Judy Foote

Judy May Foote PC ONL (née Crowley; born June 23, 1952)[1] is a Canadian former politician and current Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 14th since the province joined Canadian Confederation in 1949. She is the first woman to hold the position.[2]

Her Honour the Honourable Judy Foote PC ONL
14th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
Incumbent
Assumed office May 3, 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Julie Payette
Premier	Dwight Ball
Preceded by	Frank Fagan
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
In office November 4, 2015 – August 24, 2017
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Diane Finley
Succeeded by	Carla Qualtrough
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Bonavista—Burin—Trinity
In office October 19, 2015 – September 30, 2017
Preceded by	first member
Succeeded by	Churence Rogers
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Random—Burin—St. George's
In office October 14, 2008 – August 4, 2015
Preceded by	Bill Matthews
Succeeded by	riding dissolved
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Grand Bank
In office February 22, 1996 – October 9, 2007
Preceded by	Bill Matthews
Succeeded by	Darin King
Personal details
Born	Judy May Crowley[1] (1952-06-23) June 23, 1952 Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Howard Foote
Children	3
Residence	St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Alma mater	Memorial University of Newfoundland, Lambton College
Occupation	Journalist
Website	www.govhouse.nl.ca

Prior to her appointment as viceregal representative of the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador, Foote was the Liberal Member of Parliament for the ridings of Bonavista—Burin—Trinity (2015–2017) and Random—Burin—St. George's (2008–2015). 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.[3][4]

Early life

Foote was born on June 23, 1952, in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador.[5] She was the head of the university relations division of the Memorial University of Newfoundland before she entered politics.[6]

Political career

Foote served as the communications director for premier Clyde Wells before she ran for an elected position.[6]

She ran in the 1993 provincial election in Grand Bank but lost to PC incumbent Bill Matthews.

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.[6]

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.[5] In February 2003, Foote became Newfoundland's Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development in a cabinet shuffle.[7] 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.[8]

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.[6] 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.[9][10]

Foote became the Liberal Deputy House Leader in September 2010, but after she was reelected in the 2011 federal election, she accepted the position of Liberal Whip, which she held until the 2015 federal election.[5][11]

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Upon 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.[3][4] However, she said that she was cancer-free at the time and her children were "well."[4]

Lieutenant Governor

On March 20, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of Foote to succeed Frank Fagan as the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.[14][15] She is the first woman to be appointed as the viceregal representative for the province.[16] Foote was sworn in on May 3, 2018.[2]

Personal life

In 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.[17][18]

Electoral record

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,[19][20]

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	–	–

Random—Burin—St. George's – 2008 Canadian federal election

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

Grand Bank – 2003 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Judy Foote	3101	49.32%
	Progressive Conservative	Darin King	3058	48.53%	–
	NDP	Bill Wakeley	136	2.15%

[21]

Grand Bank – 1999 Newfoundland general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Judy Foote	3964
	Progressive Conservative	John Bolt	1146	–	–
	NDP	Richard Rennie	538

1996 Newfoundland general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Judy Foote	4136
	Progressive Conservative	Herb Edwards	2521	–	–

[22]

1993 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Progressive Conservative	Bill Matthews	3406	–	–
	Liberal	Judy Foote	2805
	NDP	Joseph L. Edwards	181

Titles, styles, honours, and awards

Viceregal styles of Judy Foote (2018–present)
Reference style	Her Honour the Honourable Son Honneur l'honorable
Spoken style	Your Honour Votre Honneur

Titles

• November 4, 2015 – May 3, 2018: The Honourable Judy Foote
• May 3, 2018 – present: Her Honour the Honourable Judy Foote, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador

As Lieutenant Governor, Foote is entitled to be styled Her Honour while in office and The Honourable for life.[23] Prior to her appointment Foote was already entitled to the style The Honourable for life as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

Honours

Coat of Arms

Foot 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.[24]

Coat of arms of Judy Foote

Granted 2019 Crest A black spruce proper charged with a butterfly Or embellished Azure and flanked by two daffodils all issuant from a rocky mount prope. Escutcheon Azure on a lozenge fesswise conjoined with a fillet cross and a fillet saltire Argent and environed by dog paw prints Or, a boar passant Azure armed and unguled Gules. Supporters Two doves proper each charged on its shoulder with a cross-crosslet Azure, resting its interior claw on a lyre Or set on a closed book lying flat its spine outwards and standing on a rocky mount set with grass proper and issuant from a bar wavy Azure. Motto MIND OVER BODY

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 – present: Chancellor of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (while in office)
• 3 May 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
• 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

Honorary military appointments

• 3 May 2018 – Present: Honorary Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

References

1. "Judy M. Foote". Biographies. Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
2. Kinsella, Stephanie (May 3, 2018). "Judy Foote celebrates 'a new day, a new beginning' at historic swearing-in". CBC News. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
3. "'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.
4. Bryden, Joanne; 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.
5. "FOOTE, Judy, B.A., B.Ed". Library of Parliament. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
6. "Foote takes Liberal nomination for federal race". CBC News. August 3, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
7. Dunfield, Allison (April 22, 2009). "Newfoundland cabinet shuffled". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
8. Canadian Press (November 21, 2003). "Newfoundland recount confirms Liberal's win". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
9. Bryden, Joan (April 9, 2009). "Newfoundland MPs test Ignatieff's grip on party". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
10. "MPs approve federal budget". cbc.ca. 2009-02-03. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
11. "Liberals unveil shadow cabinet". National Post. June 1, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2016-05-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. "Phoenix pay debacle spotlight: Should it belong to the bureaucrat or her boss?". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
14. "Prime Minister announces new Lieutenant Governor for Newfoundland and Labrador" (Press release). Office of the Prime Minister. March 20, 2018.
15. "Judy Foote named lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador". CTV News. The Canadian Press. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
16. "Judy Foote is 'honoured' to be named 1st female lieutenant-governor in N.L." CBC News. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
17. Herridge, Paul (June 12, 2014). "'I intend to fight this'". The Southern Gazette. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
18. Thomas, Brodie (June 9, 2014). "MP Judy Foote battling breast cancer". The Western Star. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
19. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Bonavista—Burin—Trinity (Preliminary results)". Elections Canada. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
20. "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
21. Newfoundland & Labrador Votes 2003. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
22. Report of the Chief Electoral Officer. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
23. "Table of titles to be used in Canada". Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. June 18, 1993. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
24. General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Foote, Judy May [Individual]". reg.gg.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-14.

External links

• Official website
• Judy Foote – Parliament of Canada biography

29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Diane Finley	Minister of Public Services and Procurement November 4, 2015 – August 24, 2017	Carla Qualtrough