HALIFAX — A sketch of Nova Scotia NDP Leader Gary Burrill:
Age: 61
Hometown: Woodstock, N.B. (with family roots in Yarmouth, N.S.)
Job before politics: The social justice advocate and graduate of Queen’s and Harvard was ordained as a United Church minister in 1992.
Leadership history: Elected leader in 2016 without a seat; he was an NDP backbencher for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley from 2009 to 2013.
Notable moment from campaign: During the two televised debates, Burrill established himself as a folksy and comfortable candidate with a quick wit. He elicited a laugh from the audience during the second debate by framing the Liberal and Tory leaders as squabbling family members.
Spotted in his office: A photo of J.B. McLachlan, a Cape Breton coal miner, union leader and labour advocate, and a photo of the home of Joseph Howe, provincial politician, newspaperman and public servant.
Quote: “The core idea I ingested as a boy is that people ought to have a better life. We are not put on this earth to have 50,000 meals and 20,000 sleeps and move on. We’re here with a purpose to improve the world.”
The Canadian Press
