St. John's East

St. John's East covers the part of the capital northeast of a line running along Kenmount Road, Long's Hill, Gower Street, King's Bridge Road, Quidi Vidi Lake and Quidi Vidi Harbour. The riding also includes part of Conception Bay South, as well as the towns of Bauline, Flatrock, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, Paradise, Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, Pouch Cove, Torbay and Wabana.

The 2006 census found about four per cent of residents were immigrants and another eight per cent were from a province other than Newfoundland and Labrador.

The major employers are government and the service sector. Compared to the province's other ridings, unemployment is low (10 per cent) and education levels are high (almost a third of the population over age 25 holds a university certificate or degree). Average family income is $83,653.

Called St. John's East until the 2004 election, it then became St. John's North. In 2005, it regained its old name when about one-fifth of its population was redistributed to the Avalon riding.

Population: 88,002 (2006 census; an increase of 8.6% since 2001)

Political History

This riding is one of the few in the province to send a Conservative to Ottawa in the past few elections. In 2006, Conservative Norman Doyle defeated Liberal Paul Antle by 4,765 votes.

Doyle attained office in 1997 with a 4,800-vote win over the NDP's Ted Warren. He won again in 2000, knocking off Liberal Peter Miller by nearly 10,000 votes. He beat Liberal Walter Noel by 1,730 votes in 2004.

Before Doyle, Liberal Bonnie Hickey held this seat, in 1993 unseating incumbent Ross Reid, a Tory. Reid, in turn, won the 1988 election by unseating New Democrat Jack Harris. Before that, Tory James McGrath served as the MP.

• 1949 - PC
• 1953 - LIB
• 1957, 1958, 1962 - PC
• 1963, 1965 - LIB
• 1968-84 inclusive - PC
• 1987 byelection - NDP
• 1988 - PC
• 1993 - LIB
• 1997, 2000 – PC
• 2004, 2006 – CON