Jerome Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Jerome Kennedy QC
, MHA
(born July 10, 1960) 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
.
Kennedy was elected in 2007, as the Member of the House of Assembly
(MHA) for the district of Carbonear-Harbour Grace
. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Health and Community Services, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, and as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Before entering politics Kennedy was a high profile criminal lawyer in St. John's
.
and is the oldest of nine children of Patrick and Flora Kennedy. He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland
in 1981, with a bachelor of arts. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws
degree from the University of New Brunswick Law School
in 1984.
Kennedy was admitted to the Newfoundland Bar in 1985, and began practising criminal law full time in 1989. Kennedy became a high profile and outspoken criminal defence lawyer in St. John's
. He is well-known for representing Randy Druken and Gregory Parsons during the Lamer Inquiry, which examined how the criminal justice system dealt with three discredited murder convictions.
in the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi
, to replace outgoing New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, Jack Harris
. Kennedy was unsuccessful in his bid, losing the election to Harris' successor as NDP leader, Lorraine Michael
. After the loss he said that he had not given thought to running again in the future. However Kennedy ran for the Progressive Conservatives in the 2007 general election
, this time he was elected to represent the district of Carbonear-Harbour Grace
in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
.
who moved to Kennedy's old portfolio of Justice. Kennedy became minister just as the economy was seeing a downturn, due to the late-200s recession. In March 2009, he released his first budget titled; Building on Our Strong Foundation. Kennedy announced that the province recorded a $2.4 billion surplus during the 2008-2009 fiscal year and that the province's debt fell below $8 billion, but that they faced a $750 million deficit for the 2009-2010 fiscal year due to the recession. Kennedy's $6.7 billion budget put a significant focus on health and social services as well it included $800 million in infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy. Kennedy was also tasked with negotiating contracts with public sector employees. The government had agreed to giving workers a 21.5 per cent wage increase over four years and easily signed deals with the majority of the unions representing public sector employees. The province's nurses union however asked for a raise of more than 24 per cent over two years, plus an overhaul of starting and top wage scales. Kennedy told the nurses union that if they did not accept the 21.5 per cent wage increase over four years, given to other public sector employees, by December 31, 2008, that the government's offer may shrink due to the worsening economy. He later told nurses that "if forced to" the government would legislate nurses back to work if they chose to strike. After months of volatile negotiations Kennedy and the nurses union reached a tentative agreement on May 26, 2009, roughly two hours before nurses were expected on picket lines throughout the province. The four year agreement, which was later accepted by nurses, included an across the board compounded pay raise of 21.5 per cent, plus new step increases for new nurses and senior nurses which represented a total pay increase of 31 per cent and 27 per cent respectively for these groups by the end of the contract.
as the Minister of Health and Community Services, after Oram announced his retirement from provincial politics. Kennedy's appointment coincided with the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic
. The province started rolling out their mass H1N1 vaccination toward the end of October, which temporarily suspending other health services. While there was originally much confusion and controversy with the mass vaccination, Newfoundland and Labrador ended up vaccinating more of their residents than any other province in Canada. 69 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were vaccinated, well above the national average of 41 per cent.
|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
|align="right"|3,993
|align="right"|76.29%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Phillip Earle
|align="right"|774
|align="right"|14.79%
|align="right"|
|-
|NDP
|Shawn Hyde
|align="right"|445
|align="right"|8.50%
|align="right"|
|-
|Independent
|Kyle Brookings
|align="right"|22
|align="right"|0.42%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
|align="right"|4367
|align="right"|74.91%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Paul Baldwin
|align="right"|1463
|align="right"|25.09%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|New Democratic Party
|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
|}
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, MHA
Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...
(born July 10, 1960) is a Canadian lawyer and politician in 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...
, currently serving as the Minister of Natural Resources in the cabinet
Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
of Premier
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the first minister, head of government and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Before 1964, the position's official title was Premier of Newfoundland...
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...
.
Kennedy was elected in 2007, as the Member of the House of Assembly
Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...
(MHA) for the district of Carbonear-Harbour Grace
Carbonear-Harbour Grace
Carbonear-Harbour Grace is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of of 2011 there are 9,205 eligible voters living within the district....
. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Health and Community Services, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, and as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Before entering politics Kennedy was a high profile criminal lawyer 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...
.
Early life and education
Kennedy was born and raised in Carbonear, Newfoundland and LabradorCarbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador
Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2006, there are 4,723 people living in Carbonear, down from 4,759 in 2001.-History:...
and is the oldest of nine children of Patrick and Flora Kennedy. He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
in 1981, with a bachelor of arts. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree from the University of New Brunswick Law School
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
in 1984.
