10 Facts About Joan Shea

Joan Shea is a former Canadian politician and Cabinet minister in Newfoundland and Labrador.

From 2003 to 2014 Shea served as the member of the House of Assembly for the district of St George's-Stephenville East.

Joan Shea was the first person holding a BSW to serve in the NL legislature.

Joan Shea was the first woman to serve as Government House Leader in the province's history.

Joan Shea held the posts of Minister of Education, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

Joan Shea holds a BSW from Memorial University and an MSW from the University of Toronto.

Joan Shea was elected to politics in the 2003 provincial election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Joan Shea remained as Minister of Education following the election and in May 2008 was named Government House Leader, becoming the first woman appointed to this position in the history of the province.

Joan Shea became the acting minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment in December 2010, and the following month she was re-appointed as Minister of Education.

Joan Shea had been mentioned as a possible contender for leader of the Progressive Conservatives and though following the resignation of Premier Williams in 2010 it was thought that Joan Shea may try to succeed him, ultimately she did not.