge87917.62%
|Tom Rideout |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Exploits73.35% turnout | |Paul Cooper2,80148.51% || |Roger Grimes2,85049.36% | |Reg Hemeon1232.13% || |Hugh Twomey† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Gander76.20% turnout | |Agnes Richard2,02935.57% || |Winston Baker3,46060.66% | |Claude Elliott2153.77% || |Winston Baker |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Grand Falls85.41% turnout || |Len Simms3,40064.87% | |Jim Hornell1,84135.13%
|Len Simms |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Green Bay72.90% turnout || |Alvin Hewlett3,04358.85% | |Maurice Budgell2,12841.15%
|Brian Peckford† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Lewisporte73.98% turnout | |Anne Picco2,83646.42% || |Melvin Penney3,14851.53% | |Berkley Rose1252.05% || |James Russell† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Twillingate79.81% turnout | |Ida Reid2,13346.98% || |Walter Carter2,35351.83% | |John Lewis541.19% || |Walter Carter |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Windsor-Buchans85.50% turnout | |Ray Hunter2,16446.96% || |Graham Flight2,33650.69% | |Bernard Woodfine1082.35% || |Clyde Wells‡(ran in Humber East)
Southern Newfoundland
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burgeo-Bay d'Espoir82.39% turnout | |Boyd Pack2,25848.20% || |Dave Gilbert2,42751.80%
|Dave Gilbert |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Burin-Placentia West85.82% turnout || |Glenn Tobin5,09566.06% | |Dave Brenton2,61833.94%
|Glenn Tobin |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fortune-Hermitage75.70% turnout || |Oliver Langdon2,82760.16% | |Nathan Cutler1,87239.84%
|Roger Simmons† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Grand Bank75.82% turnout || |Bill Matthews3,94868.55% | |Graham Wood1,81131.45%
|Bill Matthews |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|La Poile70.89% turnout | |Cal Mitchell1,75735.52% || |Bill Ramsay2,41348.77% | |Stephen MacKenzie77715.71% || |Cal Mitchell
Western Newfoundland
|style="background:whitesmoke;" rowspan="2"|Bay of Islands81.17% turnout |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Leonard Gillingham1,41823.20% |rowspan=2 | |rowspan=2|Eddie Joyce3,32054.32% |rowspan=2| |rowspan=2|Ken Gould1592.60% | |Myles Griffin (Independent)78912.91% |rowspan=2 | |rowspan=2|Ted Blanchard†
|Trevor Bennett (Independent)4266.97% |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humber East88.75% turnout || |Lynn Verge3,65850.10% | |Clyde Wells3,51548.14% | |Jim McManamy1291.76%
|Lynn Verge |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humber Valley79.95% turnout || |Rick Woodford2,68755.84% | |Gary Gale2,12544.16%
|Rick Woodford |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humber West87.30% turnout | |Jeannette Christopher2,34138.73% || |Paul Dicks3,70361.27%
|Ray Baird† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Port au Port91.91% turnout || |Jim Hodder2,31350.25% | |Mark Felix2,19247.62% | |Leo Foley982.13%
|Jim Hodder |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. Barbe83.62% turnout | |Joseph Kennedy3,43949.04% || |Chuck Furey3,57350.96%
|Chuck Furey |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. George's77.91% turnout | |Wayne Wheeler2,12144.48% || |Larry Short2,64755.52%
|Ron Dawe† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Stephenville87.39% turnout | |Wayne Morrison1,50036.63% || |Kevin Aylward2,39558.49% | |Wade Morris2004.88%
|Kevin Aylward |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Strait of Belle Isle70.53% turnout | |Francis Reardon1,95334.49% || |Chris Decker3,28457.99%
|Edward Hollahan (Independent)4267.52% || |Chris Decker
Labrador
|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Eagle River80.35% turnout | |Reginald Hancock1,02040.05% || |Danny Dumaresque1,52759.95%
|Eugene Hiscock† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Menihek87.02% turnout || |Alec Snow3,00453.15% | |Bill Kelly2,29140.53% | |Nelson Larson3576.32% || |Peter Fenwick† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Naskaupi90.42% turnout | |Ian Strachan1,11826.73% || |Jim Kelland2,88268.90% | |Dorothy King1834.37% || |Jim Kelland |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Torngat Mountains90.40% turnout || |Garfield Warren82162.77% | |Mervin Linstead41431.65% | |Bill Wheaton735.58% || |Garfield Warren
Notes
References
Further reading