{{short description|Canadian politician|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honorable | name = Lela Evans | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MHA|size=100%}} | image = Lela Evans (cropped).jpg | caption = Evans in 2023 | birth_date = | birth_place = Makkovik<ref name="firsttimers">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/fresh-faces-2019-nl-election-1.5139879|title=Here are 3 of the 14 first-timers headed to the House of Assembly|publisher=CBC News|date=May 17, 2019|accessdate=Nov 4, 2020}}</ref> | assembly = Newfoundland and Labrador House of | constituency_AM = Torngat Mountains | term_start = May 16, 2019 | term_end = | predecessor = Randy Edmunds | successor = | party = Progressive Conservative (2019–2021, 2024–present) | alma_mater = Memorial University of Newfoundland | website = | occupation = | other_party = Independent (2021–2022)<br />New Democratic (2022–2024) | relations = Anthony Andersen (uncle)<br />Wally Andersen (uncle)<br />Randy Edmunds (cousin) | office1 = Minister of Health and community services, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, And Minister Responsible for NL Health Services | term_start1 = October 29, 2025 | predecessor1 = Krista Lynn Howell | office2 = Minister of Labrador Affairs | term_start2 = October 29, 2025 | predecessor2 = Lisa Dempster | office3 = Minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation | term_start3 = October 29, 2025 | predecessor3 = Scott Reid | office4 = Minister of Women and Gender Equality | term_start4 = February 24, 2026 | term_end4 = | predecessor4 = Helen Conway-Ottenheimer | successor4 = }}

'''Lela Margaret Ann Evans'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Lela Evans {{!}} PC Party of NL |url=https://www.pcnl.ca/MHALelaEvans |website=www.pcnl.ca |access-date=17 January 2021 |quote=Lela Margaret Ann Evans (B.Sc. Hons.) was born and raised in Makkovik, Labrador and was elected to the House of Assembly as the Member for Torngat Mountains on May 16, 2019.}}</ref> is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2019 provincial election.<ref name="firsttimers" /> She represents the electoral district of Torngat Mountains as a Progressive Conservative. Having been elected as a PC MHA, she left the party in 2021 and joined the New Democratic Party in 2022. She returned to the PCs in 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-16 |title=Labrador MHA Lela Evans leaving the NDP to return to PC caucus |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/labrador-mha-lela-evans-leaving-142331305.html |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-GB}}</ref> She was first elected in the 2019 provincial election and was re-elected in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Here are all the MHAs elected in the Newfoundland and Labrador election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-election-list-of-winners-1.5965873 |publisher=CBC News |date=March 27, 2021}}</ref>

Evans has over 20 years experience in the environmental field, including environmental assessments, mining and construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcnl.ca/node/690|title=Crosbie Strikes Committee to Develop Climate Change Action Plan|website=pcnl.ca|date=Sep 25, 2019|accessdate=Nov 4, 2020}}</ref>

== Biography ==

Evans was born in Makkovik,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saltwire.com/lifestyles/regional-lifestyles/torngat-mountains-mha-lela-evans-answers-20-questions-388480/?location=pictou-county|title=Torngat Mountains MHA Lela Evans answers 20 Questions|publisher=Saltwire Network|date=Dec 15, 2019|first=David|last=Maher|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}</ref> a community in Nunatsiavut, Labrador and she is of Norwegian and Inuit descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/racism-indigenous-hill-evans-penashue-jeddore-1.5638885|title=Hateful words, diminished services: How racism rears its head for N.L.'s Indigenous people|publisher=CBC News|date=Jul 9, 2020|first=Ariana|last=Kelland|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}</ref> Evans is the daughter of Annie Evans and niece of feminist activist Ruth Flowers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/LelaEvansNL/posts/2817227395173590|website=facebook.com|title=My speech in the HOA yesterday ...|date=Sep 17, 2020|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}</ref> In 2016, Evans joined protests against the Lower Churchill Project despite working for the company developing the project, Nalcor Energy.<ref name="fromto">{{cite web|url=https://theindependent.ca/2019/06/19/lela-evans-from-muskrat-falls-protests-to-mha/|title=Lela Evans: From Muskrat Falls Protests to MHA|first=Hans|last=Rollmann|work=The Independent|date=June 19, 2019|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}</ref> Evans has also worked as a first-aid instructor and at the Voisey's Bay Mine. Evans has also served as a part of a team conducting community consultations on the Uranium mining moratorium in northern Labrador. Evans is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Evans is openly lesbian.<ref>{{cite web | url-access=limited |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/260189260818837/1622072574630492 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/YWCAStJohns/posts/1622072574630492 |title = YWCA St. John's on Facebook |website=Facebook}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pcnl.ca/node/1134 | title=Burned Pride flags in Metro area |publisher=Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador |date=June 15, 2021 |access-date=August 1, 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202002806/https://www.pcnl.ca/node/1134 |archivedate=December 2, 2021}}</ref>

