Gail Shea

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Gail A. Shea

| honorific-suffix = PC

| image =

| office1 = Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

| term_start1 = July 15, 2013

| term_end1 = November 4, 2015

| predecessor1 = Keith Ashfield

| successor1 = Hunter Tootoo

| primeminister1 = Stephen Harper

| term_start2 = October 30, 2008

| term_end2 = May 18, 2011

| predecessor2 = Loyola Hearn

| successor2 = Keith Ashfield

| primeminister2 = Stephen Harper

| office3 = Minister of National Revenue

| term_start3 = May 18, 2011

| term_end3 = July 15, 2013

| predecessor3 = Keith Ashfield

| successor3 = Kerry-Lynne Findlay

| riding4 = Egmont

| parliament4 = Canadian

| term_start4 = October 14, 2008

| term_end4 = August 4, 2015

| predecessor4 = Joe McGuire

| successor4 = Bobby Morrissey

| office5 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for
Tignish-DeBlois

| term_start5 = April 17, 2000

| term_end5 = May 28, 2007

| predecessor5 = Bobby Morrissey

| successor5 = Neil LeClair

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|4|6}}

| birth_place = Tignish, Prince Edward Island

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Conservative

| residence =

| occupation =

| footnotes =

}}

Gail A. Shea {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Egmont from 2008 to 2015. She was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2000 to 2007, representing the electoral district of Tignish-DeBlois as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Shea served as the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in the federal cabinet.

Provincial politics

=Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs=

Shea served as Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs from 2000 to 2003, under the second administration of Premier Pat Binns. During this period Shea's responsibilities included the Status of Women in the province, as well as providing oversight on the Workers Compensation Board and the Island Waste Management Corporation.[http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=87 "Government Bio"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127142551/http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=87# |date=2010-01-27 }}, Retrieved January 21, 2010

=Minister of Transportation and Public Works=

From 2003 to 2007 Shea served as Minister of Transportation and Public Works. In this position, Shea oversaw the implementation of a graduated licensing system in her home province.[http://www.gailshea.ca/EN/about_gail/ "Personal Sight"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007123200/http://www.gailshea.ca/EN/about_gail/ |date=2010-10-07 }}, Retrieved January 21, 2010.

Federal politics

Shea stood as the Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the riding of Egmont for the 2008 federal election.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/shea-wins-egmont-nomination-1.665273|title=Shea wins Egmont nomination|publisher=CBC News|date=December 17, 2007|access-date=October 24, 2015}} On October 14, 2008, she became the first non-Liberal MP from Prince Edward Island in 24 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Regional/2008-10-14/article-1299289/Gail-Shea-makes-history-in-Egmont/1|title=Gail Shea makes history in Egmont|work=The Guardian|location=Charlottetown|date=October 14, 2008|access-date=March 18, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305214859/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Regional/2008-10-14/article-1299289/Gail-Shea-makes-history-in-Egmont/1|archivedate=March 5, 2015}} On October 30, 2008, Shea was appointed the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Regional/2008-10-30/article-1294995/Shea-becomes-fisheries-minister/1|title=Shea becomes fisheries minister|work=The Guardian|location=Charlottetown|date=October 30, 2008|access-date=March 18, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054855/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Regional/2008-10-30/article-1294995/Shea-becomes-fisheries-minister/1|archivedate=March 4, 2016}} She is only the third female MP from Prince Edward Island, following Margaret Mary Macdonald and Catherine Callbeck.

In the 2011 federal election, Shea was re-elected by a margin of 4500 votes.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/shea-cruises-to-easy-win-1.1048897|title=Shea cruises to easy win|publisher=CBC News|date=May 2, 2011|access-date=October 24, 2015}} On May 18, 2011, she was appointed Minister of National Revenue.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/shea-named-revenue-minister-1.997153|title=Shea named revenue minister|publisher=CBC News|date=May 18, 2011|access-date=October 24, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-05-18/article-2516563/UPDATE-Shea-named-Minister-of-National-Revenue/1|title=Shea named Minister of National Revenue|work=The Journal Pioneer|date=May 18, 2011|access-date=March 18, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191627/http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-05-18/article-2516563/UPDATE-Shea-named-Minister-of-National-Revenue/1|archivedate=March 4, 2016}} In July 2013, Shea was moved back into the fisheries position.{{cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/stephen-harper-expected-to-keep-jim-flaherty-in-finance-post-during-monday-morning-cabinet-shuffle|title=Stephen Harper names eight new members to his cabinet, moves Peter MacKay out of defence|work=National Post|date=July 15, 2013|access-date=March 30, 2021}} In the 2015 election, Shea was defeated by Liberal Bobby Morrissey.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/federal-election-egmont-race-1.3278525|title=Conservative Gail Shea loses Egmont to Liberal Bobby Morrissey|publisher=CBC News|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=October 24, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Election-2015/2015-10-19/article-4314882/Liberal-sweep-in-P.E.I.,-Gail-Shea-defeated-in-Egmont/1|title=Liberal sweep in P.E.I., Gail Shea defeated in Egmont|work=The Guardian|location=Charlottetown|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=October 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021123531/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Election-2015/2015-10-19/article-4314882/Liberal-sweep-in-P.E.I.,-Gail-Shea-defeated-in-Egmont/1|archive-date=October 21, 2015|url-status=dead}}

=Pie incident=

On January 25, 2010, Shea was pied while giving a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters. An American PETA activist, Emily McCoy, was arrested in Burlington in connection with the incident, and charged with assault. PETA has taken public responsibility for the incident, saying that it was part of a broader campaign against the Canadian Government's support of the seal hunt.{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/peta-claims-responsibility-after-fisheries-minister-pied-in-face/article4309990/|title=PETA claims responsibility after Fisheries Minister pied in face|work=The Globe and Mail|date=January 25, 2010|access-date=October 24, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/fisheries-minister-gets-pie-in-face-1.909670|title=Fisheries minister gets pie in face|publisher=CBC News|date=January 25, 2010|access-date=March 25, 2014}}

When commenting on the event later, Shea remarked, "I can tell you that this incident actually strengthens my resolve to support the seal hunt. If this is what it takes to stand up for Canadian sealing families and this industry I'm certainly very proud to do it."{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/pie-hit-should-earn-peta-terrorist-label-mp-1.949659|title=Pie hit should earn PETA 'terrorist' label: MP|publisher=CBC News|date=January 26, 2010|access-date=October 24, 2015}}