Randy Collins is a 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...

 politician

Politician

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

 and a former New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party is a social-democratic provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The party is the successor to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Newfoundland Democratic Party...

 (NDP) member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...

. He represented the Labrador West

Labrador West (electoral district)

Labrador West is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Known as the iron ore capital of Canada with two modern mining communities: Labrador City and Wabush. With both mines unionized, the area is considered a strong base of labour support...

 riding until his resignation in early 2007 due to corruption charges.

Randy Collins was born in Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador

Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador

Gambo is a town in northeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division No. 7 on Freshwater Bay.According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:*Population: 2,084*% Change : approx...

 and graduated from Smallwood Academy

Smallwood Academy

Smallwood Academy is a school in Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is operated by the Nova Central School District....

. He moved to Labrador City in 1972. He was employed by the Iron Ore Company of Canada

Iron Ore Company of Canada

Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company...

 for 25 years and has an interprovincial millwright

Millwright

A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...

 certificate. He was elected to the executive of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 5795 from 1978 to 1991, and was president from 1985 to 1991. In 1991, Collins was elected as staff representative to the USWA.

He was first elected to the legislature in the 1999 election, and was re-elected in 2003

Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2003

The 46th Newfoundland and Labrador general election was held on October 21, 2003, to elect the 48 members of the 45th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 17th general election for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...

. He had previously been the federal NDP

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...

 candidate in Labrador

Labrador (electoral district)

Labrador is a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949....

 in the 1997 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1997

The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...

, where he finished a relatively close second.

In September 2009, he pled guilty to charges of fraud over $5,000 and fraud on the government.
At his sentencing heading in December 2009, he said "What I did was wrong."
He was sentenced to 21 months in prison.