The 2020 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election was held due to the announcement by

Dwight Ball Dwight Ball (born December 21, 1957) is a Canadian politician who was the 13th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from December 14, 2015, to August 19, 2020, and an MHA. He represented the electoral district of Humber Valley in the Newfoundla ...

on February 17, 2020 that he would be resigning as

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

leader and

Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1949, the premier's duties and office has been the successor to the ministerial position of the pri ...

effective when the party elects his successor. Provincial legislation requires that a

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

must occur no more than one year following a Premier's resignation. The leadership campaign was suspended on March 23, 2020 at noon due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador The COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of January 19, 2023, ...

. The party's leadership election committee met on May 25, 2020, announcing that the race would resume on June 8, 2020. A virtual convention was held on August 3, 2020, at which

Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...

was elected leader.

Timeline

*17 February 2020 - Liberal leader and Premier Dwight Ball informs Liberal Party president John Allan of his resignation as party leader and premier, to take effect when the Liberal Party chooses his successor. Ball subsequently announces his decision to the province in a pre-taped video. *18 February 2020 - Liberal board of directors meets to make decisions on the process to replace Ball. *24 February 2020 - Liberal Party releases leadership election rules, official opening of nomination period. *6 March 2020, noon - deadline for candidates to be nominated ($25,000 deposit and 50 signatures from 10 provincial electoral districts required). *18 March 2020 - the executive announced that due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

, the physical leadership convention would be cancelled and the vote would proceed entirely online. *23 March 2020 - The party executive announced that the leadership campaign has been suspended effective at noon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The party executive is to meet on 1 May 2020 to decide whether the race can resume or whether it and/or the election will be postponed. *4 April 2020 - original deadline to become a party member or renew party membership so that one can be able to vote in the leadership election. *1 May 2020 - Party releases a press release stating that the leadership election committee will meet on May 11, 2020, to determine whether the suspension of the leadership election will be lifted. *8 May 2020 - leadership convention was to have opened (cancelled). *9 May 2020 - original date leadership vote was scheduled to occur by

preferential ballot The term ranked voting (also known as preferential voting or ranked choice voting) refers to any voting system in which voters rank their candidates (or options) in a sequence of first or second (or third, etc.) on their respective ballots. Ran ...

. *11 May 2020 - leadership election committee meets to determine whether the suspension of the election can be lifted and, if so, determine a new schedule. It announces that the race remains suspended and that the situation will be reviewed again on 25 May. *25 May 2020 - the leadership election committee announces that the race will resume on 8 June. No schedule was determined. * 1 June 2020 - the Liberal party formally informs the candidates that the race will resume the following week, and announces that the results will be revealed at a virtual convention on 3 August. * 8 June 2020 - Campaigning resumes. * 21 June 2020 - NTV News hosted a virtual town hall debate with Abbott and Furey. * 25 June 2020 - CBC NL hosted a debate with Abbott and Furey. * 28 June 2020 - Deadline to become a party member or renew party membership so that one can be able to vote in the leadership election. * 3 August 2020 - Virtual convention held. Andrew Furey elected leader.

Declared candidates

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...

CEO of the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the

Canadian Mental Health Association The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focusing on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally nam ...

, Deputy Minister of Health under Premiers Danny Williams and Dwight Ball Date campaign launched: March 5, 2020 :Former MHAs: Rex Gibbons, MHA for St. John's West (1989–1997) :Other prominent individuals: Paul Antle, businessman and political candidate

Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...

Philanthropist and orthopedic surgeon, founder of Team Broken Earth, son of Senator

George Furey George J. Furey (born May 12, 1948) is a Canadian politician who has served as the speaker of the Senate of Canada since December 3, 2015. Furey was appointed as a senator from Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 and is the longest-serving member ...

, and nephew of former cabinet minister

Chuck Furey Charles "Chuck" Furey (born March 6, 1954) is a Canadian former politician, who represented the electoral district of St. Barbe in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1985 to 2000. The son of Leo Furey and Mary Bruce, he was b ...

. Date campaign launched: March 3, 2020 :MHAs:

Derrick Bragg Derrick Bragg is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election. He represents the electoral district of Fogo Island-Cape Freels as a member of the Liberal Party The L ...

