Yvonne Jones

Yvonne Jones
MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Assumed office
December 2, 2015
Minister Carolyn Bennett
Preceded by Mark Strahl
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Labrador
Assumed office
May 13, 2013
Preceded by Peter Penashue
Leader of the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador
In office
November 13, 2007 – January 3, 2012
Preceded by Gerry Reid
Succeeded by Dwight Ball
Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party
In office
Interim: November 13, 2007 – May 28, 2011
May 28, 2011 – August 14, 2011
Preceded by Gerry Reid
Succeeded by Kevin Aylward
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair
In office
February 22, 1996 – April 8, 2013
Preceded by Riding Established
Succeeded by Lisa Dempster
Mayor of Mary's Harbour
In office
1991–1996
Personal details
Born (1968-03-15) March 15, 1968
Mary's Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada
Political party Liberal Party of Canada (2013-present)
Other political
affiliations		 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador (1999-2013)
Independent (1996-1999)
Alma mater West Viking College
Occupation Journalist, Researcher, Politician
Cabinet

Minister Responsible for the Status of Women (2003)

Minister of Fisheries & Aquaculture (2003)
Website Official website

Yvonne Jean Jones, MP, (born March 15, 1968) is a Canadian politician of Inuit descent[1] in Newfoundland and Labrador, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on May 13, 2013.[2] She represents the district of Labrador as a member of the Liberal Party caucus.[2] On December 2, 2015, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

From 1996 to 2013, Jones represented the district of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. During her career in provincial politics, she served as Minister of Fisheries in Premier Roger Grimes' government, and later as a leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador and Leader of the Official Opposition.[3]

Provincial politics

Jones served as mayor of Mary's Harbour, Labrador from 1991 to 1996. In 1996, she sought the Liberal Party nomination for the provincial electoral district of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair in that year's general election. Jones lost the nomination to incumbent Danny Dumaresque, but subsequently ran as an Independent candidate. She was elected to the House of Assembly in the 1996 general election, defeating Dumaresque, a two-term MHA. Jones became the Liberal Party's candidate for the 1999 election. She was re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.[4]

After serving two years as a Parliamentary Secretary Jones was appointed to cabinet In February 2003, by Premier Roger Grimes. She was sworn in as the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and as the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.[5] Jones held the post till the Liberal government was defeated in the provincial election in October of that year.[6]

Liberal leader

Jones was one of only three Liberal Members of the House of Assembly (MHA) re-elected in the 2007 provincial election. On November 15, 2007, she was named the interim leader of the Liberal Party and Official Opposition Leader, after party leader Gerry Reid was defeated in his own district. Jones became the first woman to lead the Liberal Party in the province.[3] The party originally planned to hold a leadership convention to select a new, permanent leader in 2008, but postponed the vote twice. Jones continued to serve as interim leader during this period of time, and in December 2009, announced her intention to run for the permanent leadership when the convention was to be scheduled.[7] On July 30, 2010, Jones was acclaimed Liberal leader after she was the only person to file nomination papers for the position.[8][9]

She was expected to be sworn in as leader at the party's convention in November of that year, however the convention was delayed when Jones announced in August that she would be taking a leave of absence from her position to undergo treatment for breast cancer.[10] She returned to work in early 2011, and was sworn in as Liberal leader at the party's Spring leadership convention.[11]

By-elections

On October 27, 2009, the district of The Straits – White Bay North held a by-election, to replace Minister of Transportation and Works, Trevor Taylor, who resigned on October 2, 2009. Liberal candidate Marshall Dean won the election taking nearly 48% of the vote and defeating the Progressive Conservative candidate by 126 votes.[12]

Public opinion

Under Jones' leadership the Liberal Party remained in second place in public opinion polls. After receiving 22% in the 2007 general election, the party's support has not risen above those levels. For the majority of time since the election their support has been in the mid-teens according to polls conducted by Corporate Research Associates (CRA).[13] Jones' own popularity had consistently remained lower than her own party's; CRA's quarterly polls on Newfoundland and Labrador politics have found that no more than 11% of those surveyed have felt Jones would make the best premier.[14] A NTV Telelink poll conducted in February 2011, found that 13% of decided voters would support the Liberal Party and that 12% thought Jones was the best choice to be premier.[15]

The results of the NTV Telelink poll led former Liberal provincial and federal cabinet minister John Efford to criticize Jones's leadership. Efford said that Jones would not become premier and while he did not call on her to resign as leader, he did say that "it's clear what she ought to do in the face of poor polling results".[16]

