| The Honourable Gerry Byrne BSc, MP, PC |
|
|---|---|
| Member of Canadian Parliament for Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Brian Tobin |
| Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | |
| In office January 15, 2002 – December 11, 2003 Serving with Allan Rock |
|
| Preceded by | Robert Thibault |
| Succeeded by | Joe McGuire |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 27, 1966 Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Spouse(s) | Denise Gibbons |
| Children | Gerry Jr. |
| Residence | Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador |
| Alma mater | Dalhousie University |
| Profession | Political Assistant |
| Cabinet | Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (2002-2003) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Gerry Byrne, PC, MP (born September 27, 1966) is a Canadian politician. He currently represents the riding of Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte for the Liberal Party of Canada. He was re-elected in the 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 elections. In the 2006 election he had one of the highest margins of victory in Atlantic Canada.
Byrne also received a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Dalhousie University.
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Byrne has been a Member of Parliament since 1996 when he won a by-election in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to succeed Brian Tobin. Tobin resigned to run in the 1996 Newfoundland provincial election for Premier. Byrne currently represents the riding of Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte in the Canadian House of Commons.
He was Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency from 2002 to 2003. During his Cabinet post he served a long side fellow Liberal MP, Allan Rock. When Paul Martin became Prime Minister in 2003 Byrne was not assigned back to his former Cabinet post and was succeeded by Joe McGuire.
On January 25, 2010, Fisheries Minister, Gail Shea was pied while giving a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters. An American PETA activist, Emily McCoy, was later arrested in Burlington, charged with assault in connection with the incident. 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.[1]
In response to the pieing of the Fisheries Minister, Byrne denounced the attack on the minister as an act of terrorism.[2] 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."
In the Liberal Party's 2006 leadership election, Byrne started out supporting Maurizio Bevilacqua, after Bevilacque drop out he supported Michael Ignatieff.[3] Ignatieff placed second in the race to winner Stéphane Dion. Ignatieff became Leader of the Liberal Party two years later, and was again supported by Byrne.[4]
| Canadian federal election, 2011 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 17,119 | 57.04 | -10.88 | ||
| Conservative | Trevor Taylor | 7,559 | 25.18 | +14.56 | ||
| New Democrat | Shelley Senior | 4,751 | 15.83 | -1.97 | ||
| Independent | Wayne Ronald Bennett | 332 | 1.11 | -2.55 | ||
| Green | Robin Gosse | 253 | 0.84 | - | ||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 30,014 | 100.00 | - | |||
| Total rejected ballots | 97 | 0.32 | -0.25 | |||
| Turnout | 30,111 | 50.91 | +6.64 | |||
| Eligible voters | 59,149 | |||||
| Canadian federal election, 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 17,943 | 67.92 | +15.02 | $36,525 | |
| New Democrat | Mark Kennedy | 4,703 | 17.80 | +2.90 | $2,495 | |
| Conservative | Lorne Robinson | 2,806 | 10.62 | -20.54 | $11,451 | |
| NLF | Wayne Ronald Bennett | 967 | 3.66 | $3,719 | ||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 26,419 | 100.00 | $90,812 | |||
| Total rejected ballots | 150 | 0.57 | -0.01 | |||
| Turnout | 26,472 | 44.27 | -10.3 | |||
| Eligible voters | 59,797 | |||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +6.06 | ||||
| Canadian federal election, 2006 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 17,208 | 52.90 | -9.66 | $52,162 | |
| Conservative | Cyril Pelley, Jr. | 10,137 | 31.16 | +8.21 | $41,467 | |
| New Democrat | Holly Pike | 4,847 | 14.90 | +1.76 | $5,133 | |
| Green | Martin Hanzalek | 339 | 1.04 | -0.31 | ||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 32,531 | 100.00 | $84,468 | |||
| Total rejected ballots | 191 | 0.58 | +0.13 | |||
| Turnout | 32,722 | 54.6 | +6.8 | |||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -8.9 | ||||
| Canadian federal election, 2004 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 17,820 | 62.56 | +13.77 | $61,737 | |
| Conservative | Wynanne Downer | 6,538 | 22.95 | -2.41 | $49,410 | |
| New Democrat | Holly Pike | 3,743 | 13.14 | -12.68 | $5,878 | |
| Green | Steve Durant | 384 | 1.35 | $178 | ||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 28,485 | 100.00 | $82,511 | |||
| Total rejected ballots | 128 | 0.45 | ||||
| Turnout | 28,613 | 47.77 | ||||
Change from 2000 is based on redistributed results. Conservative Party change is based on the combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party totals.
| Canadian federal election, 2000 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 15,446 | 48.79 | +8.95 | ||
| New Democrat | Trevor Taylor | 8,173 | 25.82 | +11.22 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Peter McBreairty | 6,340 | 20.03 | -19.03 | ||
| Canadian Alliance | Murdock Cole | 1,698 | 5.33 | -1.17 | ||
| Total votes | 31,657 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 117 | 0.37 | ||||
| Turnout | 31,774 | 57.99 | ||||
Canadian Alliance changes from 1997 are based on the results of its predecessor, the Reform Party.
| Canadian federal election, 1997 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 12,057 | 39.84 | -15.85 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Art Bull | 11,825 | 39.06 | +15.56 | ||
| New Democrat | Joan Scott | 4,421 | 14.60 | +12.13 | ||
| Reform | Randy Wells | 1,969 | 6.50 | -11.84 | ||
| Total votes | 30,272 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 129 | 0.42 | ||||
| Turnout | 30,401 | 54.93 | ||||
| By-election on 25 March 1996
On the resignation of Brian Tobin, 25 January 1996 |
||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Gerry Byrne | 12,453 | 55.69 | -26.49 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Danny Kane | 5,253 | 23.50 | +8.12 | ||
| Reform | Deon Hancock | 4,099 | 18.34 | |||
| New Democrat | Coleen Dingwell-Corbin | 554 | 2.47 | +0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 22,359 | 100.00 | ||||