Russell MacKinnon

Last updated

Russell Vincent MacKinnon (born October 4, 1953) is a Canadian politician in Nova Scotia. He represented Cape Breton West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1988 to 1995 and then from 1998 to 2006 as a Liberal and then Independent member.

Contents

Early life and education

He was born in Grand Mira South, Nova Scotia, the son of Neil Helarius MacKinnon and was educated at the Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute.

Political career

First elected in the 1988 Nova Scotia general election, MacKinnon later served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Labour when the Liberal took power. [1] [2]

In 1994, MacKinnon was suspended from the Liberal caucus for refusing to vote in favor of the government's municipal services exchange bill. [1] MacKinnon sat as an independent until he resigned his seat on April 10, 1995, [3] [4] to make an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. [1] [5] He was reelected in 1998. [6] He sat as an independent from April 2005 and did not run for reelection in 2006, [7] when he was defeated in a bid to win the Progressive Conservative nomination in Cape Breton West. [3]

Criminal charges

On February 14, 2011, it was announced that MacKinnon was among four people facing criminal charges in connection with the RCMP investigation into 2010s MLA expense scandal. MacKinnon was charged with fraud exceeding $5,000, breach of trust by a public officer, and 8 counts of uttering a forged document. [8]

On May 3, 2012, MacKinnon pleaded not guilty [9] and went to trial on the charges in March 2013. [10] On March 15, 2013, MacKinnon stopped testifying at his trial and pleaded guilty to breach of trust, and was sentenced to an eight-month conditional sentence. [11]

Personal life

In 1973, he married Gail Ann MacGillivary. He is currently married to Michèle Raymond, who is the former New Democratic Party MLA for Halifax Atlantic. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell MacLellan</span> Canadian politician

Russell Gregoire MacLellan is a Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Nova Scotia from 1997 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney MacDonald</span> Canadian politician

Rodney Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian politician, educator and musician who served as the 26th premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009.

Paul MacEwan was a politician in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, and long-time member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly (MLA).

Francis "Frank" Corbett is a former Deputy Premier of Nova Scotia.

Trevor John Zinck is a Canadian former politician, a former member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly who represented the riding of Dartmouth North as an Independent and a New Democrat. He was first elected for the New Democratic Party in the 2006 election, succeeding retiring NDP MLA Jerry Pye. He served as the Community Services critic for the NDP, and was re-elected in the 2009 election. Zinck pleaded guilty on June 17, 2013, to charges of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust by a public officer and later resigned as a result.

The 2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election was held on April 27, 2007 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, following the resignation of Francis MacKenzie, shortly after failing to win a seat in the 2006 election. This was the third leadership convention for the Liberals since 2002. In addition to the leadership convention, the party will hold its Annual General Meeting including the election of officers, adoption of policies, and potential constitutional amendments. It was won by Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil.

Cecil Phillip Clarke is a politician in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was the mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality from 2012 to 2020, and represented the riding of Cape Breton North in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, from 2001 to 2011 as a Progressive Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris d'Entremont</span> Canadian politician

Christopher André d'Entremont is a Canadian politician who has represented West Nova in the House of Commons since 2019, as a member of the Conservative Party. Before entering federal politics, he represented the Argyle-Barrington in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2003 to 2019 as a member of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives. D'Entremont was elected the deputy speaker and chair of Committees of the Whole in 2021 on a secret ballot. He is the first person of Acadian descent to serve as deputy speaker and the first Nova Scotian deputy speaker of the House of Commons of Canada since 1916.

Leonard Goucher is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Bedford in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2006 to 2009. He is a member of the Progressive Conservatives.

Richard Melbourne Hurlburt is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Yarmouth in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2010.

Alfred Wallace MacLeod is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. He is a member of the Progressive Conservatives.

Manning MacDonald CD, ECNS is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton South in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from May 25, 1993 to May 29, 2013. He is a member of the Liberals.

Harold David Wilson is a former Canadian politician and radio personality. He represented the electoral district of Glace Bay in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2010. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. He resigned his Glace Bay seat on March 11, 2010, amid controversy, refusing to meet with the provincial auditor general about his MLA expense claims.

Helen MacDonald is a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Cape Breton The Lakes in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1997 to 1999. She was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.

The Nova Scotia Parliamentary Expenses Scandal is a political scandal in the province of Nova Scotia that was revealed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Nova Scotia general election</span>

The 2013 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 8, 2013, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

Kenneth MacAskill is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Victoria in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1988 to 2003. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

William Joseph MacLean is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Inverness South in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1981 to 1988. He represented the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party until he was expelled as an MLA on October 30, 1986, and was elected as an independent on February 24, 1987.

Reeves Matheson is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1998 to 1999. He was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Nova Scotia New Democratic Party leadership election</span> Nova Scotia New Democratic Party leadership election

The election for the leadership of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party was triggered on November 16, 2013, following Darrell Dexter's resignation after losing the seat he contested in the 2013 election. The party elected Gary Burrill as their new leader on February 27, 2016, following a one-member one-vote election held during a convention at the Holiday Inn Harbourview in Dartmouth.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Three novices at the table". The Chronicle Herald. April 9, 1998. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  2. "Who's who in the new crew". The Chronicle Herald. April 9, 1998. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Biographies of former and sitting MLAs". CBC News. February 14, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  4. "Cape Breton West". Nova Scotia Votes 2003. CBC News. 2003. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  5. "A cabinet with four legs". The Chronicle Herald. April 9, 1998. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  6. "IT'S A TIE!". The Chronicle Herald. March 25, 1998. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  7. "Cape Breton West". Nova Scotia Votes 2006. CBC News. 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  8. "MLA spending probe in N.S. gets 4 charged". CBC News. February 14, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  9. "Ex-MLA MacKinnon pleads not guilty". CBC News. May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  10. "Trial to start for ex-MLA charged in spending scandal". CBC News. March 11, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. "Ex-MLA pleads guilty to breach of trust". CBC News. March 15, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  12. "MLA Michele Raymond not reoffering". CBC News. November 23, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2018.