Andrew Furey

Large parts of Canada are starting to hunker down, with new restrictions coming into effect as a fifth wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant saw thousands of new cases across the country over the weekend.

Ahead of a likely federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped into Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday with a multibillion-dollar bailout package designed to beat down the soaring costs of the contentious Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project and avert a feared bankruptcy.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Liberals under leader Andrew Furey have been re-elected with a slim majority after a campaign that dragged on for 10 weeks because of the pandemic.

Andrew Furey will be sworn in as premier of Newfoundland and Labrador today, August 19, 2020.

A doctor from a political family will take office for the first time as Newfoundland and Labrador premier, stepping into the job as the financially troubled province reels from the impacts of the pandemic and falling oil prices.