John Paul Connolly (born June 22, 1946) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former educator and politician. He was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locate ...

in the 1982 provincial election and represented the electoral district of

6th Queens 6th Queens was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1966 to 1993. The district comprised the western half of the city of Charlo ...

from 1982 to 1996, followed by

Charlottetown-Rochford Square Charlottetown-Brighton (District 13) is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlan ...

from 1996 to 2000. He was a member of the

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 ...

. The son of Stephen Peter Connolly and Catherine McNally, Connolly was educated at

Saint Dunstan's University :''St. Andrew's College, Prince Edward Island'' redirects to here. St. Dunstan's University (SDU) is a former university which was located on the northern outskirts of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. SDU merged with Prince of Wales ...

and the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

. He was involved in adult education at

Holland College Holland College is the provincial community college for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (PEI). It is named after the British Army engineer and surveyor Captain Samuel Holland. History It was formed by the Government of Prince ...

. In 1972, he married Etta Blanche MacLean. Connolly was elected to the PEI Legislature in 1982 and served as Opposition Critic for Health & Social Services and the Status of Women. He served on the Legislative Committee on Quality of Life and Co-Chaired a Liberal Party Task Force on Job Creation & Community Development. When the Joe Ghiz Government was sworn into office in May 1986 he was appointed Chairman of Policy Board, responsible for ensuring that all government programs and initiatives tied into the overall policy thrust of government. Re-elected in 1989, he was appointed Minister of Education, as well as Minister Responsible for Status of Women & Minister Responsible for Native Affairs. In September 1992, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. In March 1993, Connolly was re-elected as MLA for the Charlottetown Riding of 6th Queens and appointed to a Cabinet Committee for Public Consultation, later serving as Minister of Higher Education in the Catherine Callbeck Government. He was also appointed a commissioner for the PEI Electoral Reform Commission, mandated under the Public Enquiries Act to review and recommend changes to PEI's electoral boundaries. In 1996 Connolly was re-elected to a fifth consecutive term as the MLA for the newly created single member district of Charlottetown-Rochford Square. In March 1999 he was appointed Leader of the Official Opposition, serving in that position until he left politics in 2000. He was appointed to The National Parole Board in 2002, serving for seven years.

References

* Living people People from Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs 1946 births {{PrinceEdwardIsland-politician-stub