, MHA for

Fogo Island-Cape Freels Fogo Island-Cape Freels is a provincial electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is represented by one member in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. It was contested for the first time in the 2015 provincial election. ...

(2015–present); Gerry Byrne, MHA for

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

(2015-);

Steve Crocker Stephen D. Crocker (born October 15, 1944) is the inventor of the Request for Comments series, authoring the first RFC and many more. He attended Van Nuys High School, as did Vint Cerf and Jon Postel. Crocker received his bachelor's degree (196 ...

, MHA for

Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde is a provincial electoral district of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The district covers the eastern edge of Trinity Bay and the tip of Conception Bay. As of 2011, there are 6,968 eligibl ...

(2014–present);

Sherry Gambin-Walsh Sherry Gambin-Walsh is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election.Placentia-St. Mary's (2015–present);

John Haggie John Alastair Haggie is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election. He represents the electoral district of Gander as a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Ha ...

, MHA for Gander (2015-present);

Eddie Joyce Eddie Joyce is a Canadian politician, who represents the district of Humber-Bay of Islands in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. Originally a member of the Liberal Party, he served as the party's interim leader and the leader of t ...

, MHA for

Humber-Bay of Islands Humber-Bay of Islands is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2015, the district has 13,412 eligible voters. It contains the towns of Irishtown, Hughes Brook, Summerside, Meadow ...

(2011-present); Andrew Parsons, MHA for

Burgeo-La Poile Burgeo-La Poile is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011, there are 7,527 eligible voters living within the district. The district was first created when Newfoundland joined conf ...

(2011–present);

Pam Parsons Pamela Parsons is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election.Harbour Grace-Port de Grave Harbour Grace-Port de Grave is a provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is represented by one member in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. It was contested for the first time in ...

(2015–present) :Former party leaders:

Brian Tobin Brian Vincent Tobin (born October 21, 1954) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. Tobin served as the sixth premier of Newfoundland from 1996 to 2000. Tobin was also a prominent Member of Parliament and served as a cabinet minister i ...

, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador (1996–2000) :Former MHAs:

Graham Letto Graham Letto is a Canadian politician, who served in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2015 until 2019. He represented the district of Labrador West as a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party. Prior to his el ...

, MHA for

Labrador West Labrador West (2013 pop.: 10,319) refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush. The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the ...

(2015–2019) :Other prominent supporters: Jamie Fowlow, CEO of the Western Regional Hospital Foundation; Brendan Paddick, Chair of the Board of Directors at

Nalcor Energy Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nalcor Energy was created in 2007 to manage the p ...

Declined

*Paul Antle - St. John's businessman, federal Liberal candidate in

St. John's East St. John's East (french: St. John's-Est; formerly known as St. John's North) is a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1949. It covers a part of St ...

(2006), runner-up in 2013 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election (''endorsed John Abbott'') * Bernard Davis - Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry (2019–present), MHA for

Virginia Waters-Pleasantville Virginia Waters-Pleasantville is a provincial electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2011 there are 14,152 people living in the district. Virginia Waters-Pleasantville includes part of the city of St. John's. The district was cr ...

(2015–present),

St. John's City Council St. John's City Council has been the governing body of the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1888, St. John's city council has governed under the Colony of Newfoundland, the Dominion of Newfoundland and since 1949, Canada. Th ...

lor (2013–2015) * Gerry Byrne - Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources (2017–present), Minister of Advanced Education and Skills (2015–2017), MHA for

(2015–present), federal

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

for the

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, diversification, and job creation specific to their respective regio ...

(2002–2003), MP for

Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. Demographics Ethnic groups: 96.2% White, ...

(1996–2015) (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

Siobhán Coady Siobhán Coady (; born November 11, 1960) is a Canadian businesswoman and politician who represents the riding of St. John's West in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as a Liberal. Coady previously served as the Liberal Member of Pa ...

- Minister of Natural Resources (2015–present), Government House Leader (2019–present), MHA for St. John's West (2015–present), MP for

St. John's South—Mount Pearl St. John's South—Mount Pearl (french: St. John's-Sud—Mount Pearl; formerly St. John's South) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons ...

