Lorraine Michael
Encyclopedia
Lorraine Michael, MHA
(born March 27, 1943) is a social democratic
Canadian politician
from Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
. Since 2006 Michael has been the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NDP). She is a former nun
, teacher, and social activist. On November 1, 2006, she was elected Member of the House of Assembly
(MHA) for the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi
, and re-elected the following year in the provincial election
.
family in St. John's
, Newfoundland
. She has completed degrees at Memorial University of Newfoundland
and the University of Toronto
. She started her career as a high school teacher on Bell Island, and was a junior high school principal and teacher in Baie Verte, the Codroy Valley, on the Burin Peninsula, and in St. John's.
Michael has been a social activist and a feminist activist in Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as internationally. After leaving the teaching profession, she became Director of the Office of Social Action in St. John's where she worked on a number of coalitions for social justice, both regionally and nationally. In later years, while working with the Toronto
-based Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice (ECEJ), she spoke on the subject of economic globalization in Mexico
, Chile
, and Zimbabwe
. She has also worked with the Women and Work Committee of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
and served for a period as the organization's Interim Executive Director.
Prior to her election as NDP leader, she was Executive Director of the Women in Resource Development Committee, consulting with industry, labour, government, and educators to achieve employment equity in natural resource development sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador. This work was an extension of her earlier work in Labrador
as the Innu
Nation nominee on the Voisey's Bay
environmental assessment panel from 1997 to 1999.
. On November 1, 2006 she was elected in a by-election
in the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi defeating Progressive Conservative
candidate Jerome Kennedy
. Her campaign also received support from federal NDP leader, Jack Layton
who visited the district to campaign for Michael.
In March 2007, New Democrat Randy Collins
resigned as MHA for Labrador West
after being named in the province's constituency allowance scandal. Michael was unsuccessful in holding the district for the NDP, losing to Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Baker
. The party faced several mishaps during the campaign, notably the decision of their presumed candidate, Karen Oldford, to run for the Liberals and the decision by the president of the United Steelworkers union local at Wabush Mines to endorse the Labrador Party instead of the NDP.
Michael led the party into the 2007 election
. While the party fielded 36 candidates out of a possible 48 the party spent most of the time campaigning in the St. John's metropolitan area
, due to a lack of funds. The party did travel to Burin-Placentia West
, and later to central Newfoundland and western Labrador. Michael defeated her Progressive Conservative opponent Maria Afonso by a 17% margin but the party was unable to make any other gains throughout the province.
In May 2010, she called for the House of Assembly to urge government to increase funding to help problem gamblers and establish a new plan for reduction leading to elimination of VLTs. She has also supported a ban on bottled water in government offices.
In July 2010, she criticized the Williams Government's for carelessness after a mistake from the Department of Education resulted in approximately 6,500 high school students from across the province receiving the wrong marks, or no marks on their transcripts.
overtook the Liberals
as the Official Opposition
, support for Michael and the provincial NDP surged in a Corporate Research Associates (CRA) poll. On June 7, 2011, a poll showed that the party's support since March 2011, had risen from eight percent to 20 percent. This placed them in a statistical tie with the Liberal Party
who were at 22 percent. Both parties however trailed the Progressive Conservatives
(PC) who had the support of 57 percent. Michael's own popularity spiked, since the previous poll by CRA her popularity had risen from five percent to 14 percent. This placed her just behind Liberal leader Yvonne Jones
who was at 16 percent, Premier Kathy Dunderdale
had the support of 51 percent. By August 2011, Michael and her New Democratic Party had over taken the Liberal Party to place second behind the Progressive Conservatives. A CRA poll conducted throughout August showed that NDP support rose to 24%, while the Liberals remained at 20% and the PC Party fell slightly to 54%. While 50% thought Dunderdale was the best choice for premier, 17% of thought Michael was the best choice compared to 16% for new Liberal leader Kevin Aylward
.
|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|3,239
|align="right"|65.28%
|align="right"|
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|John Noseworthy
|align="right"|1,550
|align="right"|31.24%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Drew Brown
|align="right"|173
|align="right"|3.49%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|New Democrat
|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|3062
|align="right"|56.8
|align="right"|+1.6
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Maria Afonso
|align="right"|2135
|align="right"|39.6
|align="right"|-5.2
|-
|Liberal
|Maura Beam
|align="right"|196
|align="right"|3.6
|align="right"|+3.6
|}
}
|-
|New Democrat
|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|1968
|align="right"|55.2
|align="right"| +6.7
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
|align="right"|1595
|align="right"|44.8
|align="right"| +1.0
|}
Member of the House of Assembly
A Member of the House of Assembly is a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in Canada.Other Provinces and TerritoriesMembers of other Canadian provincial and territorial assemblies employ the titles:...
