Earle McCurdy (born 1950) is a former leader of the

Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party The Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NL NDP) is a social democratic political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in 1961 as the successor to ...

and a former labour leader in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. He was president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union from 1993 to 2014, succeeding founding president Richard Cashin. Previously, McCurdy was the union's secretary-treasurer for 13 years, from 1980 to 1993.

Background

McCurdy was born in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1950, and grew up in St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

where he attended Prince of Wales Collegiate. He is a graduate of

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...

, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1972, 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. His most notable time as union president was during

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's fishing dispute with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, known as the

Turbot War The Turbot War (; ) was an international fishing dispute and bloodless war, bloodless conflict between Canada and Spain (with the European Union) and their respective supporters. On 9 March 1995, Canadian officials from the Canadian Coast Guar ...

NDP Leader

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. In the 2015 provincial election, McCurdy failed to win a seat in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

and was defeated by

Siobhán Coady Siobhán Coady (; born November 11, 1960) is a Canadian businesswoman and politician who represents the riding of St. John's West in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as a Liberal. Coady previously served as the Liberal Member of ...

by nearly 1000 votes."Full list of winners in Newfoundland and Labrador election"

CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...

, November 30, 2015. On June 11, 2016, McCurdy's leadership was reaffirmed at the party's provincial convention with the support of 91.6% of delegates. On September 19, 2017, McCurdy announced his resignation as Leader, effective September 30, 2017. 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. Following McCurdy's resignation, MHA and former leader Lorraine Michael was named interim leader.

Electoral record

References

External links

*http://www.ffaw.nf.ca/?Content=About_Us/History *
Book Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCurdy, Earle Leaders of the Newfoundland and Labrador CCF/NDP Trade unionists from Newfoundland and Labrador Living people 1950 births Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador provincial elections