Avalon

Avalon stretches across much of the Avalon Peninsula in eastern Newfoundland, wrapping around the capital city of St. John's without including it. The riding takes in the fast-growing suburban town of Conception Bay South, the historic communities along Conception Bay North such as Bay Roberts, Harbour Grace, and Carbonear, the Southern Shore towns of Ferryland and Bay Bulls, and the communities around Placentia Bay including the town of Placentia itself. Created in the 2003 redistribution, the riding links suburban commuter communities near St. John's with more traditional outport and rural areas further afield.

Candidates

Scott Andrews (Liberal) — Andrews was the incumbent MP, first elected in the Avalon riding in the 2008 federal election. Born in St. John's, he had previously served as a councillor on the Conception Bay South town council and as executive director of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador before entering federal politics. His 2008 victory in Avalon was aided by then-premier Danny Williams's "Anything But Conservative" campaign, which urged Newfoundlanders to vote against the Harper Conservatives over the Atlantic Accord dispute.

Fabian Manning (Conservative) — Manning was a veteran politician from St. Bride's on the Cape Shore who had served three terms on his town council before entering provincial politics. He was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in 1993 as a Progressive Conservative for St. Mary's—The Capes, lost in 1996 in the redistributed riding of Placentia and St. Mary's, and won the same seat again in 1999. He was removed from the provincial PC caucus in 2005 after publicly criticizing the government's crab fishery policies. Manning won the federal Avalon seat for the Conservatives in 2006 but lost it to Andrews in 2008. He was subsequently appointed to the Senate in January 2009, then resigned his Senate seat in March 2011 to attempt to reclaim the Avalon riding.

Matthew Martin Fuchs (NDP) — Fuchs carried the NDP banner in Avalon during the 2011 campaign. Limited public biographical information was available about his background heading into the election.

Randy Wayne Dawe (Independent) and Matt Crowder (Green Party) also contested the riding.

About the Riding

The Avalon riding in 2011 encompassed a diverse cross-section of the Avalon Peninsula. Its largest community, Conception Bay South, had a population of approximately 24,848 as of the 2011 census, making it one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Much of Conception Bay South functions as a bedroom community for St. John's, with residents commuting along the Trans-Canada Highway and Conception Bay Highway. Further along Conception Bay, the towns of Bay Roberts (population roughly 5,800) and Carbonear (roughly 4,700) serve as regional service centres for the northern Avalon.

The riding's economy in 2011 was shaped by several forces. The offshore oil industry, centred on projects like Hibernia, Terra Nova, and White Rose, drove significant economic activity across the region even though the platforms themselves sit far offshore. Retail, construction, and public-sector employment in the St. John's metropolitan area sustained the suburban communities. The historic fishing industry, while diminished since the 1992 cod moratorium, remained culturally and economically important in outport communities along the Southern Shore and around Placentia Bay. The former U.S. naval base at Argentia, near Placentia, had been the focus of various redevelopment and industrial proposals over the years. Tourism also played a role, with attractions such as the Colony of Avalon archaeological site in Ferryland and the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve drawing visitors to the southern portions of the riding.