Newfoundland and Labrador's next lieutenant-governor will be the first to be named through a new protocol involving a search for new candidates.

John Crosbie's appointment as the Queen's representative formally expires on Feb. 4, although he is expected to stay in the post through March while a process to find his successor runs its course.

A recently-created advisory committee has been scouting for possible successors to Crosbie, with contacts made with dozens of people and organizations across the province.

Geralyn Hansford, a member of the committee, said the goal is to come up with a short list of about a half-dozen names.

"It's been all walks of life," she said of the suggestions that have come in.

The appointment will still be made by the prime minister, although Hansford said the new committee's suggestions are expected to matter.

"So, you know, we will be looked at. I think the committee will be looked at," she said.

For his part, Crosbie — a former cabinet minister at both the federal and provincial levels — has been making farewell addresses, including one on Thursday to one of the Rotary groups in St. John's.

"It's like hearing that you're going to have a funeral," Crosbie jokingly told the audience, remarking on speculation about who will succeed him.

However, Crosbie, who will turn 81 on Jan. 30, said he has no plans to retire quietly when he leaves Government House.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent, and I have no intention of becoming silent about things that matter — or even about things that don't matter," Crosbie said.

Crosbie occasionally broke with tradition as lieutenant-governor and spoke out on various issues, from his support for the seal hunt (he wore a sealskin bow tie and vest during his speech on Thursday) to his views on the shoddy habits of some local drivers.