Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.03 MPs share St. John's, which straddles St. John's East and Cape Spear
For local government, St. John's is a city. In Newfoundland and Labrador, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so St. John's’ mayor isn’t named. Most of St. John's (55% of residents) is represented by Joanne Thompson, and much of the rest by Tom Osborne. The House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador’s riding map is published without a licence, so this page doesn’t place St. John's in a riding.
What stands out in how St. John's is governed
Split between ridings
The riding line runs through St. John's: St. John's East has 55% of its residents, Cape Spear most of the other 45%. Member of Parliament ↓
A close federal race
In 2021 only 10.9 points separated first and second (New Democratic Party) in St. John's East, tighter than 71% of the 338 ridings. How St. John's has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
More electors stayed home in St. John's East than in 78% of Canada’s ridings at the 2021 election. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
St. John's, a city in Newfoundland and Labrador, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
assembly.nl.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
There is no county government over St. John's; Division No. 1 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for St. John's, from the most recent elections.
- 1St. John's councilCity
- 2House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador–
- 3House of CommonsSt. John's East · 55%
- 4House of CommonsCape Spear · 35%
- 5House of CommonsAvalon · 11%
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When St. John's votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| St. John's council | 30 September 2025 | 25 September 2029 |
| House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador | 14 October 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
No open copy of the 2025 counts exists, and Elections Canada’s own terms rule out commercial reuse, so 2021 is the last vote shown. Voters last chose the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador on 14 October 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Elected on 30 September 2025, St. John's council is up again on 25 September 2029. It is the last Tuesday in September every four years, as the Municipal Elections Act provides.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MHA.
Find your MHA on the legislature’s site
assembly.nl.ca ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
St. John's has 3 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
St. John's East · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2021 · 55%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Cape Spear · Liberal Party of Canada · 35%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Avalon · Liberal Party of Canada · 11%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada4
- Conservative Party of Canada3
As Wikidata records them.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, 4 of 7 ridings are held by the Liberal Party of Canada, the party Joanne Thompson sits with.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s St. John's East, the 2021 vote gives the Liberal Party of Canada 45%; in 2025 Joanne Thompson kept the seat in the same hands. The current Parliament is Joanne Thompson’s 2nd, counting from a first win in 2021.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
St. John's East changed hands in 2021, to Joanne Thompson (Liberal Party of Canada)
Counts for St. John's East within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map. 50% of St. John's lived in it.
In 2021, St. John's East went to Joanne Thompson (Liberal Party of Canada) on 45%; Mary Shortall (New Democratic Party) finished 4,149 votes behind. Jack Harris (New Democratic Party) had won it in 2019 with 47%.
All 4 candidates in St. John's East, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joanne Thompson | Liberal Party of Canada | 17,239 | 45.2% |
| Mary Shortall | New Democratic Party | 13,090 | 34.3% |
| Glenn Etchegary | Conservative Party of Canada | 7,119 | 18.7% |
| Dana Metcalfe | People's Party of Canada | 723 | 1.9% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Having a say in how St. John's is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.gov.nl.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not on this page. Who controls the council by party (the open lists give none, and most Canadian councils sit without parties), budgets and band councils.
- Election results. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
Questions about how St. John's is run
Who is the MP for St. John's?
Mostly Joanne Thompson (Liberal Party of Canada), MP for St. John's East; part of St. John's is in Cape Spear, held by Tom Osborne.
Which party won St. John's in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Joanne Thompson (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents St. John's East still.
Who is the MHA for St. John's?
The House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador’s website names each MHA by riding; the riding of St. John's has to be looked up there.
Who heads the council in St. John's?
The head of St. John's’ council isn’t named here; as a city, it publishes its council itself.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).