Ches Crosbie

Chesley Furneaux "Ches" Crosbie, Q.C. (born 12 June 1953) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. Crosbie was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador on April 28, 2018.[1] On September 20, 2018 he was elected as MHA for Windsor Lake, and therefore became Leader of the Official Opposition upon being sworn in on October 12, 2018.[2]

Ches Crosbie QC
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office October 12, 2018
Preceded by	David Brazil
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
Incumbent
Assumed office April 28, 2018
Preceded by	Paul Davis
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Windsor Lake
Incumbent
Assumed office October 12, 2018
Preceded by	Cathy Bennett
Personal details
Born	Chesley Furneaux Crosbie June 12, 1953 St. John's, Newfoundland
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Relations	Chesley Crosbie (grandfather), Sir John Chalker Crosbie (great-grandfather)
Parents	John Crosbie and Jane Crosbie
Occupation	Lawyer

Early life

Crosbie is the eldest of three children of Jane (Furneaux) and John C. Crosbie and was born and raised in St. John's.[3] His father was a prominent figure in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canadian politics, a provincial and federal cabinet minister who also served as Lieutenant-Governor of the province (2008–13). Crosbie is also a grandson and namesake of Chesley A. Crosbie and the great-grandson of Sir John Crosbie, prominent businessmen and public figures in Newfoundland.

Crosbie's early education was at Bishop Feild College in St. John's, and at St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ontario. He was selected as Newfoundland and Labrador's Rhodes Scholar in 1976,[4] studying jurisprudence at Oxford, and continued his legal studies at Dalhousie University. There he met his future wife, Lois Hoegg, a native of Stellarton, Nova Scotia. She has been a Justice of the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court since 2007. They have three daughters.[5]

Lawyer

On completing law school, Crosbie returned to St. John's and was admitted to the bar in 1983. He founded Ches Crosbie Barristers in 1991. The firm developed expertise in class actions, and Crosbie first came into the public eye as an advocate for breast cancer patients affected by delayed and erroneous test results (settled in 2009, see Cameron Inquiry), for the victims of moose-vehicle accidents, for users of video lottery terminals, and for the former residents of residential schools in Labrador (settled in 2016).[6] Crosbie was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2004.[7]

From an interest in helping injured children, Crosbie and his firm have given away thousands of bicycle helmets to young people across the province. He has worked on a pro bono basis with former shipyard employees attempting to get compensation for long-term health problems. He has also volunteered with heritage organizations such as the Sealer's Memorial and Interpretation Centre in Elliston, Trinity Bay,[8] and worked with the Placentia Historical Society and Town of Placentia to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 1941 meeting of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill which established the Atlantic Charter.[9]

Politics

Crosbie's earliest involvement in politics came as a supporter of his father, who was a candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1983. He is a long-time provincial Progressive Conservative and federal Conservative supporter.

In 2014 Crosbie announced his candidacy for the federal constituency of Avalon. However, in 2015 his candidacy was rejected by the Conservative Party of Canada, reputedly as the result of his "playful barbs" concerning Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a Shakespearean-parody fundraising skit.[10] His father, John Crosbie then accused the federal Conservatives of squashing his son's candidacy because he was too independent and because Newfoundland senator David Wells wanted to keep his control over Newfoundland patronage appointments, an accusation that Wells denied.[11]

Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

In February 2017, Crosbie announced an exploratory candidacy for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, following the resignation of leader and former Premier Paul Davis.[12][13] On April 28, 2018 Crosbie defeated Health Authority CEO Tony Wakeham to succeed Davis. The leadership convention operated under a mixed vote-points system in which a hundred points were awarded in each of 40 districts across the provinces, based on the percentage of vote each candidate won. The final tally was Crosbie with 2,298.92 and Wakeham with 1,701.08 points respectively.[1]

In August 2018, Crosbie announced his candidacy for the district of Windsor Lake following the resignation of MHA Cathy Bennett.[14][15] On September 20, 2018 Crosbie won the race and therefore became Leader of the Opposition.[16]

Crosbie led the party into the 2019 provincial election with the party increasing its seat count from 7 to 15. The PCs finished 1% behind the Liberals in the popular vote and the Ball government was reduced to a minority.[17][18][19][20] Crosbie was personally re-elected in Windsor Lake.

Crosbie endorsed Peter Mackay in the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.[21]

Election results

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Ches Crosbie	2,644	48.71	+6.01
	Liberal	Bob Osborne	2,088	38.47	+0.34
	New Democratic	Tomás Shea	696	12.82	-6.35
Total valid votes			5,428
Total rejected ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		+2.83

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By-election - September 20, 2018
On the resignation of Cathy Bennett, August 21, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Ches Crosbie	2,034	42.70	+22.49
	Liberal	Paul Antle	1,816	38.13	-28.18
	New Democratic	Kerri Claire Neil	913	19.17	+5.69
Total valid votes			4,763
	Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing		+25.33

References

1. "The new leader of the Progressive Conservative party in N.L. has a familiar last name". CBC News. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
4. "Can Ches Crosbie connect? Lawyer soft launching bid for PC leadership". CBC News. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
5. "John Crosbie's son seeks Conservative seat in Newfoundland". Toronto Star. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
6. CBC News, Here and Now, 14 March 2017. Video/interview with Ches Crosbie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGpiEwHgDJY
7. "Queen's Counsel Appointments". Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Feb 26, 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
8. Town of Elliston. "Memorials – Cenotaph & Sealers Memorial." http://www.townofelliston.ca/2at/seals.html
9. Robinson, Andrew (15 August 2016). "Atlantic Charter's 75th anniversary honoured in Ship Harbour". The Telegram. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
10. Wherry, Aaron (9 July 2015). "Why the Tories said no to a star candidate in Newfoundland". Macleans. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
11. "John Crosbie accuses N.L. Senator David Wells of sabotaging Ches Crosbie's bid". CBC News. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
12. Official website: http://www.chescrosbie.ca/
13. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChesCrosbiePC/
14. "Party leaders spar over who should replace Cathy Bennett". CBC News. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
15. "Ball, Crosbie come out swinging ahead of Windsor Lake byelection; NDP meets with displaced workers". The Telegram. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
16. "'It Means Trouble For The Liberals': Ches Crosbie Takes Seat In Windsor Lake". VOCM. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
17. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/day-after-election-crosbie-lane-ball-1.5140063
18. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/john-crosbie-muskrat-foote-1.5140061[ ]
21. Crosbie, Ches. "Honoured to have the support of my friend @ChesCrosbie". Twitter. @PeterMacKay. Retrieved 15 May 2020.