Kennedy was admitted to the Newfoundland Bar in 1985, and began practising criminal law full time in 1989. Kennedy became a high profile and outspoken criminal defence lawyer 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...
. He is well-known for representing Randy Druken and Gregory Parsons during the Lamer Inquiry, which examined how the criminal justice system dealt with three discredited murder convictions.
Politics
On November 1, 2006, Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for the Progressive Conservatives in a by-electionBy-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
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....
, to replace outgoing New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, Jack Harris
Jack 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...
. Kennedy was unsuccessful in his bid, losing the election to Harris' successor as NDP leader, Lorraine Michael
Lorraine Michael
Lorraine Michael, MHA 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 . She is a former nun, teacher, and social activist...
. After the loss he said that he had not given thought to running again in the future. However Kennedy ran for the Progressive Conservatives in the 2007 general 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:...
, this time he was elected to represent the district of Carbonear-Harbour Grace
Carbonear-Harbour Grace
Carbonear-Harbour Grace is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of of 2011 there are 9,205 eligible voters living within the district....
in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...
.
Minister of Justice
Following the election Kennedy was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General. He served in this position for a year, during this time he tried to secure federal funding for a new prison for the province as well he worked at streamlining the operations of the criminal justice system.Minister of Finance
Kennedy was appointed Minister of Finance, President of Treasury Board, Minister Responsible for the Public Service Secretariat and Minister Responsible for the Office of the Chief Information Officer on October 31, 2008, taking over for Tom MarshallTom Marshall (politician)
Tom Marshall, QC, MHA is a Canadian lawyer and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He currently serves as the Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board in the cabinet of Kathy Dunderdale....
who moved to Kennedy's old portfolio of Justice. Kennedy became minister just as the economy was seeing a downturn, due to the late-200s recession. In March 2009, he released his first budget titled; Building on Our Strong Foundation. Kennedy announced that the province recorded a $2.4 billion surplus during the 2008-2009 fiscal year and that the province's debt fell below $8 billion, but that they faced a $750 million deficit for the 2009-2010 fiscal year due to the recession. Kennedy's $6.7 billion budget put a significant focus on health and social services as well it included $800 million in infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy. Kennedy was also tasked with negotiating contracts with public sector employees. The government had agreed to giving workers a 21.5 per cent wage increase over four years and easily signed deals with the majority of the unions representing public sector employees. The province's nurses union however asked for a raise of more than 24 per cent over two years, plus an overhaul of starting and top wage scales. Kennedy told the nurses union that if they did not accept the 21.5 per cent wage increase over four years, given to other public sector employees, by December 31, 2008, that the government's offer may shrink due to the worsening economy. He later told nurses that "if forced to" the government would legislate nurses back to work if they chose to strike. After months of volatile negotiations Kennedy and the nurses union reached a tentative agreement on May 26, 2009, roughly two hours before nurses were expected on picket lines throughout the province. The four year agreement, which was later accepted by nurses, included an across the board compounded pay raise of 21.5 per cent, plus new step increases for new nurses and senior nurses which represented a total pay increase of 31 per cent and 27 per cent respectively for these groups by the end of the contract.
Minister of Health
In October 2009, Kennedy succeeded Paul OramPaul Oram
Paul Oram is a former Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Terra Nova in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2003 to 2009. He was a member of the Progressive Conservatives....
as the Minister of Health and Community Services, after Oram announced his retirement from provincial politics. Kennedy's appointment coincided with the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
. The province started rolling out their mass H1N1 vaccination toward the end of October, which temporarily suspending other health services. While there was originally much confusion and controversy with the mass vaccination, Newfoundland and Labrador ended up vaccinating more of their residents than any other province in Canada. 69 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were vaccinated, well above the national average of 41 per cent.
Minister of Natural Resources
Following his re-election in 2011, Kennedy was sworn in as the Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency and Government House Leader.Electoral history
|-|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
|align="right"|3,993
|align="right"|76.29%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Phillip Earle
|align="right"|774
|align="right"|14.79%
|align="right"|
|-
|NDP
|Shawn Hyde
|align="right"|445
|align="right"|8.50%
|align="right"|
|-
|Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
|Kyle Brookings
|align="right"|22
|align="right"|0.42%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Progressive Conservative
|Jerome Kennedy
|align="right"|4367
|align="right"|74.91%
|align="right"|
|-
|Liberal
|Paul Baldwin
|align="right"|1463
|align="right"|25.09%
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|New Democratic Party
|Lorraine Michael
Lorraine Michael
Lorraine Michael, MHA 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 . She is a former nun, teacher, and social activist...
|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
|}