(born March 27, 1943) is a social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
Canadian politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Since 2006 Michael has been the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NDP). She is a former nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, teacher, and social activist. On November 1, 2006, she was elected Member of the House of Assembly
Member of the House of Assembly
A Member of the House of Assembly is a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in Canada.Other Provinces and TerritoriesMembers of other Canadian provincial and territorial assemblies employ the titles:...
(MHA) for the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi
Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi
Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011 there were 8,137 eligible voters living within the district....
, and re-elected the following year in the provincial election
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2007
The 47th Newfoundland and Labrador general election was held on October 9, 2007 to elect members of the 46th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 18th general election for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-Campaign:...
.
Biography
Michael was born on March 27, 1943 to a Lebanese-CanadianLebanese-Canadian
Lebanese Canadians are Canadian nationals of Lebanese origin. There are according to the 2006 Census some 165,150 Canadians of Lebanese origin, making them by far the largest group of people with Arabic-speaking roots....
family in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. She has completed degrees at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. She started her career as a high school teacher on Bell Island, and was a junior high school principal and teacher in Baie Verte, the Codroy Valley, on the Burin Peninsula, and in St. John's.
Michael has been a social activist and a feminist activist in Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as internationally. After leaving the teaching profession, she became Director of the Office of Social Action in St. John's where she worked on a number of coalitions for social justice, both regionally and nationally. In later years, while working with the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice (ECEJ), she spoke on the subject of economic globalization in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. She has also worked with the Women and Work Committee of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
National Action Committee on the Status of Women
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women is a Canadian feminist activist organization. NAC was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada's 1970 report on matters such as...
and served for a period as the organization's Interim Executive Director.
Prior to her election as NDP leader, she was Executive Director of the Women in Resource Development Committee, consulting with industry, labour, government, and educators to achieve employment equity in natural resource development sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador. This work was an extension of her earlier work in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
as the Innu
Innu
The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
Nation nominee on the Voisey's Bay
Voisey's Bay
Voisey's Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean in Labrador, Canada. The bay is located south of the community of Nain. The bay is heavily indented with numerous inlets and islands and is extremely rocky and is the site of the Voisey's Bay Mine....
environmental assessment panel from 1997 to 1999.
Leadership and politics
Elections
Michael was elected as leader of the New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador on May 28, 2006 at the leadership convention to replace Jack HarrisJack Harris (politician)
John James "Jack" Harris MP is a Canadian lawyer and politician from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Harris is the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for St. John's East and is a former leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party...
. On November 1, 2006 she was elected in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi defeating Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
candidate Jerome Kennedy
Jerome Kennedy
Jerome Kennedy QC, MHA is a Canadian lawyer and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, currently serving as the Minister of Natural Resources in the cabinet of Premier Kathy Dunderdale....
. Her campaign also received support from federal NDP leader, Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
who visited the district to campaign for Michael.
In March 2007, New Democrat Randy Collins
Randy Collins
Randy Collins is a Canadian politician and a former New Democratic Party member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. He represented the Labrador West riding until his resignation in early 2007 due to corruption charges....
resigned as MHA for Labrador West
Labrador West (electoral district)
Labrador West is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Known as the iron ore capital of Canada with two modern mining communities: Labrador City and Wabush. With both mines unionized, the area is considered a strong base of labour support...
after being named in the province's constituency allowance scandal. Michael was unsuccessful in holding the district for the NDP, losing to Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Baker
Jim Baker
James Baker is an American attorney, politician, political administrator, and political advisor.James Baker, Jim Baker, or Jamie Baker may also refer to:-Public officials:...
. The party faced several mishaps during the campaign, notably the decision of their presumed candidate, Karen Oldford, to run for the Liberals and the decision by the president of the United Steelworkers union local at Wabush Mines to endorse the Labrador Party instead of the NDP.
Michael led the party into the 2007 election
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2007
The 47th Newfoundland and Labrador general election was held on October 9, 2007 to elect members of the 46th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 18th general election for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-Campaign:...
