Todd Norman Dwayne Russell (born December 22, 1966) is a Canadian politician and was the Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of

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 ...

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 2005 to 2011.

Early life

Russell was born in St. Anthony,

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 ...

and raised in William's Harbour. He is

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

descent and was the president of

NunatuKavut NunatuKavut () is a proposed NunatuKavummiut territory in central and southern Labrador. The region proposed by the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) extends from north of the community of Makkovik in Nunatsiavut to south of the community of ...

, an unrecognised

Indigenous group There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, until his by-election win. He was educated at

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 ...

in St. John's.

Federal politics

On May 24, 2005, Russell won a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in the riding of Labrador, vacated by the death of Liberal MP Lawrence D. O'Brien. His victory consolidated the standing of the federal Liberals in the minority parliament, which made it easier for the Liberals to pass budget legislation. He was re-elected in the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and 2008 federal elections and served as the Critic for Aboriginal Affairs in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. In the 2011 election, Russell was defeated by

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Peter Penashue.

After federal politics

Lower Churchill Project

Following his electoral defeat Russell returned to the position of NunatuKavut president and has been vocal in his opposition to the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.

Other activities

In 2016, Russell called on the federal government to apologize for the treatment of residential school survivors from

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Todd Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party of Canada MPs Canadian people who self-identify as being of Indigenous descent 1966 births Living people Canadian Anglicans People from Labrador Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada