| Earle McCurdy | |
| Birth Place: | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Residence: | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Office: | Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party |
| Term Start: | March 7, 2015 |
| Term End: | September 28, 2017 |
| Predecessor: | Lorraine Michael |
| Successor: | Lorraine Michael |
| Party: | New Democratic Party |
| Occupation: | Politician, labour leader |
Earle McCurdy (born 1950)[1] is a former leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party and a former labour leader in Newfoundland and Labrador. He was president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union from 1993 to 2014,[2] succeeding founding president Richard Cashin.[3] Previously, McCurdy was the union's secretary-treasurer for 13 years, from 1980 to 1993.[3]
McCurdy was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1950, and grew up in St. John's, Newfoundland where he attended Prince of Wales Collegiate.[1] He is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1972,[1] and worked as a reporter for The St. John's Evening Telegram in the 1970s, covering the labour beat, before becoming involved with the fisheries' union.[4]
His most notable time as union president was during Canada's fishing dispute with the European Union, known as the Turbot War.[5]
McCurdy was elected leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP at the party's leadership convention held March 7, 2015, defeating two other contenders with 68% support on the first ballot.[6] [7] In the 2015 provincial election, McCurdy failed to win a seat in the House of Assembly and was defeated by Siobhán Coady by nearly 1000 votes.[8] [9] [10] [11]
On June 11, 2016, McCurdy's leadership was reaffirmed at the party's provincial convention with the support of 91.6% of delegates.[12]
On September 19, 2017, McCurdy announced his resignation as Leader, effective September 30, 2017.[13] His resignation came after Steve Kent announced he would resign his seat of Mount Pearl North where McCurdy resided but which was unlikely to be winnable for the NDP.[14] Following McCurdy's resignation, MHA and former leader Lorraine Michael was named interim leader.[15]
| First Ballot | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Perc. | ||
| Earle McCurdy | 889 | 68.5% | ||
| Mike Goosney | 299 | 23.0% | ||
| Chris Bruce | 110 | 8.5% | ||
| Spoiled Ballots | 0 | 0.00% | ||
| Totals | 1298 | 100% | ||