Editing Newfoundland and Labrador (section)

==Government and politics==
{{See also|Government of Newfoundland and Labrador|Politics of Newfoundland and Labrador}}
[[File:Confederation Building (front), St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.jpg|thumb|The [[Confederation Building (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Confederation Building]] serves as the meeting place for the [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly]].]]
Newfoundland and Labrador is governed by a [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary government]] within the construct of [[constitutional monarchy]]; the [[monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador]] is the foundation of the executive, [[Legislature|legislative]], and [[Judiciary|judicial]] branches.<ref>{{Cite book| author=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Canadian Heritage Portfolio| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=February 2009| edition=2nd| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf| pages=3–4| isbn=978-1-100-11529-0| access-date=May 23, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611162155/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf| archive-date=June 11, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref> The sovereign is [[King Charles III]], who also serves as head of state of [[Commonwealth realm|14 other Commonwealth countries]], each of Canada's nine other provinces and the Canadian federal realm; he resides in the United Kingdom. The King's representative in Newfoundland and Labrador is the [[Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador]], presently [[Joan Marie Aylward]].<ref>{{cite web| last=Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador| title=Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador > Role and Duties| url=http://www.govhouse.nl.ca/lieutenantgovernor/role.html| publisher=Queen's Printer for Newfoundland and Labrador| access-date=September 13, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012204617/http://www.govhouse.nl.ca/lieutenantgovernor/role.html| archive-date=October 12, 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in governance is limited; in practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by the [[Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador|Executive Council]], a committee of [[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] responsible to the unicameral, elected [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly|House of Assembly]]. The Council is chosen and headed by the [[Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador]], the [[head of government]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/dunderdale-becomes-1st-woman-to-lead-n-l-1.959039| title=Dunderdale becomes 1st woman to lead N.L.| date=December 3, 2010| publisher=CBC| access-date=January 19, 2011| archive-date=December 6, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206082534/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/12/03/nl-dunderdale-premier-sworn-in-123.html| url-status=live}}</ref> After each general election, the lieutenant governor will usually appoint as premier the leader of the political party that has a [[majority]] or [[plurality (voting)|plurality]] in the House of Assembly. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the [[Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition]] and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.<ref>{{cite web| last=Library of Parliament| title=The Opposition in a Parliamentary System| url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/bp47-e.htm| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=May 23, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125122354/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/bp47-e.htm| archive-date=November 25, 2010| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Each of the 40 [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly|Members of the House of Assembly]] (MHA) is elected by simple plurality in an [[Canadian electoral district|electoral district]]. General elections must be called by the lieutenant governor on the second Tuesday in October four years after the previous election, or may be called earlier, on the advice of the premier, should the government lose a [[confidence vote]] in the legislature.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.assembly.nl.ca/business/bills/Bill0440.htm| title=An Act To Amend The House of Assembly Act and the Elections Act, 1991| date=December 13, 2004| publisher=Queen's Printer for Newfoundland and Labrador| access-date=January 20, 2011| archive-date=July 28, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728024354/http://www.assembly.nl.ca/business/bills/Bill0440.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> Traditionally, politics in the province have been dominated by both the [[Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|Liberal Party]] and the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|Progressive Conservative Party]]. However, in the [[2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election|2011 provincial election]] the [[New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|New Democratic Party]], which had only ever attained minor success, had a major breakthrough and placed second in the popular vote behind the Progressive Conservatives.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moore|first=Oliver|title='Orange wave' credited with slimming Tory majority in Newfoundland|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provincial-elections/orange-wave-credited-with-slimming-tory-majority-in-newfoundland/article2198237/|access-date=December 21, 2011|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=October 12, 2011|archive-date=December 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215103649/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provincial-elections/orange-wave-credited-with-slimming-tory-majority-in-newfoundland/article2198237/|url-status=dead}}</ref>