Labour & Workers’ Rights
Labour & Workers’ Rights
While the PCs didn’t include a “Labour” section in its platform, Tony Wakeham did respond to a questionnaire from the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour ahead of the election.
Here are the questions and answers as published by the NLFL in an undated letter to Federation President Jessica McCormick and signed by Wakeham:
Dear Ms. McCormick,
Thank you for inviting me to provide responses to your questionnaire, which you will share with the 70,000 workers you represent across Newfoundland and Labrador. I will address each of your questions, one by one. I believe you will find my approach progressive and my openness to collaborate on solutions refreshing. If workers are tired of the status quo and looking for real change that works for all of us, look closely at what I am offering, because I think you will find it aligns closely with the objectives your workers share. I am offering to work with you on all of this. It’s time for a government that listens, delivers, and puts the people of this province first. Together, with the choices we make right now in this election, we can choose a PC government that works for all of us.
Workers’ Rights, Health and Safety, and Legislative Protections
Questions:
- Will your party commit to introducing anti-scab legislation to prevent the use of replacement workers during strikes and lockouts?
- Will your party commit to the re-implementation of card-check certification?
- What are your plans to strengthen and enforce workplace health and safety regulations?
- Will your party commit to implementing paid sick days for all workers?
- Will your party increase the income replacement rate for workers compensation which has been recommended by the statutory review process?
- What actions would your government take to address increasing incidents of violence in the workplace?
Answers:
A PC government will work collaboratively with labour unions, employers, and workers to ensure fairness, safety, and balance in workplaces across the province. This includes consulting on the specific issues you raise. We will respect workers’ Charter rights to organize and negotiate. Specifically, regarding the unionization process. We are aware of many delays with the Labor Relations Board. A delay in organizing votes does not help anyone – it creates stress and harm in a workplace. We will make sure that the Labour Relations Board follows the timelines outlined in legislation.
Regarding card-check, we are open to discussing this with unions, workers, and employers.
Workplace health and safety will be a top priority, with strict enforcement of regulations and continuous monitoring to prevent tragedies and even minor incidents that can deeply affect workers.
Any changes to paid or unpaid leave, as well as increases to workers’ compensation income replacement rates, will only be carefully considered in consultation with all stakeholders to avoid unintended consequences.
Addressing workplace violence is another urgent commitment. From healthcare and education to retail and service industries, violence is rising and must be met with stronger protections, clear consequences for offenders, and better prevention strategies. Protective measures, tougher penalties for violent offenders, and supports for those struggling with addiction will be part of a comprehensive response. The goal is to ensure workers feel safe, respected, and protected, with government leading efforts to foster harmony and reduce violence in workplaces and communities.
Strengthening and Protecting Public Services
Questions:
- Will your party commit to ending the privatization of public services? If yes, please provide concrete actions that your government will take to end privatization? If not, why not?
- If elected, what concrete measures would you take to strengthen public services in our province?
Answers:
I believe essential public services should be delivered by the public sector, and I fully respect the constitutional right of workers—public or private—to organize and seek representation from unions. This right, enshrined in Canada’s Charter, ensures that all workers are protected, regardless of whether they serve under government or private employers. Employers must meet high standards and treat workers fairly, and when they fail, it is the duty of workers, unions, government, and the public to step in. The NL Federation of Labour plays a vital role in representing workers across the province, and I see it as an important partner in protecting and strengthening workplace rights.
As Premier, I will work with frontline workers—who are the true experts—on how best to deliver services, ensuring decisions are made collaboratively, not imposed from the top down. My focus will be on providing the highest-quality services to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at reasonable costs, ending Liberal waste, and ensuring resources are directed to real priorities. Teamwork and respect will define my administration, and unions will always have a seat at the table.
Everything my government does will be guided by one question: How will this improve the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians? We have seen recent failures in public services marked by waste, mismanagement, and disrespect toward workers. The Liberals’ travel nurse scandal is a glaring example, where unionized healthcare staff were sidelined in favor of expensive temporary hires. Such reckless practices create chaos and demoralize our workforce. Careful planning and collaboration with workers and unions would prevent this. In healthcare, hundreds of millions are wasted on unnecessary or harmful procedures; in education, pressing needs go unmet while the government repeatedly restarts plans instead of implementing them. These failures show a lack of willingness to act on advice from auditors, experts, and frontline staff.
A government I lead will be different. I will listen to and support the workers who deliver our public services, making positive, practical changes that strengthen healthcare, education, and other vital systems. By working together with unions and employees, we will restore respect, improve efficiency, and ensure that public services truly serve the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Tariff Response and Economic Resiliency
Questions:
- What specific, actionable policies will your party implement to shield Newfoundland and Labrador’s workers, industries, and communities from the negative impacts of U.S. tariffs, such as supply chain disruptions, rising costs, and retaliatory trade measures?
