| Lela Evans | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MHA |
| Birth Place: | Makkovik[1] |
| Assembly: | Newfoundland and Labrador House of |
| Constituency Am: | Torngat Mountains |
| Term Start: | May 16, 2019 |
| Predecessor: | Randy Edmunds |
| Party: | Progressive Conservative (2019–2021, 2024–present) |
| Alma Mater: | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| Otherparty: | Independent (2021–2022) New Democratic (2022–2024) |
| Relations: | Anthony Andersen (uncle) Wally Andersen (uncle) Randy Edmunds (cousin) |
Lela Margaret Ann Evans[2] is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2019 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of Torngat Mountains as a Progressive Conservative. Having been elected as a PC MHA, she left the party in 2021 and joined the New Democratic Party in 2022. She returned to the PCs in 2024.[3] She was first elected in the 2019 provincial election and was re-elected in 2021.[4]
Evans has over 20 years’ experience in the environmental field including environmental assessments, mining and construction.[5]
Evans was born in Makkovik,[6] a community in Nunatsiavut, Labrador and she is of Norwegian and Inuit descent.[7] Evans is the daughter of Annie Evans and niece of feminist activist Ruth Flowers.[8] In 2016, Evans joined protests against the Lower Churchill Project despite working for the company developing the project, Nalcor Energy.[9] Evans has also worked as a first-aid instructor and at the Voisey's Bay Mine. Evans has also served as a part of a team conducting community consultations on the Uranium mining moratorium in northern Labrador. Evans is a graduate of the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Evans is openly lesbian.[10] [11]
In an interview with The Independent, Evans stated that she had to quit her job to run as a candidate in the 2019 election because her employer would not allow her to take a leave of absence. She was nominated as the Progressive Conservative candidate against her cousin and MHA Randy Edmunds. Evans went on to defeat Edmunds in an upset.[12] She considered herself to be "putting the P in PC," meaning that she considers herself to be progressive in her political beliefs.
Evans has called for the Trans-Labrador Highway to be extended to reach communities in the northern part of Labrador.[13]
On October 25, 2021, Evans left the PC Party to sit as an Independent in the House of Assembly.[14] On March 7, 2022, Evans joined the NDP.[15] [16] On July 16, 2024, she rejoined the PC Party, calling new PC leader Tony Wakeham an "ally" and a "friend."
| Canada – 2018 Nunatsiavut general election | ||||||||||||||||||
| [17] | Name | Vote | % | Edward Blake-Rudkowski | 477 | 38.07% | Roland Saunders | 258 | 20.59% | Lela Evans | 234 | 18.68% | Charlotte Winters-Fost | 194 | 15.48% | Selina Adams | 90 | 7.18% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Valid Ballots | 1,253 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||