Paul Duffie is a former politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

, lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and judge 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 New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

. Duffie was born in Neguac, New Brunswick

Neguac, New Brunswick

Neguac is a Canadian village in Northumberland County, New Brunswick.Situated on the north shore of Miramichi Bay at the southern end of the Acadian Peninsula, the village is located 44 kilometres northeast of Miramichi...

. A graduate of Ricker College

Ricker College

Ricker College was a small college located in Houlton, Maine. It opened in 1848 and closed in 1978.It began as Houlton Academy in 1848, before being subsequently renamed Ricker Classical Institute in 1887...

 in Houlton, Maine

Houlton, Maine

Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States – Canada border, located at . As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith...

 with a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree and the University of New Brunswick

University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...

 in Fredericton, New Brunswick

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...

 with a law degree

Law degree

A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...

. He was mayor of Grand Falls

Grand Falls, New Brunswick

Grand Falls is a Canadian town located in Victoria County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Saint John River, the town derives its name from a waterfall created by a series of rock ledges over which the river drops 23 metres.-Geography:Grand Falls is located in the valley of the St...

 from 1986 until his election as MLA

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....

 in 1987

New Brunswick general election, 1987

The 31st New Brunswick general election was held on October 13, 1987, to elect 58 members to the 51st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada...

.

Elected as a Liberal

New Brunswick Liberal Association

The New Brunswick Liberal Association , more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major political parties in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...

 in the Frank McKenna

Frank McKenna

Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, QC is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006...

 landslide, Duffie continued his law practice in addition to his legislative duties. In 1991, he was named to the board of governors for the University of New Brunswick.

In 1991

New Brunswick general election, 1991

The 32nd New Brunswick general election was held on September 23, 1991, to elect 58 members to the 52nd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada....

, Duffie was re-elected as MLA and appointed to be the Minister of Education. He became Minister of Municipalities, Culture & Housing in 1994. Upon being re-elected in 1995

New Brunswick general election, 1995

The 33rd New Brunswick general election was held on September 11, 1995, to elect 55 members to the 53rd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The election marked the debut of Bernard Valcourt as a provincial politician, and as leader of a...

 he became Minister of Justice.

Duffie resigned from cabinet in 1997, after considering a run for leader, to spend more time with his family. Duffie co-chaired the leadership campaign of Camille Theriault

Camille Thériault

Camille Henri Thériault served as the 29th Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick.The son of Joséphine Martin and Norbert Thériault, a former provincial cabinet minister and Canadian Senator, Camille Thériault was born in Baie-Ste-Anne, New Brunswick, and graduated from Baie-Sainte-Anne...

 with Doug Tyler

Doug Tyler

Doug Tyler is a political figure in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.Tyler was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from the 1987 election until his defeat in the 1999 election...

.

Duffie did not seek re-election in the 1999 general election

New Brunswick general election, 1999

The 34th New Brunswick general election was held on June 7, 1999, to elect 55 members to the 54th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It marked the debut of both Camille Thériault and Bernard Lord as leaders of the Liberals and...

.

In 2001, following the resignation of Theriault, Duffie was encouraged to run for leader

New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership election, 2002

The New Brunswick Liberal Association held a leadership election in 2002 to replace former leader Camille Thériault with a new leader to lead the party into the 2003 election...

. His biggest supporters in the small, seven member, Liberal caucus of the day were House Leader

House Leader

In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...

 Eric Allaby

Eric Allaby

Kenneth Eric Allaby is a former New Brunswick politician.Allaby, educated in physics at Acadia University, has worked as an author, painter, curator and teacher. An historian, he was curator of the Grand Manan Museum and the author several books and articles on marine history...

 and former Minister of Transportation

Department of Transportation (New Brunswick)

The Department of Transportation is a part of the Government of New Brunswick. It is charged with the maintenance of the provincial highway network and the management of the province's automobile fleet....

 Sheldon Lee

Sheldon Lee (politician)

Sheldon Albert Lee is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal member of Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for the riding of Charlotte Centre from 1978 to 1995 and then for the new district of Charlotte from New Brunswick general election, 1995 until his retirement at the calling of...

.

In early 2002, Shawn Graham

Shawn Graham

Shawn Michael Graham, MLA is a New Brunswick politician, who served as the 31st Premier of New Brunswick. He received a Bachelor of Physical Education Degree in 1991 and a Bachelor of Education Degree in 1993, he worked for New Brunswick's civil service before being elected to the Legislative...

 emerged as the clear leader in delegate selection meetings and Duffie dropped out of the race, backing Graham.

Though he originally pledged to run in the coming election, he backed fellow Liberal and fellow former Grand Falls mayor Ron Ouellette

Ron Ouellette

Ronald Ouellette is a politician in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 2003 and re-elected in 2006.-Early life:...

 who was elected on June 9, 2003

New Brunswick general election, 2003

The 35th New Brunswick general election was held on June 9, 2003, to elect 55 members to the 55th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada...

.

Duffie was re-elected mayor of Grand Falls on May 10, 2004, 18 years after he was first elected to the post.

In June 2008, he was named a provincial court judge.