- How will your party ensure our economy becomes more resilient and less vulnerable to external trade shocks?
Answers:
Canada’s trading relationship with the United States has long benefited people on both sides of the border, but recent tariffs have created new threats to our local industries, including seafood, oil, and iron ore. We will continue building markets in the U.S., but we must also diversify our markets abroad—in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa—and maximize trade within Canada. A government I lead will host regular roundtables to chart strategies, identify challenges, and develop an innovative export strategy that grows local industries, creates opportunities, and encourages people to buy local.
To drive growth through trade, a Wakeham PC government will eliminate unnecessary regulations that prevent local businesses from expanding or bidding on projects in other provinces; cut red tape between provinces so goods and services can move freely; and ensure professional credentials are recognized across jurisdictions so workers certified here can work anywhere in Canada without redundant training. We will adopt a “buy local first” approach for government spending so tax dollars strengthen communities, and we will task a dedicated Minister with helping Newfoundland and Labrador businesses—including the fishery—find and expand into international markets.
Economic Justice and the Cost of Living
Questions:
- How will your government ensure that the minimum wage becomes a living wage?
- Beyond minimum wage, what policies will you introduce to help all workers keep up with the rising cost of living?
- Will your party commit to signing on to the national Pharmacare program as soon as possible following the election?
Answers:
No challenge weighs more heavily on people than the rising cost of living. Poverty has lifelong consequences. One of the best ways to prevent this is to ensure people have enough money to live on. A Wakeham PC government will review all taxes and fees, permanently remove the sugar tax, lower the gas tax, and raise the basic personal amount to $15,000—giving Newfoundland and Labrador the highest tax-free income threshold in Atlantic Canada.
We will also support workers and families directly by refunding tuition to graduates who stay, live, and work in the province, expanding the NL Child Benefit, and raising and indexing the Seniors’ Benefit. A comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Prevention Strategy will be launched with the goal of once again making our province’s poverty rates the lowest in the country. Our approach will be transparent, adaptable, and responsive, ensuring resources are directed where they are needed most.
We are committed to lowering the costs of healthcare for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We have heard the concerns of the Seniors’ Advocate, who has spoken about seniors in our province being forced to split their prescriptions because they cannot afford the full dosage, and we know too many families are struggling with the high cost of diabetic medications and supplies. That is unacceptable. A Progressive Conservative government will negotiate with the federal government to secure a national pharmacare program that lowers the cost of prescription drugs and diabetic supplies for the people of this province because we believe in better healthcare for all of us.
Strengthening Public Healthcare and Education
Questions:
- How will your government ensure that the minimum wage becomes a living wage?
- Beyond minimum wage, what policies will you introduce to help all workers keep up with the rising cost of living?
- Will your party commit to signing on to the national Pharmacare program as soon as possible following the election?
Answers:
The healthcare crisis we face today is the result of a decade of Liberal neglect. Instead of listening to healthcare workers, they dismissed their concerns, driving doctors, nurses, and other health professionals away. 163,000 people do not have a family doctor, procedures have been cancelled, and ERs are routinely only offering virtual coverage. The Liberal “solution” was to hire out-of-province travel nurses at exorbitant costs, insulting local staff and wasting public money.
As Premier, I will take a collaborative approach, working with healthcare workers and associations to retain staff, recruit new professionals, and support them from training through to practice. We will pay students for their work terms, refund tuition for graduates who stay, live and work in the province, and train more doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners. I have already committed to implementing a recommendation of the Registered Nurses’ Union to replace travel nurses with local nurses.
Our education system is also in crisis. Teachers have warned us, yet the Liberals keep stalling, recycling plans without delivering results. Students cannot afford years of delay. A PC government will act: training more teachers at Memorial, hiring and retaining them with better working conditions, smaller class sizes, and stronger mental health and classroom supports. We will respect and properly employ Student and Teaching Assistants, commit to inclusive education, and strengthen core skills while supporting creativity and well-being. At the post-secondary level, Memorial University must end administrative waste and focus on students.
The bottom line is clear: we need urgent action, not excuses. A Wakeham government will listen, collaborate, and deliver better healthcare, stronger education, and improved outcomes for all of us.
Ensuring Local Benefits and Good Jobs
Questions:
- What concrete legislative and policy measures will your party implement to ensure that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are the primary beneficiaries of major projects?
- Will you mandate the use of strong, enforceable Community Benefit Agreements that prioritize local hiring, ensure good union jobs with fair wages, include equity provisions for underrepresented groups, and require investment in local supply chains?
- Will you mandate the use of strong, enforceable Community Benefit Agreements that prioritize local hiring, ensure good union jobs with fair wages, include equity provisions for underrepresented groups, and require investment in local supply chains?
