Clifford Small
Conservative · Central Newfoundland, NL
Photo: House of Commons
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Biography
Clifford Small is a Canadian politician who is the Member of Parliament for Central Newfoundland, having defeated Liberal incumbent Scott Simms by a close margin of 264 votes in the 2021 general election. He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is the first Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador since Peter Penashue resigned in 2013. In Newfoundland alone, he is the first Conservative MP elected since Fabian Manning in 2006. He was appointed Shadow Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency by Erin O'Toole on November 9, 2021. He endorsed Pierre Poilievre in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election. In October 2022, Poilievre appointed him as Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Shadow Minister and he remains shadow minister in 2025. He was re-elected in 2025. encyclopedia
- Languages
- Englishofficial
- Occupation before politics
- politician, restaurateurencyclopedia
Electoral history
Central Newfoundland
Conservative · 45th ParliamentSince 2025-04-28officialClifford Small21,975Lynette PowellRunner-up · Liberal17,696Difference 4,279 votes. 1 other candidate also ran.
Elections Canada, 45th general election.
Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame
Conservative · 44th Parliament2021-09-20 to 2025-04-27encyclopediaClifford Small14,927Scott SimmsRunner-up · Liberal14,646Difference 281 votes. 1 other candidate also ran.
On the official list the riding is Coast of Bays--Central--Notre Dame.
Elections Canada, 44th general election.
Education
Our sources do not list any education for this member.
Experience
Our sources do not list any previous employment for this member.
In their own words
2,017 Hansard interventions on file. These are the words said in the House, not a summary. Private conversations are not collected and are not invented.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister may have the authority, but he certainly does not have the right to trade away the future of fishermen and plant workers just to gain momentary access to Europeans. Giving France 1,500 tonnes of snow crab to catch on the Canadian shelf is h…Oral Questions — Fisheries and Oceans · 2026-09-25
Where they stand
Policy positions are scored only from this member's stored House words and, when it is on file, their own public website. Wikipedia and other encyclopedias may supply details such as a birth date, education or work history, and each of those details is labelled with its source, but they are never used to score a position. Members whose only sources are encyclopedias have no scored positions.
A stored score on 6 of 14 topics. Each row names the end of that topic’s axis the stored words reached, and the sentence the score rests on.
Climate
Slower phase-down, production first
The other end of this axis: Faster fossil phase-down
Excerpts repeat the same choice: criticizes carbon tax while noting US emissions fell without one and Canada's rose with it.
Right now, the United States, with no carbon tax, has falling emissions, and Canada, with a rising carbon tax, has rising emissions. I would like my hon.Source of that line
Defence
Higher spending and more capability
The other end of this axis: Restrain spending and deployments
Supports NATO commitments and military funding.
Speaker, when we get over on that side, we will make sure that money is spent where it is deserved and needed, like to support our military and support our health care system.Source of that line
Energy
Expand production and export
The other end of this axis: Restrict new oil and gas
Excerpts repeat the same choice: criticizes federal dismantling of offshore oil and gas and calls for expansion and LNG exports.
The current Liberal government has relentlessly worked to dismantle our offshore oil and gas industry with ballooning red tape, which has destroyed investor appetite. We have lost 5,500 jobs as our oil industry has been scaled back.Source of that line
Federalism
Provinces lead
The other end of this axis: Ottawa leads
Criticizes federal red tape blocking provincial resource development.
Speaker, it is disgusting that Newfoundland and Labrador has to come to Ottawa, cap in hand, and beg to get our natural resources developed. One stakeholder told me that delays in Bay du Nord have investors rating their projects at a 50% higher risk of never being developed on our offshore.Source of that line
Fiscal policy
Lower taxes and tighter spending
The other end of this axis: Higher taxes and public spending
Excerpts repeat the same choice: opposes government overspending and carbon tax as driver of inflation.
Extra government spending is relentlessly driving prices higher for my constituents. Let us not forget the inflationary effect of the carbon tax, especially in remote regions like Newfoundland and Labrador.Source of that line
Public safety
Enforcement and sentencing
The other end of this axis: Prevention and restraint
Repeats criticism of Liberal bail policies and calls for jail not bail.
The Liberal soft-on-crime principle of restraint continues to put dangerous offenders back on the street. Will the government repeal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 so that Canadians can once again feel safe in their homes?Source of that line
8 topics with no stored score
- AgricultureNo position has been scored.
- Financial regulationNo position has been scored.
- Foreign affairsNo position has been scored.
- HealthNo position has been scored.
- HousingNo position has been scored.
- ImmigrationNo position has been scored.
- LabourNo position has been scored.
- TradeNo position has been scored.
Who lines up
Comparing stored scores on the same questions.