Desmond McGrath (1935-2009) was a Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

, and trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 organizer in Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He was a candidate for the New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in the 2004 federal election

Canadian federal election, 2004

The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...

.

In the late 1960s, McGrath's parish consisted mostly of fishermen. He became concerned with their plight. Fishermen at that time were getting just two-and-a-half cents a pound for their catch, and lived off credit supplied by merchants, rarely having a season that enabled them to climb out of debt. McGrath felt that the only way for fishermen to improve their situation was if they formed a union. McGrath and St. John's lawyer Richard Cashin

Richard Cashin

Richard Joseph Cashin, PC, OC is a lawyer and former Canadian politician and trade union leader....

 created the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union

Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union is a trade union in Newfoundland and Labrador that represents 20,000 workers. Most of the members are in the fishing industry but the FFAW also has organized workers in the hotel, hospitality, brewing, metal fabrication, window manufacturing and oil...

. The union today represents not only fishing people, but plant workers and many others and, with over 20,000 members, is the largest private-sector union in Newfoundland.

In the late 1980s, McGrath started setting up adult education centres across the province, which provided key retraining when the cod fishery collapsed a few years later.

McGrath was found dead in his home on July 28, 2009, a day after failing to appear in court to answer charges that he sexually abused a boy in 1982. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/07/29/mcgrath-dead-729.html