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Newfoundland and Labrador 2025 provincial election

Arthritis is Newfoundland and Labrador’s most common chronic disease and affects more people than heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and dementia combined. Out of the more than 135,000 voters living with arthritis in Newfoundland and Labrador, two-thirds are under the age of 65.

It is the leading cause of disability in Newfoundland and Labrador. Residents of working age with arthritis are twice as likely to be out of the workforce as their peers without the disease, representing a significant economic burden related to direct health care costs and indirect costs to the economy related to lost employment, sick leave, and absenteeism.

Rural residents, Indigenous Peoples, Black communities, women, and racialized communities can face the highest burden but the least access to care.

Health care is one of the most important issues for Newfoundland and Labrador voters leading up to the October 14, 2025, provincial election. The way people living with arthritis access and receive health care varies significantly across the province, particularly in rural and remote communities. This particularly affects residents living with inflammatory arthritis – like rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis or lupus – who depend on getting a timely and accurate diagnosis, fast access to rheumatologists, and appropriate public reimbursement for needed disease-modifying medications. Delays in diagnosis and access to advanced therapies can cause irreversible damage and disability.

Another barrier is timely access to specialized care for residents living with osteoarthritis. Over 99 per cent of knee replacements and more than 70 per cent of hip replacements are caused by arthritis. In Newfoundland and Labrador in 2024, only 33% of knee replacement patients and 41% of hip replacement patients were treated within the medically recommended guideline and fell below the Canadian average. This deeply impacts the lives of Newfoundland and Labrador residents with osteoarthritis who require these surgeries.

The time to address arthritis prevention, treatment, and care is now after years of being at the back of the line of health care planning and delivery in Newfoundland and Labrador. Political parties and candidates running in the Newfoundland and Labrador election must show voters what they will do, if elected, to improve the timely access to arthritis care and ensure equitable access for all Newfoundland and Labrador residents.

Arthritis Consumer Experts looks forward to sharing responses as we receive them with the 135,000 voters and their families and employers in Newfoundland and Labrador affected by arthritis on ACE’s Newfoundland and Labrador election homepage.

ACE survey

ACE letter sent to each political party and candidate included: Individual Candidate Responses
This section will be updated as we receive responses from individual candidates.
  • Liberal Party
  • New Democratic Party
  • Progressive Conservative Party
Party Responses To Survey
This section will be updated as we receive party responses.
  • Liberal Party
  • New Democratic Party
  • Progressive Conservative Party
Questions voiced by Newfoundland and Labrador people with arthritis
  • Reducing surgery wait times: Will your government ensure that hip and knee joint replacement patients in Newfoundland and Labrador are treated within the Canadian Institute for Health Information guideline of 26 weeks?
  • Modernizing the Drug Program: Will your government remove outdated barriers that delay patient access to biologic and tsDMARD therapies, and modernize the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program?
  • Closing the gaps in Indigenous arthritis care: Will your government ensure Indigenous Peoples with arthritis have access to culturally safe, community-based care models to close existing gaps and improve outcomes?
  • Reinvesting biosimilars savings: Will your government commit to reinvesting biosimilar savings to new medicines and expanding coverage for existing medicines for people with inflammatory arthritis?
  • Expanding virtual care: Will your government ensure the continuation, improvement, and expansion of virtual care for Newfoundland and Labrador residents – both patients and health care professionals – and ensure access is equitable to all?
Any questions received by ACE will be posted anonymously.

Ways to vote
To make voting easier for all voters, Elections Newfoundland & Labrador has provided several options, including voting on election day at your assigned poll, on Advance voting day, by Special Ballot, or by Vote-By-Mail kit using an online Special Ballot Portal.