Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, August 2011
| Date | August 14, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Resigning leader | Yvonne Jones |
| Won by | Kevin Aylward |
| Ballots | 1 |
| Candidates | 7 |
| Entrance Fee | $500 |
The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, August 2011 was prompted by Yvonne Jones' announcement that she would be stepping down as Liberal leader, once her successor was chosen, due to health reasons. Her announcement came 62 days before the October 2011 provincial election.
Former Member of the House of Assembly (MHA) and cabinet minister Kevin Aylward was chosen as the Liberal leader on August 14, 2011.
Jones served as the interim party leader following the 2007 provincial election, and was sworn in as party leader on May 28, 2011. Jones had been acclaimed leader after being the only candidate to file nomination papers for the leadership in July 2010. On August 16, 2010, she announced she had breast cancer and would be taking a leave of absence for treatment, but would vowed to return and fight the election. Jones returned to the House of Assembly for the Spring sitting and had already started making policy announcements for the election when she announced her resignation. Jones held a news conference on August 9, 2011, where she announced her resignation stating that her white blood cell count had not recovered and her immune system was too weak to fight an election as leader, though she would seek re-election in her district.
Due to the timing of Jones' resignation, less than 6 weeks before the writ for the election was set to drop, the Liberal executive met on the night of her resignation to come up with a process of selecting a leader as soon as possible. Nominations for the leadership opened at noon on August 10, and closed on August 12, at noon. Candidates submitted a non-refundable $500 fee in addition to a letter to party president Judy Morrow expressing their interest in the leadership. The party executive engaged in a 48-hour consultation process, that reached out to party members throughout the province. On the afternoon of August 14, the candidates were allowed half an hour to address the executive board. The 19 members of the executive board voted by secret ballot to determine the successful leadership candidate, and Aylward won on the first ballot.
Former MHA for St. George's-Stephenville East (1985–2003) and cabinet minister.
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