St. John’s, NL (May 22, 2025) – Today, Tony Wakeham, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and MHA for Stephenville – Port au Port, released the following statement regarding the closure of the House of Assembly by John Hogan’s Liberal government:

The Liberals shut down the House of Assembly today to start their summer vacation - and there is still so much work that needs to get done.

At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, children are going to school hungry, and seniors are barely making ends meet, the Liberals chose to shut down the House instead of staying to do their job. They turned out the lights while the cost of living keeps climbing—and while people are still paying the unfair sugar tax.

Community leaders are sounding the alarm about rising crime. The Liberals ignored the National Police Federation’s call to hire more officers in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Now we’re seeing more “shelter in place” alerts, more violent incidents, and growing fear in our communities.

In health care, people are still being forced to pay out of pocket just to see a nurse practitioner. Thousands still don’t have a family doctor. Seniors are stuck waiting far too long for long-term care beds. This week we learned that we’re falling behind on radiation treatment wait times—another warning sign in a broken system.

By shutting down the House, the Liberals are running from accountability. They’re avoiding tough questions. And they’ve shut the door on real solutions—before repealing the sugar tax, before creating an Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, and before fixing their broken budget to help with the cost of living.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve better.

After 10 years of Liberal failure, this year we have a choice: more of the same—or a new path that lowers taxes, fixes health care, and makes our communities safer – for all of us. This is our time for change.

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