David Brazil (politician)

David Brazil MHA (/ˈbræzəl/ BRAZ-əl; born September 20, 1963) is a Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He has represented the district of Conception Bay East - Bell Island in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly since 2010.

David Brazil MHA
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Conception Bay East - Bell Island
Incumbent
Assumed office December 20, 2010
Preceded by	Dianne Whalen
Leader of the Opposition
In office May 14, 2018 – October 12, 2018
Preceded by	Paul Davis
Succeeded by	Ches Crosbie
Personal details
Born	September 20, 1963
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Residence	Wabana, Newfoundland and Labrador
Occupation	Businessman public servant

Brazil served as Opposition Leader in 2018 between the resignation of Paul Davis and the election of Ches Crosbie as MHA.

Background

Prior to entering politics, Brazil was an independent business owner, worked in the non-profit sector, and was a senior manager with the provincial government for 26 years. He has worked for the departments of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Health and Community Services, Tourism, Culture and Recreation, Education and Municipal Affairs.

Political career

In November 2010, Brazil won the nomination to be the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador candidate in a by-election for the electoral district of Conception Bay East – Bell Island defeating five other candidates for the nomination.[1] The by-election was being held to replace the late Dianne Whalen who had died a month earlier.[2]

The by-election was called for December 2, 2010 with two other candidates running for the New Democrats and the Liberals.[1] One week before the by-election, on November 25, Premier Danny Williams announced that he would retire from politics on December 3, 2010.[3] With the announcement that the Premier would be resigning it left many wondering if Brazil, who was initially thought to easily hold on to the seat for the Tories, would be able to win now that the party's popular leader was stepping down. However, on December 2, 2010, Brazil defeated both the New Democratic and Liberal Party candidates, winning 66% of the popular vote.[4] The percentage of the vote was consistent with previous by-election wins the PCs had before the announcement that Williams was retiring.[5]

Brazil was re-elected with 55% of the vote in the 2011 election.[6] On July 17, 2014, Brazil was appointed to the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador as Minister of Service NL.[7][8] When Paul Davis took over as premier in September 2014, he moved Brazil to Minister of Transportation and Works.[9][10]

Brazil was re-elected in the 2015 election, defeating Liberal Danny Dumaresque by almost 1900 votes.[11]

In 2017, Brazil declined to seek the leadership of the PC Party and endorsed Tony Wakeham in the 2018 election, serving as his campaign manager.[12]

Following the election of Ches Crosbie as PC leader in April 2018, Paul Davis announced he would resign as Leader of the Opposition. Since Crosbie did not have a seat in the House of Assembly when elected leader, Brazil was appointed the Leader of the Opposition on May 14, 2018.[13] On September 20, 2018 Crosbie won the district of Windsor Lake in a by-election, therefore becoming Leader of the Opposition.[14]

He was re-elected in the 2019 provincial election.[15]

Electoral results

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	David Brazil	4,365	73.8
	Liberal	Cyril Hayden	1,551	26.2
Total valid votes
Total rejected ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters

2015 Newfoundland and Labrador general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressive Conservative	David Brazil	3,463	59.22
	Liberal	Danny Dumaresque	1,582	27.05
	New Democratic	Bill Kavanagh	803	13.73
Total valid votes			5,848	100.00

2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	David Brazil	3,059	55.00%	−11.28%
	NDP	Bill Kavanagh	2,290	41.17%	+14.97%
	Liberal	Kim Ploughman	213	3.83%	−3.68%

Conception Bay East - Bell Island: By-election – December 2, 2010 On the death of Dianne Whalen, October 3, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	David Brazil	2638	66.28%	−5.51%
	NDP	George Murphy	1043	26.20%	+15.96%
	Liberal	Joy Buckle	299	7.51%	−10.46%

[4][16]

References

1. "Liberal staffer steps up for by-election". CBC News. November 16, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
2. "N.L. cabinet minister Dianne Whalen succumbs to cancer". CTV News. October 3, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
3. "Danny Williams retires as N.L. premier". CBC News. November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
4. "PC David Brazil wins N.L. by-election". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 2, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
5. "Conservatives win Terra Nova byelection". CBC News. November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
6. "Conception Bay East – Bell Island". CBC News. October 11, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
7. "Tom Marshall elevates 3 backbenchers to cabinet in shuffle". CBC News. July 17, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
8. "Marshall shuffles cabinet to fill holes caused by PC leadership race". The Telegram. St. John's. July 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
9. "Paul Davis taps Steve Kent as deputy premier". CBC News. September 30, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
10. "Premier brings new face into cabinet room". The Telegram. St. John's. September 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
11. "4 Tory cabinet ministers fall to defeat in Liberal rout". CBC News. December 1, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
12. "Outsiders like Crosbie, Wakeham only hope for PC Party rebuild, says political scientist". CBC News. December 4, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
13. "David Brazil to replace Paul Davis as Opposition leader". CBC News. May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
16. "Premier Announces Date for By-Election in District of Conception Bay East – Bell Island". Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015.

External links

• David Brazil PC Party Website