St. John’s East

St. John’s East is an urban federal electoral district covering the northern and eastern portions of the City of St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. The riding includes the downtown core, the historic neighbourhoods of Georgetown, Quidi Vidi, and The Battery, as well as the suburban communities of Torbay and Portugal Cove-St. Philip's. Signal Hill, Cabot Tower, and the entrance to St. John's Harbour — the Narrows — are iconic landmarks within the riding. Memorial University of Newfoundland, the province's only university, is also located here.

Following the 2022 redistribution, the riding lost some territory including portions of Paradise to the Avalon and Cape Spear ridings but retained its core urban character. St. John's East has historically been one of the most competitive ridings in the province, swinging between the NDP, Liberals, and Conservatives over the decades.

Candidates

Joanne Thompson (Liberal) is the incumbent MP, first elected in 2021 as the first Liberal to win the riding in decades. A nurse by training with degrees from Athabasca University and the University of Fredericton, Thompson served as Minister of Seniors under Justin Trudeau before being appointed Minister of Fisheries by Mark Carney in March 2025, entering the campaign as a cabinet minister.

David Brazil (Conservative) represented Conception Bay East—Bell Island in the provincial House of Assembly from 2010 to 2023 and served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador and interim Leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2023. He previously held the provincial portfolio of Transportation and Works.

Mary Shortall (NDP) is a veteran labour leader who served as president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour from 2013 to 2022 and was subsequently elected president of the federal NDP. With over four decades of experience in the labour movement dating back to her early career with Air Canada, Shortall ran in the riding for the second time after contesting it in 2021.

Otis Crandell (Green Party) holds a doctorate in earth science and works as an academic researcher at Memorial University with a focus on heritage and northern Labrador. He volunteered with youth education, a community bicycle garage, and trail clean-up initiatives in St. John's.

Samuel Crête (Communist) ran as the Communist Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

St. John’s East is the cultural and institutional heart of Newfoundland and Labrador. The downtown core along Water Street and Duckworth Street is home to the province's arts scene, restaurants, and nightlife, while the harbour remains a working port for fishing vessels, offshore supply ships, and cruise liners. Signal Hill National Historic Site, where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901, overlooks the city from the east.

Memorial University anchors the riding's knowledge economy, employing thousands and drawing students from across the province and beyond. The university's role in research, healthcare training, and technology development gives the riding a different economic profile from most of the province, though the oil and gas sector also has a significant white-collar presence in the city.

Affordability was the top issue in the 2025 campaign, with constituents raising concerns about housing costs, job security, and the economic uncertainty created by U.S. tariff threats. Candidates debated how to build a more self-sufficient economy that could withstand external shocks. Healthcare access, the energy transition, immigration policy, and racial justice were also discussed at candidate debates hosted at Memorial University's Signal Hill Campus. The riding's competitive three-way dynamic between the Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP made it one of the most closely watched seats in the province.