SIGNAL HILL-QUIDI VIDI (38)

Candidates:

Liberal: Ray O’Neill PC: Karen Carroll NDP: Jack Harris

Current MHA: Jack Harris (NDP)

District Profile: Created in the redistribution of 1995, Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi picks up where St. John's East leaves off. The district includes the east end of the St. John's downtown, and runs north to Newfoundland Drive. The residential mix is diverse, ranging from apartments and refurbished townhouses in the older part of the city to the edges of suburban subdivisions in the east end.

Canada Now's Deanne Fleet has this
look at the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi
(runs 3:26).

Candidate profiles:

Jack Harris: First elected as Member of Parliament for St. John's East in 1987, Jack Harris assumed the leadership of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP in 1992. As MHA since 1990 for St. John's East and later Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, he has won four elections. In the 1999 provincial election he led the NDP to its best showing in a general election to date, when the party elected two members to the House of Assembly. Harris is a lawyer, and for many years was in practice with Danny Williams, the current PC leader.

Liberal candidate Ray O’Neill was elected to St. John’s city council five times between 1974 and 1997, but was defeated in the last municipal election when he ran for mayor. On the national level, he was president of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in 1991-92. For many years, O’Neill was executive director of the province’s safety council. He also owns a sports store in St. John’s.

PC Karen Carroll won the nomination in a three-way race in September. She beat Ian Carter, and Darrin Steele, taking 321 of the 486 votes cast.

Political History:

1999: The seat remained with the NDP in 1999, when Harris defeated Liberal Pete Soucy by 169 votes. 1995: After redistribution in 1995, Harris ran in the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi and defeated Cook once again. 1993: Harris held on in 1993, defeating Liberal Joan Cook by 608 votes 1990: PC Shannie Duff resigned in 1990, and the NDP's Jack Harris won St. John’s East in the subsequent byelection, defeating Liberal Barbara Chalker by 740 votes. 1986: In the 1986 byelection, New Democrat Gene Long defeated PC Shannie Duff. Three years later, Duff beat Long.