Len Stirling is a former politician in the Canadian

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...

 province of 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...

. He was a member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982 and was leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the provincial wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is the Official Opposition and currently holds six seats in the provincial legislature.-Origins:The party originated in...

 from 1980 to 1982.

Private life

Stirling is from Corner Brook and has worked as an insurance executive in private life. He served as deputy mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

 before entering provincial politics.

Party president and assembly member

Stirling was president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party in the late 1970s and played a pivotal role in persuading Donald Jamieson to lead the party in the 1979 provincial election

Newfoundland general election, 1979

The 39th Newfoundland general election was held on 8 June 1979 to elect members of the 38th General Assembly of Newfoundland, the tenth general election for the province of Newfoundland, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.-Results:...

. The party's sitting leader, Bill Rowe

Bill Rowe

William N. Rowe QC is a former politician, lawyer, broadcaster, and writer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He is married to Penelope Ayre Rowe of St. John’s, who is a member of the Order of Canada...

, had been criticized by a majority of caucus members, and the party had scheduled a leadership review before the election was called. Rowe voluntarily stepped aside after Jamieson agreed to lead the party. The Liberals lost the election to Brian Peckford

Brian Peckford

Alfred Brian Peckford, PC served as the 3rd Premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1979 until his retirement in 1989....

's Progressive Conservative Party

Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...

, although Stirling was personally elected in the Bonavista North

Bonavista North

Bonavista North is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2011 the district has 6,956 eligible voters....

 division.

Jamieson resigned as Liberal Party leader after the election, and Stirling won a landslide victory to become his successor in late 1980.

Party leader

Stirling was leader of the provincial Liberal Party at a time when Canadian prime minister

Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...

 Pierre Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau

Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...

 and Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford were engaged in a jurisdictional dispute over Newfoundland's offshore mineral resources. Stirling agreed with Peckford that the province should own the resources, although he criticized Peckford's approach in battling the federal government.

In July 1981, Stirling criticized Peckford for using an order-in-council

Order-in-Council

An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, typically those in the Commonwealth of Nations. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the Queen by the Privy Council , but in other countries the terminology may vary.-Assent:Although the Orders are...

 to increase the salary of cabinet members.

Peckford called a snap election for April 1982

Newfoundland general election, 1982

The 40th Newfoundland general election was held on 6 April 1982 to elect members of the 39th General Assembly of Newfoundland, the 11th general election for the province of Newfoundland, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.-Results:...

, making mineral resources the primary election issue. The Liberal campaign focused on employment issues and argued that Peckford's aggressive stance on resources was undermining Newfoundland's negotiating position. Stirling said that he could negotiate a better resource deal with the federal government via a more conciliatory tone and proposed a federal-provincial fund that would allow Newfoundland to purchase failing fishery plants.

Peckford's Progressive Conservatives were re-elected with a landslide majority government

Majority government

A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...

 in the 1982 election, and Stirling was personally defeated in Bonavista North. He resigned as leader in October 1982.

An essay on the Newfoundland Liberal Party published in 1992 described Stirling as having a "pleasant, conciliatory personality," but lacking in profile and without "zeal for political power."

After politics

Stirling continued his career as an insurance executive. By the 1990s, he was first vice president and Atlantic regional manager of Johnson's Insurance. He was named to the board of governors of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is a provincial Crown corporation that generates and delivers electricity for Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and the north-eastern areas of the United States. It also delivers voice and data services to customers in some areas...

 in 1999.

Electoral record

Leadership contests

Candidate	Votes	%
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership convention
1980
First Ballot
Len Stirling Len Stirling Len Stirling is a former politician in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982 and was leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador from 1980 to 1982.-Private life:...	666	82.53
Les Thoms	140	17.35
Edward Noseworthy	1	0.12
Total valid votes	807	100.00

Source: John Laschinger and Geoffrey Stevens, Leaders & Lesser Mortals: Backroom Politics in Canada, Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited, 1992, p. 258.