Roger Grimes

Roger D. Grimes (born May 2, 1950) is a Newfoundland and Labrador politician. He is currently leader of the Liberal Party and was Premier of the province from 2001 until 2003. A teacher he is a former President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association entering politics in 1989 when he was elected as a Liberal to the province's House of Assembly. Grimes entered the cabinet of Premier Clyde Wells in 1991 as minister of employment and labour relations and then served as minister of tourism, minister of education, minister of mines and energy and lastly minister of health until he won the 2001 leadership convention to succeed become Liberal party leader, beating John Efford by 14 votes in a fierce and divisive contest. Efford and fellow leadership contestant Paul Dicks subsequently left provincial politics saying they couldn't work with Grimes. Efford has since asserted that he rightfully won the contest, and that pocketfuls of money were exchanged on the convention floor, and a ballot box "misplaced" for several hours during the counting of the results.

Grimes was sworn is as Premier in 2001. During his premiership the name of the province officially became Newfoundland and Labrador. Grimes often clashed with the federal Liberal government of Jean Chrétien and became increasingly critical of his predecessor, Brian Tobin. Despite his attempts to strike an image as a fresh government Grimes and his Liberals were defeated in the 2003 provincial election by the Progressive Conservatives under Danny Williams bringing an end to 14 years of Liberal rule in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Although his popularity rose briefly during the public sector strike in early 2004, in which he opposed the government's plan to legislate strikers back to work, many in the province feel that Grimes has performed rather poorly as Leader of the Opposition. Recent provincial polls have only 14% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians favoring him to be premier if an election was held. It is likely that he will be deposed as leader of the Liberal party before the next provincial election.