Lynn Verge (born c. 1951) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

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 ...

. She represented the

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of Humber East in the

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1979 to 1996. As of 2016, she serves as the executive director of Atwater Library and Computer Centre in

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In 1995, Verge became the first woman to lead a political party in the province when she succeeded

Len Simms Leonard Archibald (Len) Simms (born October 23, 1943) is a Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was the Progressive Conservative Member of the House of Assembly for Grand Falls from 1979 to 1995. From 2005 until 2014, Simms ...

as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party; she was also the first woman to serve as the Leader of the Official Opposition.

Politics

At the age of 28, she was elected to the House of Assembly in 1979. Following her win Verge, was sworn in as Minister of Education in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

Brian Peckford Alfred Brian Peckford (born August 27, 1942) is a Canadian politician who served as the third premier of Newfoundland from March 26, 1979 to March 22, 1989. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Peckford was first elected as the ...

, becoming one of the first two female cabinet ministers in Newfoundland and Labrador's history, alongside Consumer Affairs and Environment Minister

Hazel Newhook Hazel Rose Newhook (December 24, 1914 – June 26, 2016) was a Canadian politician, who sat in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1979 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservatives, where she represented the electoral district ...

. In 1985, Peckford appointed Verge Minister of Justice and Attorney General. She retained the portfolio when

Tom Rideout Thomas "Tom" Gerald Rideout (born June 25, 1948) is a former Canadian politician who served as the fourth premier of Newfoundland from March 22, 1989 to May 5, 1989. Life and career Born in Fleur de Lys, Newfoundland, Rideout was first electe ...

became premier in March 1989 and was also appointed deputy premier. The following month in the 1989 provincial election, Verge faced off against Liberal leader Clyde Wells in her district of Humber East. Despite Wells leading the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

to form a majority government, The PC party won the popular vote and Verge defeated Wells in her riding. Verge sought the leadership of her party in its 1995 leadership race. Her campaign was co-chaired by

Kathy Dunderdale Kathleen Mary Margaret "Kathy" Dunderdale (née Warren; born February 1952) is a politician and former MHA who served as the tenth premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from December 3, 2010, to January 24, 2014. Dunderdale was born and raised i ...

, who would later become the province's first female premier. At the convention Verge was elected leader over

Loyola Sullivan Loyola Sullivan (born April 3, 1949) served as Canada, Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation from 2007 until 2011 and is a former Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Member of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

by a margin of three votes. Her election as leader made Verge the first female leader of a political party in the province. Wells was replaced as Liberal leader and premier by

Brian Tobin Brian Vincent Tobin (born October 21, 1954) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. Tobin served as the sixth premier of Newfoundland from 1996 to 2000. Tobin was also a prominent Member of Parliament and served as a cabinet ministe ...

, a former federal MP and cabinet minister, in 1996. Tobin called a provincial election to be held on February 22, 1996. Tobin was a popular figure in the province and was able to win a large majority government. The Progressive Conservatives had their worst election in 30 years: they won nine of the 48 seats in the legislature and 39% of the popular vote. Verge was defeated in her own district and subsequently resigned as party leader.

References

External links