The Honourable
Gail A. Shea
PC
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
In office
July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byKeith Ashfield
Succeeded byHunter Tootoo
In office
October 30, 2008 – May 18, 2011
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byLoyola Hearn
Succeeded byKeith Ashfield
Minister of National Revenue
In office
May 18, 2011 – July 15, 2013
Preceded byKeith Ashfield
Succeeded byKerry-Lynne Findlay
Member of Parliament
for Egmont
In office
October 14, 2008 – August 4, 2015
Preceded byJoe McGuire
Succeeded byBobby Morrissey
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for
Tignish-DeBlois
In office
April 17, 2000 – May 28, 2007
Preceded byBobby Morrissey
Succeeded byNeil LeClair
Personal details
Born (1959-04-06) April 6, 1959
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
Political partyConservative

Gail A. Shea PC (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Egmont from 2008 to 2015. She was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2000 to 2007, representing the electoral district of Tignish-DeBlois as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Shea served as the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in the federal cabinet.

Provincial politics

Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs

Shea served as Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs from 2000 to 2003, under the second administration of Premier Pat Binns. During this period Shea's responsibilities included the Status of Women in the province, as well as providing oversight on the Workers Compensation Board and the Island Waste Management Corporation.[1]

Minister of Transportation and Public Works

From 2003 to 2007 Shea served as Minister of Transportation and Public Works. In this position, Shea oversaw the implementation of a graduated licensing system in her home province.[2]

Federal politics

Shea stood as the Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the riding of Egmont for the 2008 federal election.[3] On October 14, 2008, she became the first non-Liberal MP from Prince Edward Island in 24 years.[4] On October 30, 2008, Shea was appointed the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.[5] She is only the third female MP from Prince Edward Island, following Margaret Mary Macdonald and Catherine Callbeck.

In the 2011 federal election, Shea was re-elected by a margin of 4500 votes.[6] On May 18, 2011, she was appointed Minister of National Revenue.[7][8] In July 2013, Shea was moved back into the fisheries position.[9] In the 2015 election, Shea was defeated by Liberal Bobby Morrissey.[10][11]

Pie incident

On January 25, 2010, Shea was pied while giving a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters. An American PETA activist, Emily McCoy, was arrested in Burlington in connection with the incident, and charged with assault. PETA has taken public responsibility for the incident, saying that it was part of a broader campaign against the Canadian Government's support of the seal hunt.[12][13]

In response to the pieing of the Fisheries Minister, a long time Liberal MP Gerry Byrne denounced the attack on the minister as an act of terrorism.[14] He commented on the 26th, "When someone actually coaches or conducts criminal behaviour to impose a political agenda on each and every other citizen of Canada, that does seem to me to meet the test of a terrorist organization." Byrne continued to say, "I am calling on the Government of Canada to actually investigate whether or not this organization, PETA, is acting as a terrorist organization under the test that exists under Canadian law." In response to his interpretation of Canadian law, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Byrne's reaction was "a silly, chest-beating exercise."[15]

When commenting on the event later, Shea remarked, "I can tell you that this incident actually strengthens my resolve to support the seal hunt. If this is what it takes to stand up for Canadian sealing families and this industry I'm certainly very proud to do it."[16]

Electoral record

Federal

2015 Canadian federal election: Egmont
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalBobby Morrissey10,52149.25+17.94$67,240.83
ConservativeGail Shea6,18528.95–25.70$110,058.32
New DemocraticHerb Dickieson4,09719.18+6.81$34,718.49
GreenNils Ling5592.62+0.95$4,895.27
Total valid votes/expense limit 21,36299.59 $169,928.60
Total rejected ballots 870.41–0.39
Turnout 21,44977.29+5.62
Eligible voters 27,751
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +21.82
Source: Elections Canada[17][18]
2011 Canadian federal election: Egmont
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeGail Shea10,46754.65+10.72$57,565.04
LiberalGuy Gallant5,99731.31-12.32$34,428.58
New DemocraticJacquie Robichaud2,36912.37+3.32$1,780.97
GreenCarl Anthony3201.67-1.72$250.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 19,153100.0   $69,831.16
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 155 0.80+0.18
Turnout 19,308 71.67+3.52
Eligible voters 26,941
Conservative hold Swing +11.52
Sources:[19][20]
2008 Canadian federal election: Egmont
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeGail Shea8,11043.93+12.97$51,795.67
LiberalKeith Milligan8,05543.63-9.54$45,007.86
New DemocraticOrville Lewis1,6709.05-0.50$2,245.18
GreenRebecca Ridlington6263.39-1.80$2,678.98
Total valid votes/expense limit 18,461 100.0    $67,686
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 1150.62+0.01
Turnout 18,57668.15-3.57
Eligible voters 27,256
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +11.26

Provincial

2007 Prince Edward Island general election: Tignish-Palmer Road
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalNeil LeClair1,56955.15+11.18
Progressive ConservativeGail Shea1,27644.85−10.44
Total valid votes 2,845100.0  
Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +10.81
2003 Prince Edward Island general election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeGail A. Shea1,48055.29-0.64
LiberalNeil J. LeClair1,17743.97+3.39
New DemocraticReg T. Pendergast200.75-2.75
Total valid votes 2,677100.0  
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -2.02
2000 Prince Edward Island general election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeGail A. Shea1,47255.93+12.04
LiberalNeil J. LeClair1,06840.58-13.39
New DemocraticReg T. Pendergast923.50+1.36
Total valid votes 2,632100.0  
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +12.72
1996 Prince Edward Island general election: Tignish-DeBlois
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalRobert Joseph Morrissey1,41353.97
Progressive ConservativeGail A. Shea1,14943.89
New DemocraticHoward Waite562.14
Total valid votes 2,618100.0  
This riding was created from parts of the dual-member riding of 1st Prince.

References

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  1. ↑ "Government Bio" Archived 2010-01-27 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved January 21, 2010
  2. ↑ "Personal Sight" Archived 2010-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Shea wins Egmont nomination". CBC News. December 17, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Gail Shea makes history in Egmont". The Guardian. Charlottetown. October 14, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Shea becomes fisheries minister". The Guardian. Charlottetown. October 30, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Shea cruises to easy win". CBC News. May 2, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Shea named revenue minister". CBC News. May 18, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Shea named Minister of National Revenue". The Journal Pioneer. May 18, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Stephen Harper names eight new members to his cabinet, moves Peter MacKay out of defence". National Post. July 15, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Conservative Gail Shea loses Egmont to Liberal Bobby Morrissey". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Liberal sweep in P.E.I., Gail Shea defeated in Egmont". The Guardian. Charlottetown. October 19, 2015. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  12. ↑ "PETA claims responsibility after Fisheries Minister pied in face". The Globe and Mail. January 25, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Fisheries minister gets pie in face". CBC News. January 25, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ "A tofu cream pie in the face is an act of terrorism, Liberal MP tells radio station". National Post. January 27, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Is a pie in the face a terrorist act?". The Globe and Mail. January 26, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Pie hit should earn PETA 'terrorist' label: MP". CBC News. January 26, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Egmont (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  18. ↑ Elections Canada – Final Candidates Election Expenses Limits
  19. ↑ Elections Canada – Official voting results, Forty-first general election, 2011
  20. ↑ Elections Canada – Candidate's electoral campaign return, 41st general election
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