1979 Newfoundland general election

1979 Newfoundland general election

June 18, 1979
52 seats to the 38th General Assembly of Newfoundland 27 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	73.6% ( 0.8% pp)
First party Second party Third party   PC NDP Leader Brian Peckford Donald Jamieson John Greene Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic Leader since March 26, 1979 1979 1977 Leader's seat Green Bay Bellevue Ran in St. John's West (lost) Last election 30 seats, 45.54% 16 seats, 37.09% 0 seats, 4.35% Seats won 33 19 0 Seat change 3 3 Popular vote 119,151 95,943 18,507 Percentage 50.25% 40.46% 7.80% Swing 4.71pp 3.37pp 3.45pp
Premier before election Brian Peckford Progressive Conservative Premier after election Brian Peckford Progressive Conservative

The 1979 Newfoundland general election was held on June 18, 1979 to elect members of the 38th General Assembly of Newfoundland. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.

Results

	Party	Leader	1975	Seats won	% change	Popular vote	(%)
	Progressive Conservative	Brian Peckford	30	33	+10%	119,151	50.4%
	Liberal	Donald Jamieson	16	19	+19%	95,943	40.6%
	New Democratic	John Greene	0	0	0%	18,507	7.8%
	Other		5	0	0%	2,786	1.2%
Totals			51	52	-	237,135	100%

Results by district

• Names in boldface type represent party leaders.
• † indicates that the incumbent did not run again.

St. John's

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Kilbride 74.91% turnout		Robert Aylward 3,863 64.61%		Robert Hall 1,833 30.66%		Stan MacDonald 283 4.73%				Robert Wells†
Pleasantville 80.63% turnout		Jerome Dinn 4,532 63.24%		David Riche 1,973 27.53%		Gerry Panting 661 9.23%				Jerome Dinn
St. John's Centre 79.41% turnout		Patrick McNicholas 2,173 60.14%		Hugh Shea 773 21.40%		Valerie Summers 449 12.43%		Lewis Murphy (Independent) 128 3.54%		Anthony Murphy†
								Dorothy Wyatt (Independent) 90 2.49%
St. John's East 63.90% turnout		William Marshall 2,111 70.74%		Jaime Wyatt 520 17.43%		David Thompson 353 11.83%				William Marshall
St. John's North 81.83% turnout		John Carter 2,536 61.57%		Bill Case 1,332 32.34%		Margaret Panting 251 6.09%				John Carter
St. John's South 74.11% turnout		John Collins 2,221 62.16%		Jim Furlong 1,171 32.77%		Gus Breen 181 5.07%				John Collins
St. John's West 76.37% turnout		Harold Barrett 2,037 51.11%		Hubert Kitchen 1,402 34.34%		John Greene 594 14.55%				Hubert Kitchen
Waterford-Kenmount 71.82% turnout		Gerry Ottenheimer 3,842 61.95%		William Callahan 1,992 32.12%		David Grimes 448 10.66%				Gerry Ottenheimer

St. John's suburbs

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Conception Bay South 75.40% turnout		John Butt 3,503 46.28%		John Nolan 2,620 34.60%		Boyd Batten 319 4.21%		Gordon Dawe (Independent Progressive Conservative) 1,035 13.67%		John Nolan
								Richard Gosse (Independent) 94 1.24%
Mount Pearl 75.01% turnout		Neil Windsor 3,535 56.23%		Stuart Toope 2,009 31.95%		Helen Porter 743 11.82%				Neil Windsor
Mount Scio 87.78% turnout		Leo Barry 3,663 62.19%		Phil Warren 1,907 32.38%		Raymond Ryall 320 5.43%				Ray Winsor†
St. John's East Extern 79.34% turnout		Tom Hickey 3,989 61.63%		Roland Manning 1,970 30.44%		Ed Roche 513 7.93%				Tom Hickey

