Earle McCurdy (born 1950)[ 1] is a former leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party and a former labour leader in Newfoundland and Labrador . He was president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union from 1993 to 2014,[ 2] succeeding founding president Richard Cashin .[ 3] Previously, McCurdy was the union's secretary-treasurer for 13 years, from 1980 to 1993.[ 3]
Background
McCurdy was born in Halifax , Nova Scotia in 1950,[ 4] and grew up in St. John's , Newfoundland where he attended Prince of Wales Collegiate .[ 1] He is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland , where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1972,[ 1] and worked as a reporter for The St. John's Evening Telegram in the 1970s, covering the labour beat, before becoming involved with the fisheries' union.[ 5]
His most notable time as union president was during Canada 's fishing dispute with the European Union , known as the Turbot War .[ 4] [ 6]
NDP Leader
McCurdy was elected leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP at the party's leadership convention held March 7, 2015 , defeating two other contenders with 68% support on the first ballot.[ 7] [ 4] In the 2015 provincial election , McCurdy failed to win a seat in the House of Assembly and was defeated by Siobhán Coady by nearly 1000 votes.[ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11]
On June 11, 2016, McCurdy's leadership was reaffirmed at the party's provincial convention with the support of 91.6% of delegates.[ 12]
On September 19, 2017, McCurdy announced his resignation as Leader, effective September 30, 2017.[ 13] His resignation came after Steve Kent announced he would resign his seat of Mount Pearl North where McCurdy resided but which was unlikely to be winnable for the NDP.[ 14] Following McCurdy's resignation, MHA and former leader Lorraine Michael was named interim leader.[ 15]
Electoral record
NL NDP Leadership Election, 2015
First Ballot[ 7]
Candidate
Votes
Perc.
Earle McCurdy
889
68.5%
Mike Goosney
299
23.0%
Chris Bruce
110
8.5%
Spoiled Ballots
0
0.00%
Totals
1298
100%
References
^ a b c "Why the Divorce? The Merits and Shortcomings of a fleet separation policy" (PDF) . Memorial University . The Harris Centre - Memorial University.
^ "Earle McCurdy NDP Biography" . Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-02-22 .
^ a b "Earle McCurdy stepping down from helm of fisheries union" . CBC News . November 3, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2015 .
^ a b c "Take us to your leaders: What you may not know about Davis, Ball and McCurdy" . www.cbc.ca . Retrieved 2015-11-29 .
^ Wakeham, Bob (January 17, 2015). "McCurdy and me" . The Telegram . Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015 .
^ "Depleted Fish Stocks Spark Canada's Turbot War With Spain" . Chicago Tribune . March 19, 1995. Retrieved February 22, 2015 .
^ a b "Earle McCurdy Named Leader of the NDP" . VOCM News . March 7, 2015. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015 .
^ "Newfoundland & Labrador Election Platform 2015" (PDF) . Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party. 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2021 .
^ " 'Nothing fancy': Earle McCurdy costs out NDP election plan" . www.cbc.ca . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . 23 November 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2021 .
^ "NDP Leader Earle McCurdy loses to Siobhan Coady" . CBC News . 30 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015 .
^ "Full list of winners in Newfoundland and Labrador election" . CBC News , November 30, 2015.
^ "Earle McCurdy gets overwhelming endorsement to stay on as NDP leader" . CBC News. June 13, 2016.
^ "McCurdy to Step Down as Provincial NDP Leader" . VOCM Local News Now. Archived from the original on 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2017-09-19 .
^ "Promotions, resignations, murder trials: Uncontrollable events in N.L. politics" . CBC News. September 23, 2017.
^ "Lorraine Michael named interim NDP leader" . Saltwire Network. Sep 28, 2017. Retrieved Apr 6, 2021 .
External links