Jump to content

Gerry Rogers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kbq430 (talk | contribs) at 09:44, 13 May 2018 (→‎Background). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Gerry Rogers
MHA
File:Gerry Rogers.jpg
Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party
Assumed office
April 8, 2018
Preceded byLorraine Michael
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
for St. John's Centre
Assumed office
October 27, 2011
Preceded byShawn Skinner
Personal details
Born1956
Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada
Political partyNew Democrat
SpousePeg Norman (m. 2017)
Residence(s)St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Occupationdocumentary filmmaker, social worker

Gerry Rogers (born 1956) is a Canadian politician, currently the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party, and former documentary filmmaker. She has served in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly since 2011, as an NDP MHA for the electoral district of St. John’s Centre.[1] She became the party's leader in April 2018, after winning the New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, 2018.[2]

Background

Rogers was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, to Leo Rogers from St. John's and Philomena Coles from Port Saunders. Leo joined the army, and the family moved to Montreal, then to Toronto, Winnipeg and Germany. They eventually returned to St. John’s in 1979, where Rogers completed a bachelor of social work at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Rogers worked at the St. John’s Women’s Centre, where she helped establish the first transition house for battered women. In 1982, she moved to Montreal to make documentary films at the National Film Board's Studio D, the only state funded women’s filmmaking unit in the world. In 1992, she returned to St. John’s and founded Augusta Productions, and directed several international award winning films including My Left Breast, a documentary about her own battle with breast cancer.[3]

Openly lesbian, Rogers is the partner of social worker and businessperson Peg Norman.[4] In honour of her role as a significant builder of LGBT culture and history in Canada, a portrait of Rogers by artist Claire Priddle was added to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives' National Portrait Collection in 2003.[5]

Politics

Rogers was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2011 provincial election, representing the district of St. John’s Centre as a member of the New Democratic Party.[1] She was the first openly gay politician ever elected to the provincial legislature.[6] She was re-elected in the 2015 provincial election.

In 2017, Rogers announced her intentions to run for leader of the provincial NDP, following the resignation of Earle McCurdy.[7] At the leadership convention on April 8, 2018, Rogers was elected leader with two-thirds of the vote.[2] Rogers is the first openly LGBT person to lead a political party in Newfoundland and Labrador.[8]

Electoral record

2015 Newfoundland and Labrador general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Gerry Rogers 2195
Liberal Lynn Sullivan 1923
Progressive Conservative Kathie Hicks 490
Total valid votes
Template:Canadian politics/party colours/NDP/row
Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
NDP Gerry Rogers 2,569 54.44
Progressive Conservative Shawn Skinner 2,041 43.25
Liberal Carly Bigelow 109 2.31

Films

References

  1. ^ a b "NDP Leader Lorraine Michael re-elected". CBC News, October 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Gerry Rogers new provincial NDP leader". CBC News. April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ "Rosie O'Donnell Offers NFLD NDP Candidate Campaign Contribution", Halifax Live, 26 December 2005, archived from the original on 27 September 2011, retrieved 2008-09-18 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Gerry Rogers at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.
  6. ^ "Shawn Skinner loses seat to NDP". The Telegram, October 11, 2011.
  7. ^ Earle McCurdy stepping down as provincial NDP leader. CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, September 19, 2017.
  8. ^ [2]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerry_Rogers&oldid=840986277"