Charles Stanislaus "Charlie" Devine (May 7, 1928 – Oct. 1, 2008) 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

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politician. He represented Labrador West in 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 ...

from 1962 to 1966.

Early life and career

The son of Louis A. Devine and Alice Hearn, he was born in St. John's. He worked in the family business and then worked as a civilian executive in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. He later moved to

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

, where he worked as a statistician for the

Iron Ore Company of Canada Iron Ore Company of Canada (often abbreviated to IOC) () is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American firms, the largest being the M.A. Hanna Company. It is now owned by a c ...

. Devine founded the

Labrador City Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population cent ...

newspaper ''The Aurora''. He also served as president of the local Chamber of Commerce and

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Politics and later life

Devine first unsuccessfully ran for election to the House of Assembly in

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as a candidate for the newly created

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 district of St. John's South. He was then successfully elected to the new district of Labrador West in the subsequent 1962 general election as an

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candidate. While in the House of Assembly, Devine

crossed the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...

and joined the provincial Progressive Conservative (PC) party. Devine alleged that the government of

Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...

ignored the concerns of

and its residents. In 1966, he controversially suggested that a plebiscite should be held in Labrador on whether the region should join the province of

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, ...

. He issued a nine point list with requirements for starting discussions with the Quebecois government, which included the construction of a highway between

and Gagnon, an exemption from provincial and income taxes, and the construction of a nationalized Churchill Falls power plant. Smallwood briefly responded that Devine "should be promptly locked up." Devine would go on to lose his seat in the 1966 general election. Following his exit from the House of Assembly, Devine retired to St. John's, where he helped establish the

Canadian Association of Retired Persons CARP, formally incorporated as the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, is a national, nonpartisan, not for profit association that advocates on behalf of Canadians as they age. The organization states that its purpose is to promote social chan ...

. He died at St. Clare's Hospital in St. John's.

Electoral history

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Charles 1928 births 2008 deaths Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador People from Labrador City Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly