Judy May Foote PC ONL (née Crowley; born June 23, 1952)[1] is a former Canadian politician who served as the 14th lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2018 to 2023. She was the first woman to hold the position.[2]
Prior to her appointment as viceregal representative of the King in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador, Foote was the Liberal Member of Parliament for the ridings of Random—Burin—St. George's from 2008 to 2015 and Bonavista—Burin—Trinity from 2015 to 2017. She was the federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement from 2015 until her resignation from cabinet and Parliament for family reasons on August 24, 2017. Before entering federal politics, she represented Grand Bank in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1996 to 2007 as a member of the Liberal Party.
Early life
editFoote was born on June 23, 1952, in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador.[3] She was the head of the university relations division of the Memorial University of Newfoundland before she entered politics.[4]
Political career
editFoote served as the communications director for premier Clyde Wells before she ran for an elected position.[4]
She ran in the 1993 provincial election in Grand Bank but lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent Bill Matthews.[5]
Foote represented the electoral district of Grand Bank in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1996 to 2007 as a member of the Liberal Party.[4]
She served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Development and Rural Renewal from 1996 to 1997, as Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology from 1997 to 1998, as Minister of Education from 1998 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2003.[3] In February 2003, Foote became Newfoundland's Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development in a cabinet shuffle.[6] Foote was narrowly reelected by 43 votes after a recount reduced her initial 50-vote lead in the Newfoundland and Labrador general election in October 2003.[7]
In 2007, Foote stepped down from the House of Assembly after she won the Liberal party nomination for Random—Burin—St. George's against former Newfoundland cabinet minister Oliver Langdon and businessman Roger Jamieson to run in the 2008 federal election.[4] Foote was then elected to the House of Commons of Canada in 2008, succeeding longtime Liberal MP Bill Matthews. In 2009, Foote, along with the other five Liberal MPs from Newfoundland, voted against the 2009 Canadian federal budget because it went against funding promises made to the province in the 1985 Atlantic Accord.[8][9]
Foote became the Liberal Deputy House Leader in September 2010, but after she was reelected in the 2011 federal election,[10] she accepted the position of Liberal Whip, which she held until the 2015 federal election.[3][11]
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
editUpon the Liberal victory in 2015, she joined the cabinet as Minister of Public Services and Procurement. She received the highest percentage of votes of any candidate nationwide in the 2015 election winning her seat with nearly 82% of all votes. In the House of Commons, Foote was seated next to Justin Trudeau during the Liberal Party's time in Government until her resignation.
In May 2016, Foote appeared alongside premier Dwight Ball to announce that $250 million will be loaned to the provincial government from the federal government to reduce controversial taxes proposed in the provincial budget and Foote also said that more federal help for the province is coming in the future.[12]
Foote was the minister responsible for overseeing the roll-out of the Phoenix pay system in 2016. That system has had serious problems with underpayments and over payments, and the opposition NDP have suggested that Foote take more responsibility for the problems.[13]
On August 24, 2017, following a leave of absence for personal reasons since April 2017, Foote announced she was resigning from the federal cabinet and her seat as an MP because she had learned that she carries the BRCA2 cancer-causing gene and that she had passed it on to her children.[14][15] However, she said that she was cancer-free at the time and her children were "well."[15]
Lieutenant governor
editOn March 20, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of Foote to succeed Frank Fagan as the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.[16][17] She is the first woman to be appointed as the viceregal representative for the province.[18] Foote was sworn in on May 3, 2018.[2] Foote was succeeded on November 14, 2023 by Joan Marie Aylward.[19]
Personal life
editIn 2000, Foote was diagnosed with breast cancer while serving as a provincial Member of the House of Assembly for the District of Grand Bank and underwent procedures and treatments. In June 2014, Foote announced that she was battling breast cancer for the second time.[20][21] Foote suffered a stroke in 2024.