A CRA poll in March 2011, saw Jones' personal popularity rise to 18%, her highest level since becoming Liberal leader in 2007. Her personal popularity was also tied with that of her party.[17][18] On June 7, 2011, CRA released a poll showing that Jones' popularity had dropped slightly to 16% but her party's support had risen to 22%. While the Progressive Conservatives still held a large lead in the poll, at 57%, the Liberals were statistically tied with the New Democrats, who had the support of 20% of those surveyed.[19]

Resignation

On August 9, 2011, two months before the provincial election, Jones announced that she was resigning as leader due to a slower recovery from breast cancer than she expected.[20] She sought re-election in her district during the 2011 provincial election, and won 71 per cent of the popular vote.[21]

Federal politics

In April 2013, Jones resigned her seat in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly to run as the Liberal candidate in the federal by-election in Labrador created by the resignation of Peter Penashue.[22][23] She defeated Penashue to win the seat on May 13, 2013. She was sworn in on June 4, 2013.

Upon her Election, Jones was appointed the Liberal critic for Northern Development, the Northern Economic Development Agency, the Arctic Council, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Search and Rescue. In August 2013, Jones was elected Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada Newfoundland and Labrador caucus. In February 2014, she became Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts committee.

On December 2, 2015, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.[24]

Electoral record

Federal

Canadian federal election, 2015: Labrador
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalYvonne Jones 8,878 71.75 +23.76 –
New DemocraticEdward Rudkowski 1,779 14.38 –4.81 –
ConservativePeter Penashue 1,716 13.87 –18.53 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 12,373100.0   $204,293.51
Total rejected ballots 530.43–0.42
Turnout 12,42662.39+4.40
Eligible voters 19,917
Liberal hold Swing +14.28
Source: Elections Canada[25][26]
Canadian federal by-election, May 13, 2013: Labrador
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
Liberal Yvonne Jones 5,812 47.99 +8.92 $76,859.63
Conservative Peter Penashue 3,924 32.40 −7.41 $70,866.91
New Democratic Harry Borlase 2,324 19.19 −0.64 $81,475.53
Libertarian Norman Andrews 50 0.41   $236.16
Total valid votes/Expense Limit 12,110 100.0   –   $ 89,852.84
Total rejected, declined and unmarked ballots 27 0.22 −0.26  
Turnout 12,137 59.93 +6.49  
Eligible voters 20,251      
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.17
Called on the resignation of Peter Penashue, March 14, 2013
Source: "By-election May 13, 2013". Elections Canada. May 13, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013. 

Provincial

Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes % ±
LiberalYvonne Jones 1,736 72.88% +12.90%
Progressive ConservativeDennis Normore 646 27.12% -4.73%
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2003
Party Candidate Votes % ±
LiberalYvonne Jones 1,514 59.98% -25.47%
Progressive ConservativeDennis Normore 804 31.85% +17.30%
Labrador PartyFrank Pye 206 8.16% +8.16%
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 1999
Party Candidate Votes % ±
LiberalYvonne Jones 1,832 85.45% +43.37%
Progressive ConservativeSharon Moores 312 14.55% +13.12%
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±
     Independent Yvonne Jones 1,665 56.83%
LiberalDanny Dumaresque 1,233 42.08%
Progressive ConservativeBerkley Bursey 42 1.43% –

References

  1. ↑ Inuit, Métis or First Nation Origin
  2. 1 2 "Liberals take Labrador, as Jones wins big over Penashue". CBC News, May 13, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Jones takes on interim Liberal leadership". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Yvonne Jones says goodbye to fellow MHAs". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Premier Grimes announces new Cabinet". Government of Newfoundland and Labraodr. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "Tories sweep to power in Newfoundland and Labrador". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 October 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Bartlett, Dave (17 December 2009). "Jones will run". The Telegram. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Jones acclaimed Liberal Leader". The Telegram. 30 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Jones acclaimed N.L. Liberal leader". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "N.L. Liberal Leader Jones has breast cancer". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Jones anxious to get back to work". The Telegram. 12 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "Liberals win provincial byelection in rural N.L". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "CRA Poll". Cra.ca. 2009-05-30. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  14. ↑ CRA - May 2010 Poll
  15. ↑ "Provincial Tories Still Have Big Lead: Poll". NTV News. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  16. ↑ "Jones won't become premier: Efford". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "Support for the Progressive Conservative Party Remains High" (PDF). Corporate Research Associates. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  18. ↑ "PCs, Dunderdale Still Dominate: Poll". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  19. ↑ "Tories drop, NDP surge in new poll". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  20. ↑ "N.L. Liberal leader set to resign over health". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "Yvonne Jones re-elected in Labrador". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "Jones declared Liberal candidate for Labrador byelection". The Telegram. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "Liberals name Jones as candidate in Labrador byelection". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "Bill Blair, Adam Vaughan among new parliamentary secretaries". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  25. ↑ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Labrador (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  26. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
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