Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 9 April 2025
The House convened for the presentation of Budget 2025 by Minister of Finance S. Coady. The Minister delivered a comprehensive budget speech outlining the government's fiscal plan, including a projected deficit of $372 million for 2025-26 with balanced budgets forecast starting in 2026-27. The budget emphasizes affordability measures, record investments in health care and education, infrastructure spending exceeding $1.1 billion, and a $200 million contingency fund to address potential tariff impacts. Following the speech, the House referred the budget estimates totaling over $10.4 billion to Committee of the Whole on Supply, and established the composition and mandates of three standing committees for estimates review.
Routine Proceedings
Notice of Motion - Loan Resolution
S. Coady
The Minister of Finance gave notice of a motion to resolve into Committee of the Whole to consider a resolution relating to provincial borrowing (Bill 110).
Committee Membership Appointments
L. Dempster
The Government House Leader moved and received approval for the composition of three standing committees: Government Services Committee, Resource Committee, and Social Services Committee, each comprising seven Members from various districts.
Referral of Estimates to Committees
L. Dempster
The Government House Leader moved to refer departmental estimates to the three standing committees by subject area. Government Services Committee will review seven departments including Finance and Transportation; Resource Committee will review five departments including Environment and Industry; Social Services Committee will review six departments including Health and Education. The Minister also announced that the Social Services Committee would meet at 5:30 p.m. that evening to review Justice and Public Safety estimates.
Orders of the Day
Budget 2025 Speech and Motion
S. Coady
The Minister of Finance moved that the House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government and delivered the 2025 provincial budget speech. The speech highlighted the government's achievements over five years, economic indicators including record GDP and employment, fiscal projections showing a deficit reduction from $1.5 billion to $372 million, and major investments across health care (40% increase over five years), education ($20 million increase for teaching services), infrastructure ($1.1 billion), and affordability measures. The Minister emphasized preparations for potential tariff impacts with a $200 million contingency fund and outlined the historic Churchill Falls agreement expected to generate $227 billion in revenue. Debate was adjourned following the speech.
Transmission of Estimates and Referral to Committee
S. Coady
The Minister transmitted a message from the Lieutenant Governor recommending Estimates totaling $10,406,686,600 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. The House referred these Estimates to Committee of the Whole on Supply, which convened briefly to distribute budgetary documents before reporting progress and requesting leave to sit again.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.