Electoral record
edit| 2015 Canadian federal election: Bonavista—Burin—Trinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Judy M. Foote | 28,704 | 81.80 | +27.33 | $40,957.22 | |||
| Conservative | Mike Windsor | 3,534 | 10.07 | –20.43 | $7,929.44 | |||
| New Democratic | Jenn Brown | 2,557 | 7.29 | –6.66 | $616.65 | |||
| Green | Tyler John Colbourne | 297 | 0.85 | –0.03 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 35,092 | 100.00 | $214,042.22 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 173 | 0.49 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 35,265 | 57.36 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 61,475 | |||||||
| Liberal notional hold | Swing | +23.88 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada,[22][23] | ||||||||
| 2011 federal election redistributed results[24] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Liberal | 16,805 | 54.46 | |
| Conservative | 9,412 | 30.50 | |
| New Democratic | 4,303 | 13.95 | |
| Green | 270 | 0.88 | |
| Others | 66 | 0.21 | |
| 2011 Canadian federal election: Random—Burin—St. George's | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 12,914 | 49.65 | −4.10 | ||||
| Conservative | John Ottenheimer | 8,322 | 32.00 | +11.49 | ||||
| New Democratic | Stella Magalios | 4,465 | 17.17 | −6.60 | ||||
| Green | Tanya Gutmanis | 307 | 1.18 | −0.80 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 26,008 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 120 | 0.46 | +0.06 | |||||
| Turnout | 26,128 | 45.80 | +4.73 | – | ||||
| Eligible voters | 57,047 | – | – | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 12,557 | 53.7 | ||
| New Democratic | Terry White | 5,553 | 23.8 | ||
| Conservative | Herb Davis | 4,791 | 20.5 | ||
| Green | Kaitlin Wainwright | 462 | 2.0 | ||
| Total valid votes | 23,363 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 3101 | 49.32% | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Darin King | 3058 | 48.53% | – | |
| NDP | Bill Wakeley | 136 | 2.15% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 3964 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | John Bolt | 1146 | – | – | |
| NDP | Richard Rennie | 538 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 4136 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Herb Edwards | 2521 | – | – | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Matthews | 3406 | – | – | |
| Liberal | Judy Foote | 2805 | |||
| NDP | Joseph L. Edwards | 181 | |||
Honours and arms
editHonours
edit| Ribbon bars of Judy Foote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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- Appointments
November 4, 2015: Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (PC)
May 3, 2018: Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (ONL)
- May 3, 2018 – November 14, 2023: Chancellor of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (while in office)
- May 3, 2018: Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (D.StJ) (Vice-Prior in Newfoundland and Labrador while in office)
- Medals
- 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal[27]
- 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal[28]
Honorary military appointments
edit
May 3, 2018 – November 14, 2023: Honorary Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.- May 3, 2018 – November 14, 2023: Patron of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires (Newfoundland and Labrador Branch).
- May 3, 2018 – November 14, 2023: Honorary Chief of Police of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
Arms
editFoote was granted a coat of arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority through Grant of Arms and Supporters, with differences to Carla Jean Foote, Jason Howard Foote and Heidi Ellen Lee Foote, on May 15, 2019.[30]
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References
edit- ^ a b "Judy M. Foote". Biographies. Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Kinsella, Stephanie (May 3, 2018). "Judy Foote celebrates 'a new day, a new beginning' at historic swearing-in". CBC News. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "FOOTE, Judy, B.A., B.Ed". Library of Parliament. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Foote takes Liberal nomination for federal race". CBC News. August 3, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Grand Bank". CBC News. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ Dunfield, Allison (April 22, 2009). "Newfoundland cabinet shuffled". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ Canadian Press (November 21, 2003). "Newfoundland recount confirms Liberal's win". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ Bryden, Joan (April 9, 2009). "Newfoundland MPs test Ignatieff's grip on party". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "MPs approve federal budget". CBC News. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "Innu leader delivers Conservatives from N.L. shutout". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 2, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Liberals unveil shadow cabinet". National Post. June 1, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "VOCM.COM|Deficit Reduction Levy Dropped for Most Residents | Article". Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "Phoenix pay debacle spotlight: Should it belong to the bureaucrat or her boss?". Ottawa Citizen. November 26, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ "'I love my family': Judy Foote steps down as MP because of health risk to her children". The National Post. The Canadian Press. August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Bryden, Joan; Smith, Joanna (August 24, 2017). "Judy Foote resigning as minister and Liberal MP for family reasons". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ "Prime Minister announces new Lieutenant Governor for Newfoundland and Labrador" (Press release). Office of the Prime Minister. March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Judy Foote named lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador". CTV News. The Canadian Press. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Judy Foote is 'honoured' to be named 1st female lieutenant-governor in N.L." CBC News. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Joan Marie Aylward named as next N.L. lieutenant-governor". CBC News. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Herridge, Paul (June 12, 2014). "'I intend to fight this'". The Southern Gazette. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Brodie (June 9, 2014). "MP Judy Foote battling breast cancer". The Western Star. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Bonavista—Burin—Trinity (Preliminary results)". Elections Canada. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Pundits' Guide to Canadian Elections
- ^ Newfoundland & Labrador Votes 2003. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
- ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "Judy Foote's Golden Jubilee Medal Citation". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Judy Foote's Diamond Jubilee Medal Citation". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Patronage of the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador". Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Foote, Judy May [Individual]". reg.gg.ca. Retrieved February 14, 2020.