Avalon Peninsula

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Carbonear 69.21% turnout		Ross Cole 1,642 33.39%		Rod Moores 3,188 64.82%		Alex Thomson 88 1.79%				Rod Moores
Ferryland 82.35% turnout		Charlie Power 2,678 64.95%		Jean Payne 860 20.86%		Alfred Sullivan 585 14.14%				Charlie Power
Harbour Grace 81.31% turnout		Haig Young 2,420 52.90%		Patrick O'Flaherty 2,073 45.31%		Robert Stacey 82 1.79%				Haig Young
Harbour Main-Bell Island 75.92% turnout		Norman Doyle 3,100 60.67%		Thomas Moore 1,601 31.33%		Margaret Peddle 226 4.42%		Michael Laurie (Independent) 183 3.58%		William Doody†
Placentia 79.78% turnout		William Patterson 1,962 46.34%		William Hogan 1,420 33.54%		Patrick Fleming 78 1.84%		Anthony Sparrow (Independent) 774 18.28%		William Patterson
Port de Grave 74.89% turnout		Randy W. Collins 2,989 56.39%		William Smallwood 2,200 41.50%		Edward McGrath 78 1.47%		Ted Noseworthy (Independent) 34 0.64%		Eric Dawe†
St. Mary's-The Capes 74.72% turnout		Walter Carter 2,702 73.62%		Patrick Molloy 896 26.35%		Roy Moyles 82 2.23%				Walter Carter
Trinity-Bay de Verde 71.17% turnout		Eli Bryant 1,597 39.30%		Frederick B. Rowe 2,237 55.06%		Nelson Palmer 229 5.64%				Frederick B. Rowe

Eastern Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Bellevue 70.49% turnout		Robert Peddle 1,546 29.63%		Don Jamieson 3,522 67.51%		Genevieve Connors 149 2.86%		Wilson Callan†
Bonavista North 76.71% turnout		George Cross 2,395 47.88%		Len Stirling 2,515 50.28%		Naomi Pickett 92 1.84%		George Cross
Bonavista South 65.78% turnout		Jim Morgan 2,642 70.04%		Jim Ryan 1,011 26.80%		Joseph Templeman 119 3.16%		Jim Morgan
Fogo 75.06% turnout		Wayne Wheaton 2,053 44.54%		Beaton Tulk 2,424 52.59%		Clifford Wells 132 2.87%		Earl Winsor†
Terra Nova 69.53% turnout		Glen Greening 1,596 37.10%		Tom Lush 2,579 59.95%		Lowell Paulson 127 2.95%		Tom Lush
Trinity North 75.12% turnout		Charlie Brett 3,149 63.73%		Jack Pelley 1,596 32.30%		Roger Desrosiers 196 3.97%		Charlie Brett

Central Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Baie Verte-White Bay 74.09% turnout		Roy Barker 1,688 33.51%		Tom Rideout 2,830 56.17%		Gerald Dwyer 520 10.32%		Tom Rideout
Exploits 64.21% turnout		Hugh Twomey 2,753 56.44%		Munden Batstone 1,702 34.89%		Ronald Chafe 423 8.67%		Hugh Twomey
Gander 74.72% turnout		Hazel Newhook 2,362 47.45%		Randy Simms 1,054 21.17%		Winston Baker 1,562 31.38%		Harold Collins†
Grand Falls 81.59% turnout		Len Simms 2,556 58.74%		Roger Grimes 1,346 30.94%		Andrew Barker 449 10.32%		John Lundrigan†
Green Bay 75.30% turnout		Brian Peckford 3,502 77.04%		Maurice Budgell 987 21.71%		Brian Walsh 57 1.25%		Brian Peckford
Lewisporte 77.99% turnout		John Whalen 2,667 47.42%		Freeman White 2,796 49.72%		Berkley Rose 161 2.86%		Freeman White
Twillingate 67.82% turnout		Iain Small 1,238 35.57%		Bill Rowe 1,980 56.90%		Roderick Woolridge 262 7.53%		Bill Rowe
Windsor-Buchans 77.17% turnout		Clarence King 1,580 37.61%		Graham Flight 2,173 51.73%		David Grimes 448 10.66%		Graham Flight