=== Politics === In an interview with ''The Independent'', Evans stated that she had to quit her job to run as a candidate in the 2019 election because her employer would not allow her to take a leave of absence. She was nominated as the Progressive Conservative candidate against her cousin and MHA Randy Edmunds. Evans went on to defeat Edmunds in an upset.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/defeated-incumbents-1.5139759 "Cabinet ministers Letto and Hawkins among 9 defeated Liberals"]. CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, May 17, 2019.</ref> She considered herself to be "putting the P in PC,"<ref name="fromto" /> meaning that she considers herself to be progressive in her political beliefs.

Evans has called for the Trans-Labrador Highway to be extended to reach communities in the northern part of Labrador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vocm.com/2020/09/23/lela-evans-trans-labrador-highway/|title=Torngat MHA Calls for New Road to Open Path to North Coast of Labrador|date=Sep 23, 2020|publisher=VOCM News|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}</ref>

On October 25, 2021, Evans left the PC Party to sit as an Independent in the House of Assembly.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Staff|first=CBC News|date=25 October 2021|title=Lela Evans, MHA for Labrador's Torngat Mountains district, leaving PC Party|work=CBC News|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/lela-evans-leaving-pc-party-1.6223802|access-date=2 November 2021}}</ref> On March 7, 2022, Evans joined the NDP.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Greg |title=Former PC MHA Joins NDP |url=https://vocm.com/2022/03/07/lela-ndp/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=VOCM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Former PC MHA Lela Evans joins NDP caucus |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/lela-evans-ndp-nl-1.6375691 |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=CBC News |date=7 March 2022}}</ref> On July 16, 2024, she rejoined the PC Party, calling new PC leader Tony Wakeham an "ally" and a "friend."<ref name=":0" />

Evans was re-elected as a Progressive Conservative in the 2025 Newfoundland and Labrador general election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Newfoundland and Labrador 2025 live results |url=https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/newfoundland-labrador/2025/results |access-date=2025-10-14 |website=CBC News |language=en}}</ref>

On October 29, 2025 Evans was appointed to the Wakeham ministry Minister of Health and Community services, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Minister Responsible for NL Health Services. Minister of Labrador Affairs, and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Premier Wakeham Announces New Cabinet |url=https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2025/exec/1029n01/ |access-date=30 October 2025 |publisher=Government of Newfoundland & Labrador |date=29 October 2025}}</ref>

== Election results == {{2025 Newfoundland and Labrador general election/Torngat Mountains}}

{{Election box begin | title= Torngat Mountains – 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec|NL|PC|'''Lela Evans'''|420|88.79%|}} {{CANelec|NL|NDP|Patricia Johnson-Castle|37|7.82%|}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Devon Ryan|16|3.38%|}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|473||}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|||}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|||}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters||}} {{end}}

{{Election box begin | title= Torngat Mountains – 2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec|NL|PC|'''Lela Evans'''|623|56.58%|}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Randy Edmunds|478|43.42%|}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|1,101||}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|||}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|||}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters||}}

{{end}}

{| class="wikitable" |colspan=4 align=center|'''Canada – 2018 Nunatsiavut general election''' |- |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nunatsiavut.com/article/2018-general-election-for-ordinary-members-to-the-nunatsiavut-assembly/2018|title=General Election for Ordinary Members to the Nunatsiavut Assembly|date=May 1, 2018|publisher=Nunatsiavut Government|accessdate=Nov 5, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> !'''Name ''' !'''Vote''' !'''%''' {{Canadian party colour|NL|Independent|row}} |'''''Edward Blake-Rudkowski''''' |477 |38.07% {{Canadian party colour|NL|Independent|row}} |'''''Roland Saunders''''' |258 |20.59% {{Canadian party colour|NL|Independent|row}} |Lela Evans |234 |18.68% {{Canadian party colour|NL|Independent|row}} |Charlotte Winters-Fost |194 |15.48% {{Canadian party colour|NL|Independent|row}} |Selina Adams |90 |7.18% |- |colspan=2|'''Total Valid Ballots''' |'''1,253''' |'''100%''' |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs}} {{Wakeham ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Lela}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians Category:21st-century Inuit politicians Category:21st-century Inuit women Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Category:Women MHAs in Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Canadian lesbian politicians Category:Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party MHAs Category:People from Makkovik Category:Canadian LGBTQ people in provincial and territorial legislatures Category:Inuit from Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Conservation biologists Category:Independent MHAs in Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Canadian Inuit women Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Category:Women government ministers of Canada Category:Canadian politicians who switched parties