James P. Walsh (born 1949) is a businessperson and former politician in

Newfoundland and Labrador 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 ...

. He represented

Conception Bay East – Bell Island Conception commonly refers to: * Concept, an abstract idea or a mental symbol * Conception (biology), the process of becoming pregnant, involving fertilization and implantation of the embryo in the uterus Conception may also refer to: Entertain ...

in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

from 1989 to 2003. He was born in

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. ...

. Walsh married Barbara Best; the couple had four children. Before entering politics, he was managing director of the Young Group of Companies. Walsh was also president of Hospitality Newfoundland and was host of a CBC television show called ''Quiz Kids''. Walsh ran unsuccessfully for the Bay of Islands seat in the Newfoundland assembly in 1979. He was elected to the assembly in 1989 for Mount Scio–Bell Island and was reelected in 1993, 1995 and 1999. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 2003. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Tourism and Culture and as Minister of Works, Services and Transportation, Parliamentary Sect. to Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, and Parliamentary Sect. responsible for Newfoundland Housing. From 2004 until 2009 Walsh served with the Transportation Safety Board. In January 2010, he was convicted of fraud and breach of trust in a legislative spending scandal in which over 115 Members had overspent their constituency allowances. Walsh was granted

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

in July of that year. As stated in the Canadian Parliamentary Review Vol 30 No. 4 2007, according to the Auditor General, MHAs and staff frequently sought guidance from the Legislative staff and were poorly advised. "The House staff provided inconsistent advice and even prepared some members claims. The result was a mishmash of expenditures that were at times unethical and fraudulent."

References

Canadian Parliamentary Review Vol 30 No 4 {{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Jim 1949 births Living people Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador People from Corner Brook 21st-century Canadian politicians