Southern Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP		Other
Burgeo-Bay d'Espoir 73.60% turnout		Patrick Perry 1,068 30.02%		Roger Simmons 2,211 62.16%		Barry Roberts 278 7.82%				Roger Simmons
Burin-Placentia West 78.32% turnout		Ed Mayo 1,876 32.80%		Don Hollett 3,737 65.35%		Don Baird 106 1.85%				Patrick Canning†
Fortune-Hermitage 68.08% turnout		Don Stewart 1,770 46.79%		Jack Winsor 1,510 39.92%		David Howley 55 1.45%		Gary Wells (Independent Liberal) 448 11.84%		Jack Winsor
Grand Bank 73.94% turnout		Clarence Rogers 1,646 31.21%		Leslie Thoms 3,431 65.04%		Harvey Tulk Jr. 198 3.75%				Alex Hickman†
La Poile 69.46% turnout		Cabot Martin 1,907 44.90%		Steve Neary 2,283 53.76%		Viola Puddester 57 1.34%				Steve Neary

Western Newfoundland

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Bay of Islands 63.09% turnout		Luke Woodrow 2,293 54.04%		Jim Walsh 1,393 32.83%		Val McAbee 557 13.13%		Luke Woodrow
Humber East 70.72% turnout		Lynn Verge 2,489 58.41%		George Colbourne 1,297 30.44%		Eric Mintz 475 11.15%		Tom Farrell†
Humber Valley 65.24% turnout		Wallace House 2,465 52.64%		Kevin Saunders 1,723 36.79%		Allan French 495 10.57%		Wallace House
Humber West 67.91% turnout		Ray Baird 2,495 56.76%		Raymond Pollett 1,131 25.73%		Sandy MacRae 770 17.51%		Frank Moores†
Port au Port 78.77% turnout		Don Bennett 1,431 40.55%		Jim Hodder 1,839 52.11%		Thomas McCarthy 259 7.34%		Jim Hodder
St. Barbe 66.22% turnout		Edward Maynard 1,603 37.02%		Trevor Bennett 1,938 44.76%		Peter Fenwick 789 18.22%		Edward Maynard
St. George's 71.48% turnout		Ron Dawe 1,942 47.45%		Hazel McIsaac 1,396 34.11%		Victor Bennett 755 18.44%		Hazel McIsaac
Stephenville 72.05% turnout		Frederick Stagg 1,931 51.15%		William MacNeil 1,596 42.28%		Bill Beardow 248 6.57%		William MacNeil
Strait of Belle Isle 64.35% turnout		Eric Squires 599 14.68%		Edward Roberts 3,136 76.86%		Levi Squires 345 8.46%		Edward Roberts

Labrador

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	PC		Liberal		NDP
Eagle River 61.89% turnout		Claude Rumbolt 754 44.46%		Eugene Hiscock 865 51.00%		Elsie McDonald 77 4.54%		Ian Strachan†
Menihek 71.45% turnout		Peter Walsh 1,862 35.50%		Gordon Manstan 1,776 33.86%		Nelson Larson 1,607 30.64%		Joseph Rousseau†
Naskaupi 79.50% turnout		Joseph Goudie 1,760 47.00%		Melvin Woodward 1,729 46.17%		Michael Power 256 6.83%		Joseph Goudie
Torngat Mountains 73.99% turnout		William Flowers 388 45.76%		Garfield Warren 460 54.24%				New district

Further reading

• Byers, R.B. (1981). Canadian annual review of politics and public affairs. 1979. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-7193-5.
• Riggs, Bert (1981). "General Election #38: June 18, 1979". Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1. St. John's: Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. Retrieved April 2, 2025.