Answers:
A PC government, under my leadership, will require local community benefits agreements for all natural resource projects and public infrastructure contracts valued over $500,000. This will ensure the principal beneficiary of our resources will always be the people of our province. This will prioritize the hiring of local skilled trade workers, awarding of contracts to local companies, and opportunity for apprentices and underrepresented groups such as women, gender diverse individuals, and Indigenous workers. I believe that when our resources are developed, it should be done by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Building a More Just and Equitable Province for All
Questions:
- How will your government actively implement the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission within the provincial jurisdiction?
- Will your party commit to altering the Occupational Health and Safety regulations to mandate employers to provide menstrual products for workers?
- Given the urgent need to address the gender pay gap and ensure economic justice for all workers, what is your party’s plan to finally implement and enforce the Pay Equity and Pay Transparency Act?
- What is your party’s plan to not only create new childcare spaces but also to recruit, retain, and fairly compensate the early childhood educators required to make this expansion sustainable?
Answers:
Truth and reconciliation means being honest about the wrongs of the past and making meaningful changes in partnership with Indigenous Peoples. Imposed solutions without true consultation only cause more harm. A PC government I lead will continue to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Inquiry into Innu Child Protection, and the Calls for Change—always in collaboration with Indigenous communities.
A Wakeham PC government will include appropriate content on Indigenous histories, cultures, stories, and languages in the K–12 curriculum. We will work with Indigenous communities to provide opportunities for Indigenous children and youth to learn and champion traditional language, craft, and skills, while also providing opportunities for them to share their heritage with non-Indigenous children and youth throughout the province.
Our government will create a Police Oversight Board that is independent of police, civilian-led, politically neutral, and representative of the province’s diverse communities. We will also make progress on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Our party’s plan focuses on both expanding childcare spaces and ensuring the workforce that supports them is respected and able to thrive. We will establish a permanent advisory panel of early childhood education operators and care providers so that policy decisions are guided by the voices of those on the frontlines. By listening directly to early childhood educators and operators—and reducing the paperwork burden they face—we will make their work more sustainable.
To expand access, we will provide space for early childhood education in all new school builds, while also working with communities, and the public and private sectors, to create new childcare spaces across the province. Right now, $10-a-day childcare is out of reach for thousands of families due to a lack of available spaces, and we are committed to addressing that gap.
Transparency and Good Governance
Questions:
- How will your government ensure transparency and accountability in its decision-making processes, especially regarding public finances and contracts?
Answers:
I believe in openness and transparency. I believe in long-term planning, which means starting these processes with open dialogue and expert review long before the choices are locked in. The Auditor General is continually giving advice the government needs to heed. Frequently – as with the Liberal travel nurse scandal – the AG is finding practices that never should have happened in the first place.
Under the Liberals, best practices have been ignored. Tendering and procurement obligations have been ignored. Planning has given way to kneejerk choices scratched on the back of an envelope. Favouritism and political patronage have outraged the public, as people realize that hundreds of millions of their scarce public dollars are being squandered for friends of those in power while urgent needs are going unmet.
I will raise the bar on transparency and accountability, I will follow public procurement processes and I will ask of every decision “Is this in the best interest of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?”
Just Transition: Ensuring No Worker or Community is Left Behind
Questions:
- Will your party commit to legislating a Just Transition Act that guarantees training, income support, and new unionized job creation for workers in transitioning industries, and ensure workers and unions have a direct seat at the planning table?
- What specific, immediate investments will your government make in Newfoundland and Labrador to create good jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency?
- What is your plan to address the impacts of climate change in workplaces and communities (e.g. Heat stress, extreme weather, wildfires…)?
Answers:
Our party is committed to protecting both workers and the environment as Newfoundland and Labrador transitions to a cleaner economy. A Wakeham PC government will work with stakeholders, including unions, to create a new, attainable Climate Change Action Plan with clear emission reduction targets by sector, reporting on progress regularly. We will ensure workers have a direct voice at the planning table and support training, innovation, and green technology research that drives sustainable solutions, while also fixing the Oil to Electric Incentive Program so more families can switch to affordable, clean energy.
We will invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency by promoting local innovation, advancing our low-carbon oil on the world stage, and ensuring community benefits from new clean energy projects. Our approach will emphasize local job creation, with long-term strategies to diversify the economy and grow opportunities in sustainable industries.
Finally, we recognize the impacts of climate change, the recent wildfires are examples of extreme events which are becoming too common. We will strengthen emergency preparedness by reviewing recent wildfire responses, improving equipment and training, and working with Indigenous leaders and communities to adapt. We will also provide direct aid to residents affected by floods, storms, and other disasters, ensuring Newfoundland and Labrador is better prepared and more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
Sincerely,
Tony Wakeham
Leader
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
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