Joan Shea (formerly Joan Burke) is a former

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 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 ...

. From 2003 to 2014 Shea served as the member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for the district of St. George's-Stephenville East. Shea was the first person holding a BSW to serve in the NL legislature. Shea was also the first woman to serve as Government House Leader in the province's history. During her entire career as a MHA, Shea served as a minister in the Cabinets of Danny Williams,

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 ...

and Tom Marshall. Shea held the posts of Minister of Education, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. During her political career, Shea was also responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, the Labour Relations Agency, and Workplace Health and Safety Commission. As Minister, Shea was instrumental in the establishment of the newly created Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and also led the development of the Department of Advanced Education and Skills. Before entering politics she worked as a

Parole Officer A probation or parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probatio ...

with the Correctional Service of Canada in Ontario and Newfoundland. Shea holds a BSW from

Memorial University 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 ...

and an MSW from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Politics

Shea was elected to politics in the 2003 provincial election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Following the election she was sworn into Cabinet as the Minister of Human Resources and Employment and as the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. In 2005, Premier Danny Williams appointed Shea as the Minister of Education. In the 2007 general election Shea was re-elected with 75% of the vote, up from 53% in 2003. Shea remained as Minister of Education following the election and in May 2008 was also named

Government House Leader The Government House Leader, officially known as the leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada (), is the Cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the House of Commons of ...

, becoming the first woman appointed to this position in the history of the province. In April 2009, Shea was appointed Minister of the newly created Department of Child, Youth, and Family Services. She became the acting minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment in December 2010, and the following month she was re-appointed as Minister of Education. Shea had been mentioned as a possible contender for leader of the Progressive Conservatives and though following the resignation of Premier Williams in 2010 it was thought that Shea may try to succeed him, ultimately she did not. Following the 2011 provincial election, Shea was appointed the Minister of the newly created Department of Advanced Education and Skills, which combines the post-secondary education component of the Department of Education and most of the former Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment. She resigned from politics on June 2, 2014.

Electoral record

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, Joan Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Women MHAs in Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly 21st-century Canadian women politicians Women government ministers of Canada Canadian social workers