{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1950)}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Earle McCurdy | image = | image_size = 225px | caption = | office = Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party | term_start = March 7, 2015 | term_end = September 28, 2017 | predecessor = Lorraine Michael | successor = Lorraine Michael {{small|(interim)}} | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1950}} | birth_place = Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | party = New Democratic Party | spouse = Charlotte Strong | education = Memorial University of Newfoundland (B.A.) | occupation = Journalist }}
'''Earle McCurdy''' (born 1950)<ref name=mem>{{cite web|title=Why the Divorce? The Merits and Shortcomings of a fleet separation policy|url=https://www.mun.ca/harriscentre/policy/memorialpresents/2012d/MPFleetSeparationProgram.pdf|website=Memorial University|publisher=The Harris Centre - Memorial University}}</ref> is a Canadian labour leader and politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017. McCurdy was involved with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union before entering politics, serving as their secretary treasurer from 1980 to 1993 and as their president from 1993 to 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.realchangendp.ca/bio.html |title=Earle McCurdy NDP Biography |access-date=2015-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222212554/http://www.realchangendp.ca/bio.html |archive-date=2015-02-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=cbcnov>{{cite news|title=Earle McCurdy stepping down from helm of fisheries union|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/earle-mccurdy-stepping-down-from-helm-of-fisheries-union-1.2821821|accessdate=February 22, 2015|work=CBC News|date=November 3, 2014}}</ref>
==Background== McCurdy was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1950 as the son of Sherburne McCurdy, an educator who served as president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, and Elizabeth (née Jefferson).<ref name="enl">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Colbourne|first=B. Wade|date=1991|title=McCurdy, Earle|url=https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/cns_enl/id/2682/rec/5|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 3 |location=St. John's |publisher=Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. |access-date=28 October 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He grew up in St. John's, Newfoundland and attended Prince of Wales Collegiate where his father had been the principal.<ref name=mem/> He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1972.<ref name=mem/> After graduation, he worked as a labour reporter for ''The Evening Telegram'', but left the paper in 1977 to become involved with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) as the editor for their newsletter, the ''Union Forum''.<ref name="enl" /> He became the organization's president in 1993, succeeding founding president Richard Cashin.<ref name=me>{{cite news|last1=Wakeham|first1=Bob|title=McCurdy and me|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/Opinion/Columnists/2015-01-17/article-4010712/McCurdy-and-me/1|accessdate=February 22, 2015|work=The Telegram|date=January 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222230813/http://www.thetelegram.com/Opinion/Columnists/2015-01-17/article-4010712/McCurdy-and-me/1|archive-date=February 22, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
McCurdy presided as the FFAW union president during Canada's fishing dispute with the European Union, which became known as the Turbot War.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Depleted Fish Stocks Spark Canada's Turbot War With Spain|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/03/19/depleted-fish-stocks-spark-canadas-turbot-war-with-spain/|access-date=February 22, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 19, 1995}}</ref>
==New Democratic Party leader (2015–2017)== McCurdy was elected leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP at the party's leadership convention held March 7, 2015, defeating two other contenders with 68% support on the first ballot.<ref name=em>{{cite news|title=Earle McCurdy Named Leader of the NDP|url=http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&ID=53200|accessdate=March 7, 2015|work=VOCM News|date=March 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310122148/http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=53200|archive-date=March 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Take us to your leaders: What you may not know about Davis, Ball and McCurdy|url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/provincial-leader-bio-details-1.3315996|website = www.cbc.ca|accessdate = 2015-11-29}}</ref> In the 2015 provincial election, McCurdy failed to win a seat in the House of Assembly and was defeated by Siobhán Coady by nearly 1000 votes.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.poltext.org/sites/poltext.org/files/plateformesV2/Terre-Neuve-Labrador/NL_PL_2015_NDP_en.pdf | title = Newfoundland & Labrador Election Platform 2015 | year = 2015 | publisher = Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party | access-date = 27 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nothing-fancy-earle-mccurdy-costs-out-ndp-election-plan-1.3330909 | title = 'Nothing fancy': Earle McCurdy costs out NDP election plan | date = 23 November 2015 | work = www.cbc.ca | publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | access-date = 27 March 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ndp-leader-earle-mccurdy-loses-to-siobhan-coady-1.3344549|title=NDP Leader Earle McCurdy loses to Siobhan Coady|publisher=CBC News|date=30 November 2015|accessdate=2 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=wins>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/provincial-election-candidates-1.3343999 "Full list of winners in Newfoundland and Labrador election"]. CBC News, November 30, 2015.</ref>
On June 11, 2016, McCurdy's leadership was reaffirmed at the party's provincial convention with the support of 91.6% of delegates.<ref>{{cite news|title=Earle McCurdy gets overwhelming endorsement to stay on as NDP leader|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/earle-mccurdy-leadership-vote-1.3630742|date=June 13, 2016|agency=CBC News}}</ref>
On September 19, 2017, McCurdy announced his resignation as Leader, effective September 30, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://vocm.com/news/mccurdy-to-step-down-as-provincial-ndp-leader/ |title=McCurdy to Step Down as Provincial NDP Leader |access-date=2017-09-19 |publisher=VOCM Local News Now|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919153610/http://vocm.com/news/mccurdy-to-step-down-as-provincial-ndp-leader/ |archive-date=2017-09-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His resignation came after Steve Kent announced he would resign his seat of Mount Pearl North where McCurdy resided but which was unlikely to be winnable for the NDP.<ref>{{cite news|title=Promotions, resignations, murder trials: Uncontrollable events in N.L. politics |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/promotions-resignations-murder-trials-newfoundland-politics-1.4302944|date=September 23, 2017|agency=CBC News}}</ref> Following McCurdy's resignation, MHA and former leader Lorraine Michael was named interim leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/local/lorraine-michael-named-interim-ndp-leader-25752/|title=Lorraine Michael named interim NDP leader|publisher=Saltwire Network|date=Sep 28, 2017|accessdate=Apr 6, 2021}}</ref>
==Electoral record==
{{Election box begin | title=St. John's West - 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Siobhán Coady|2,342|46.0}} {{CANelec|NL|NDP|Earle McCurdy|1,384|27.2}} {{CANelec|NL|PC|Dan Crummell|1,364|26.8}} {{end}}
{| class="wikitable" |+ NL NDP Leadership Election, 2015 |- ! width="3"| ! !colspan="2"| First Ballot<ref name="em"/> |- ! width="3"| ! Candidate ! Votes ! Perc. |- | style="background:orange;"| !Earle McCurdy |align="right"|'''889''' |align="right"|'''68.5%''' |- | style="background:orange;"| ! Mike Goosney |align="right"|299 |align="right"|23.0% |- | style="background:orange;"| ! Chris Bruce |align="right"|110 |align="right"|8.5% |- | ! Spoiled Ballots |align="right"|0 |align="right"|0.00% |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! ! Totals |align="right"|1298 |align="right"|100% |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *http://www.ffaw.nf.ca/?Content=About_Us/History * [https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-q8GtngziwC&dq=Earle+McCurdy&pg=PA69 Book Reference]
{{NL NDP Leaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCurdy, Earle}} Category:Leaders of the Newfoundland and Labrador CCF/NDP Category:Trade unionists from Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Living people Category:1950 births Category:Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Category:Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Category:Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador provincial elections