(2008–2011) *

- Minister of Transportation and Works (2017–present), Minister of Fisheries (2015–2017), MHA for

(2014–present) (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

Lisa Dempster Lisa V. Dempster is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in a by-election on June 25, 2013. She represents the district of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair as a member of the Liberal Party. A residen ...

- Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development (2018–present), MHA for

Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011, there are 3,131 eligible voters living within the district. The district covers remote communities in Southe ...

(2013–present) *Jamie Fowlow - CEO of the Western Regional Hospital Foundation (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

- Minister of Health and Community Services (2015–present), MHA for Gander (2015–present), surgeon (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

Carol Anne Haley Carol Anne Haley (born 27 January 1972) is a Canadian politician, who represented the district of Burin-Grand Bank in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2015 until 2021. Haley was elected in the 2015 provincial election.

- Minister Responsible for the Status of Women (2018–present), MHA for

Burin-Grand Bank Burin-Grand Bank is a provincial electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador represented by a member in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. It was contested for the first time in the 2015 provincial election. The district was cr ...

(2015–present) *

Yvonne Jones Yvonne Jean Jones (born March 15, 1968) is a Canadian politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on May 13, 2013. She represents the district of Labrador as a member of the Liberal ...

- Parliamentary Secretary to the

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(2019–present), MP for

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

(2013–present), Leader of the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador (2007–2012), former leader of the

Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The party is the provincial branch, and affiliate of the federal Liberal Party of Canada. It has served as the Government o ...

(2007–2011), MHA for

(1996-2013), Mayor of

Mary's Harbour Mary's Harbour is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 312 in the Canada 2021 Census, down from 341 in the Canada 2016 Census. It is serviced by Mary's Harbour Airport. Mary's Harbour surrou ...

(1991–1996) *Dean MacDonald - owner of

Newfoundland Growlers The Newfoundland Growlers are a professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The team began play in the 2018–19 ECHL season and have home games at Mary Brown's Centre. They are membe ...

minor hockey team *

Christopher Mitchelmore Christopher Mitchelmore MHA (born October 23, 1985) is a Canadian politician, who represented St. Barbe-L'Anse aux Meadows in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from the 2011 provincial election

- Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour (2019–present), Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation (2015–2019), MHA for St. Barbe-L'Anse aux Meadows (2015–present) *

Seamus O'Regan Seamus Thomas Harris O'Regan (born January 18, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the Minister of Natural Resources from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, O'Regan has represented St. John's South—Mount Pearl in the Hou ...

- federal Minister of Natural Resources (2019–present), federal Minister of Indigenous Services (2019), federal Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence (2017–2019), MP for

(2015–present), former host of CTV ''

Canada AM ''Canada AM'' was a Canadian morning television news show that aired on CTV from 1972 to 2016. Its final hosts were Beverly Thomson and Marci Ien, with Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports. The program aired on weekdays, and ...

'' (2001–2011), correspondent for ''

CTV National News ''CTV National News'' is the flagship newscast of CTV News, the news division of the CTV Television Network, which airs at 11:00 pm local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and is produced from CTV's facilities at 9 Channel Nine Court in Sca ...

'' (2011–2012) * Andrew Parsons - Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2015–present), Government House Leader (2015–2019), MHA for

(2011–present) (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

(2015–present) (''endorsed Andrew Furey'') *

Sarah Stoodley Sarah Stoodley is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2019 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of Mount Scio as ...

- MHA for

Mount Scio Mount Scio is a provincial electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2011 there are 14,482 people living in the district. Mount Scio includes part of the town of Paradise and the part of the city of St. John's. The district was cr ...

(2019–present) *

Brian Warr Brian H. Warr is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election.Baie Verte-Green Bay Baie Verte-Green Bay (formerly Baie Verte-Springdale) is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011 it has 8,067 eligible voters. The district was redistributed in 2015. It contains ...

(2015–present) *

Nick Whalen Nicholas Julian Whalen (born June 6, 1973) is a Canadian Liberal politician, who represented the riding of St. John's East in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 until 2019. Whalen was defeated in the 2019 federal election by former Ne ...

- MP for

(2015–2019)

Results

Furey defeated Abbott in all 40 electoral districts, with Abbott performing the best in St. John's and the surrounding regions.

References

{{Major Canadian Liberal Parties

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election

Timeline

Declared candidates

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...

Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...

Declined

Results

See also

References