. While the party fielded 36 candidates out of a possible 48 the party spent most of the time campaigning in the St. John's metropolitan area
St. John's Metropolitan Area
The St. John's Metropolitan Area is the most populous census metropolitan area in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. With a population of 181,113 in the 2006 Canadian Census, the CMA is the second largest in Atlantic Canada and the 20th largest CMA in Canada.The St. John’s CMA had...
, due to a lack of funds. The party did travel to Burin-Placentia West
Burin-Placentia West
Burin-Placentia West is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The district was known as Placentia West prior to 1975. As of 2011 there were 7,673 eligible voters living within the district....
, and later to central Newfoundland and western Labrador. Michael defeated her Progressive Conservative opponent Maria Afonso by a 17% margin but the party was unable to make any other gains throughout the province.
Efforts as leader
In March 2010, she called on government to immediately put a permanent air ambulance in western Labrador following a fatal incident. In which a 56-year-old man died while waiting for an air ambulance to arrive.In May 2010, she called for the House of Assembly to urge government to increase funding to help problem gamblers and establish a new plan for reduction leading to elimination of VLTs. She has also supported a ban on bottled water in government offices.
In July 2010, she criticized the Williams Government's for carelessness after a mistake from the Department of Education resulted in approximately 6,500 high school students from across the province receiving the wrong marks, or no marks on their transcripts.
Public opinion
During the majority of time as leader, Michael and her party's support remained under 10 percent in the polls. Under her leadership the party's popularity was consistent with where they had been in public opinion over the past 20 years. After the 2011 federal election in which the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
overtook the Liberals
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
as the Official Opposition
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
, support for Michael and the provincial NDP surged in a Corporate Research Associates (CRA) poll. On June 7, 2011, a poll showed that the party's support since March 2011, had risen from eight percent to 20 percent. This placed them in a statistical tie with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the provincial wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is the Official Opposition and currently holds six seats in the provincial legislature.-Origins:The party originated in...
who were at 22 percent. Both parties however trailed the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
(PC) who had the support of 57 percent. Michael's own popularity spiked, since the previous poll by CRA her popularity had risen from five percent to 14 percent. This placed her just behind Liberal leader Yvonne Jones
Yvonne Jones
Yvonne Jones is a Canadian politician and former leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. She currently represents the riding of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, and was one of only three Liberal incumbents re-elected in the province's...
who was at 16 percent, Premier Kathy Dunderdale
Kathy Dunderdale
Kathleen Mary Margaret "Kathy" Dunderdale MHA is a Canadian politician and the tenth and current Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, having served in this capacity since December 3, 2010...
had the support of 51 percent. By August 2011, Michael and her New Democratic Party had over taken the Liberal Party to place second behind the Progressive Conservatives. A CRA poll conducted throughout August showed that NDP support rose to 24%, while the Liberals remained at 20% and the PC Party fell slightly to 54%. While 50% thought Dunderdale was the best choice for premier, 17% of thought Michael was the best choice compared to 16% for new Liberal leader Kevin Aylward
Kevin Aylward
Kevin Aylward is a Canadian politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He has served as leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 14, 2011...
.
Electoral history
|NDP|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|3,239
|align="right"|65.28%
|align="right"|
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|John Noseworthy
John Noseworthy
John L. Noseworthy is a Canadian accountant and politician who served as Auditor General of Newfoundland and Labrador from April 25, 2002 till July 30, 2011...
|align="right"|1,550
|align="right"|31.24%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Drew Brown
|align="right"|173
|align="right"|3.49%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|New Democrat
|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|3062
|align="right"|56.8
|align="right"|+1.6
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Maria Afonso
|align="right"|2135
|align="right"|39.6
|align="right"|-5.2
|-
|Liberal
|Maura Beam
|align="right"|196
|align="right"|3.6
|align="right"|+3.6
|}
}
|-
|New Democrat
|Lorraine Michael
|align="right"|1968
|align="right"|55.2
|align="right"| +6.7
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
Jerome Kennedy
Jerome Kennedy QC, MHA is a Canadian lawyer and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, currently serving as the Minister of Natural Resources in the cabinet of Premier Kathy Dunderdale....
|align="right"|1595
|align="right"|44.8
|align="right"| +1.0
|}
External links
- New Democratic Party - NL NDP official bio
- Lorraine Michael on Facebook - Lorraine Michael on Facebook
- NDP by-election proves Liberals are useless: Williams