August 2011 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, August 2011 was prompted by Yvonne Jones' announcement that she would be stepping down as Liberal leader, once her successor was chosen, due to health reasons. Her announcement came 62 days before the October 2011 provincial election.[1]

August 2011 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election
DateAugust 14, 2011
Resigning leaderYvonne Jones
Won byKevin Aylward
Ballots1
Candidates7
Entrance Fee$500

Former Member of the House of Assembly (MHA) and cabinet minister Kevin Aylward was chosen as the Liberal leader on August 14, 2011.[2]

Timing

Jones served as the interim party leader following the 2007 provincial election, and was sworn in as party leader on May 28, 2011.[3] Jones had been acclaimed leader after being the only candidate to file nomination papers for the leadership in July 2010.[4] On August 16, 2010, she announced she had breast cancer and would be taking a leave of absence for treatment, but would vowed to return and fight the election.[5] Jones returned to the House of Assembly for the Spring sitting and had already started making policy announcements for the election when she announced her resignation.[6][7] Jones held a news conference on August 9, 2011, where she announced her resignation stating that her white blood cell count had not recovered and her immune system was too weak to fight an election as leader, though she would seek re-election in her district.[1]

Process of selecting leader

Due to the timing of Jones' resignation, less than 6 weeks before the writ for the election was set to drop, the Liberal executive met on the night of her resignation to come up with a process of selecting a leader as soon as possible. Nominations for the leadership opened at noon on August 10, and closed on August 12, at noon. Candidates submitted a non-refundable $500 fee in addition to a letter to party president Judy Morrow expressing their interest in the leadership. The party executive engaged in a 48-hour consultation process, that reached out to party members throughout the province. On the afternoon of August 14, the candidates were allowed half an hour to address the executive board. The 19 members of the executive board voted by secret ballot to determine the successful leadership candidate, and Aylward won on the first ballot.[8]

Declared candidates

Kevin Aylward

Former MHA for St. George's-Stephenville East (1985–2003) and cabinet minister.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 12, 2011.[9]
Policies:

Brad Cabana

Businessman and blogger, who attempted to run for the Progressive Conservative Party leadership earlier in the year.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 10, 2011.[10]
Policies:Get rid of the Muskrat Falls deal and get the province's debt under control.[11]

Bern Coffey

St. John's lawyer.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 11, 2010.[12]
Policies:Get rid of the current Muskrat Falls deal and sustain government spending.[13]

Danny Dumaresque

Former MHA for Eagle River (1989–1996) and former party president.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 10, 2011.[10]
Policies:Get rid of the Muskrat Falls deal, and focus on the fishing industry.[11]

Ryan Lane

Consultant, former teacher and candidate in Terra Nova.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 12, 2011.[9]
Policies:

Rodney Martin

Real-estate agent.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 12, 2011.[9]
Policies:

Charles Murphy

Former New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador candidate in Bay of Islands.

Support from caucus members:
Support from outside caucus:
Date campaign launched: August 12, 2011.[9]
Policies:

Potential candidates who did not run

Timeline
  • August 9, 2011: Yvonne Jones announces she will step down as leader due to her health.[1]
  • August 9, 2011: The Liberal Party executive meet to finalize plans to choose the next leader.[1]
  • August 10, 2011: Danny Dumaresque and Brad Cabana announce their candidacy for the leadership.[10]
  • August 11, 2011: Bern Coffey announces his candidacy.[12]
  • August 12, 2011: Kevin Aylward, Ryan Lane, Rodney Martin and Charles Murphy all announce their candidacy.[9]
  • August 14, 2011: Kevin Aylward wins the Liberal leadership election.[2]

References
  1. "N.L. Liberal leader resigns over health". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  2. "Aylward sets sights on October surprise". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  3. "Jones takes on interim Liberal leadership". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  4. "Jones acclaimed N.L. Liberal leader". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  5. "N.L. Liberal Leader Jones has breast cancer". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  6. "Lower Churchill dominates question period". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  7. "Liberals unveil seniors' strategy for election". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  8. "Liberal Party of Newfoundland & Labrador Executive Board Establishes a Process for Selection of a New Leade" (PDF). Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. "Update: Seven in the running for Liberal leadership". The Telegram. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  10. "First Liberal leadership hopefuls announced". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  11. "Liberal leadership hopefuls on why they want the job". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  12. "Bern Coffey to make leadership bid". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  13. McLeod, James (13 August 2011). "Another day, another contender". The Telegram. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  14. McLeod, James (11 August 2011). "Who's in, who's not?". The Telegram. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  15. "Hillier shoots down rumours of N.L. Liberal leadership bid". National Post. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
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