Stephen Aloysius Neary (June 21, 1925 – June 7, 1996) was a

Newfoundlander Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland and the continent ...

and

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 ...

politician and cabinet minister who served as the provincial Leader of the Official Opposition.

Early life

Neary was born in Bell Island on June 21, 1925. He worked at the Argentia Naval Base until 1945 before returning home and moving onto a job at the Dominion Steel Company. While working there, he helped unionize the office employees before serving on the municipal council.

Politics

He was active with the Newfoundland Federation of Labour serving as its secretary-treasurer and ran for office as a candidate for the

Newfoundland Democratic Party The Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NL NDP) is a social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador, political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is a provincial section of the f ...

in the 1959 provincial election. In 1962, he was elected to the

Newfoundland 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 ...

as a Liberal and, as a backbench MHA, took on the legal industry for charging excessive fees and sparked a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the matter. In 1968 he was appointed to cabinet and was Minister of Public Services from 1969 to 1972 when the government was defeated. After losing the Liberal nomination for his riding in 1975 he ran, and was elected as an Independent Liberal. Rejoining the party, he ran unsuccessfully for leader in 1977. He was appointed

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

on May 3, 1982 after party leader

Len Stirling Leonard Walter Stirling (November 3, 1937 – February 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982 and was leader of the Liberal Party ...

failed to win a seat in the 1982 provincial electionHarris, Michael, "Baron of bombast a political survivor," ''Globe and Mail'', March 11, 1983 and also served as interim party leader from 1983 to 1984. He retired from provincial politics in 1985. He attempted to win a seat in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

in a St. John's East federal by-election in 1987 but was defeated.

Later life

After his retirement, Neary wrote a book about the German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

attack on Bell Island in the second World War, called ''Enemy on our Doorstep''. He also devoted a great deal of time to Bell Island and was instrumental in raising monuments, and to creating a museum. He died at his home in St. John's on June 7, 1996.Obituary in the St. John's Telegram
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References

1925 births 1996 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Newfoundland and Labrador political party leaders Newfoundland and Labrador candidates for Member of Parliament 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly {{Newfoundland-politician-stub