{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Russell MacKinnon | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | assembly1 = Nova Scotia House of | constituency_AM1 = Cape Breton West | term_start1 = 1998 | term_end1 = 2006 | predecessor1 = Alfie MacLeod | successor1 = Alfie MacLeod | term_start2 = 1988 | term_end2 = 1995 | predecessor2 = Donnie MacLeod | successor2 = Alfie MacLeod | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|10|4}} | birth_place = Grand Mira South, Nova Scotia, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Michèle Raymond | party = Nova Scotia Liberal Party (former)<br>Independent (later) }}
'''Russell Vincent MacKinnon''' (born October 4, 1953) is a Canadian politician in Nova Scotia. He represented Cape Breton West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1988 to 1995 and then from 1998 to 2006 as a Liberal and then Independent member.
==Early life and education== MacKinnon was born in Grand Mira South, Nova Scotia, in 1953.<ref name="cpg">{{cite book |title=Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 2005 |year=2005 |last=Batten |first=Donna |ISBN=1-4144-0141-8}}</ref> He was educated at the Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute.<ref name="cpg" />
==Political career== First elected in the 1988 Nova Scotia general election from the Cape Breton West seat, MacKinnon later served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Labour when the Liberal took power in 1993.<ref name="three novices">{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998/04/09+213.raw+PE98Apr9+2|title=Three novices at the table|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=April 9, 1998|accessdate=October 11, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123224111/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998%2F04%2F09+213.raw+PE98Apr9+2|archivedate=January 23, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998/04/09+231.raw+PE98Apr9+2|title=Who's who in the new crew|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=April 9, 1998|accessdate=October 11, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123224500/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998%2F04%2F09+231.raw+PE98Apr9+2|archivedate=January 23, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1994, MacKinnon was suspended from the Liberal caucus for refusing to vote in favor of the government's municipal services exchange bill.<ref name="three novices"/> MacKinnon sat as an independent until he resigned his seat on April 10, 1995,<ref name="bios">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/biographies-of-former-and-sitting-mlas-1.1009757|title=Biographies of former and sitting MLAs|publisher=CBC News|date=February 14, 2011|accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/nsvotes2003/riding/009/|title=Cape Breton West|work=Nova Scotia Votes 2003|publisher=CBC News|year=2003 |accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref> to make an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.<ref name="three novices"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998/04/09+214.raw+PE98Apr9+2|title=A cabinet with four legs|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=April 9, 1998|accessdate=October 11, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123224339/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998%2F04%2F09+214.raw+PE98Apr9+2|archivedate=January 23, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> He won his former seat in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998/03/25+188.raw+PE98Mar25+2|title=IT'S A TIE!|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=March 25, 1998|accessdate=October 11, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041125101550/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998%2F03%2F25+188.raw+PE98Mar25+2|archivedate=November 25, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> He sat as an independent from April 2005 and did not run for reelection in 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/nsvotes2006/riding/009/|title=Cape Breton West|work=Nova Scotia Votes 2006|publisher=CBC News|year=2006|accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref> when he was defeated in a bid to win the Progressive Conservative nomination in Cape Breton West.<ref name="bios"/>
==Criminal charges== On February 14, 2011, it was announced that MacKinnon was among four people facing criminal charges in connection with the RCMP investigation into 2010s MLA expense scandal. MacKinnon was charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, breach of trust by a public officer, and 8 counts of uttering a forged document.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mla-spending-probe-in-n-s-gets-4-charged-1.998239|title=MLA spending probe in N.S. gets 4 charged|publisher=CBC News|date=February 14, 2011|accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref>
On May 3, 2012, MacKinnon pleaded not guilty<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ex-mla-mackinnon-pleads-not-guilty-1.1134973|title=Ex-MLA MacKinnon pleads not guilty|publisher=CBC News|date=May 3, 2012|accessdate=May 3, 2018}}</ref> and went to trial on the charges in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/trial-to-start-for-ex-mla-charged-in-spending-scandal-1.1366138|title=Trial to start for ex-MLA charged in spending scandal|publisher=CBC News|date=March 11, 2013|accessdate=May 3, 2018}}</ref> On March 15, 2013, MacKinnon stopped testifying at his trial and pleaded guilty to breach of trust, and was sentenced to an eight-month conditional sentence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ex-mla-pleads-guilty-to-breach-of-trust-1.1309139|title=Ex-MLA pleads guilty to breach of trust|publisher=CBC News|date=March 15, 2013|accessdate=May 3, 2018}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackinnon, Russell}} Category:Living people Category:Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Category:Nova Scotia Independent MLAs Category:Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Category:20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Category:21st-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Category:1953 births