Premier Appoints Parliamentary Assistant, Parliamentary Secretaries

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced the following appointments:

Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier – Tony Cornect

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement – Steve Kent

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills (Apprenticeship and Labour Market) – Dan Crummell

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources (Forestry and Agrifoods) – Vaughn Granter

“I am very proud of our team, which works cohesively and diligently for the good of our province and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Premier Dunderdale. “These individuals have proven to be very valuable members of our team and I anticipate great contributions from them in their new capacities.”

Biographical information is provided in the backgrounder below.

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BACKGROUNDER
Biographical Information

Tony Cornect, Member for Port au Port
Mr. Cornect is a bilingual native of Cape St. George and is passionate about his community, culture and heritage. For many years he has been an active force in the volunteer community, serving on a variety of associations and community organizations.

He has accumulated a vast amount of experience, having served as both Deputy Mayor and Mayor for the Town of Cape St. George and political assistant to the MHA for St. George’s - Stephenville East.

Mr. Cornect is a graduate of the College of the North Atlantic, has experience in the fields of media, economic development and sales, which has afforded him a well-rounded skill set.

Mr. Cornect was first elected to the House of Assembly in the February 8, 2007 by-election and was re-elected in the October 9, 2007 and October 11, 2011 general elections. On October 30, 2007, he was appointed to serve as the Government Caucus Whip in the House of Assembly.

Steve Kent, Member for Mount Pearl North
Mr. Kent was elected as a MHA for Mount Pearl North on October 9, 2007, and was re-elected on October 11, 2011. In September 1997, he became the youngest elected public official in the City of Mount Pearl's history. Receiving a record number of votes, he was elected Deputy Mayor of Mount Pearl. In October 2003, Mr. Kent became Mount Pearl’s eighth Mayor, and he was elected by acclamation in September 2005. He resigned as Mayor on October 30, 2007. During his involvement in local government, Mr. Kent served as Avalon Director on the Board of Directors of the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. He was also an active member of the Atlantic Mayors Congress.

Mr. Kent holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Certificate in Public Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a Masters degree in Management from McGill University.

In his professional life, for over five years, Mr. Kent served as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland. He then spent two years at Stirling Communications International in the role of Manager of Corporate Development. Early in 2006, he decided to incorporate his own business, The FOCUS Group Inc., and engaged in management and marketing consulting for several firms in both the private and voluntary sectors. He and his wife own FOCUS Driver Training Incorporated, which operates the Young Drivers of Canada centres in Newfoundland.

Mr. Kent has a long history of community involvement. From 1992 to 1996, he was selected as Mount Pearl's Youth of the Year, and was also named Youth Volunteer of the Year on two occasions. He received the national YTV Achievement Award for Public Service in 1996. In December 1999, Maclean's magazine recognized Steve as one of the top 100 Canadians to watch for in the next century.

Dan Crummell, Member for St. John’s West
Mr. Crummell was elected to the House of Assembly in the October 11, 2011 general election. He was raised in Gander and moved to St. John's to pursue his post-secondary education. He attended Memorial University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in History and English. While at Memorial, Mr. Crummell served as Executive Vice-President and later President of Memorial University's Council of the Student's Union.

Following his university studies, Mr. Crummell joined Molson Canada where he worked in Sales and Marketing for 25 years, including 10 years as Regional Sales Manager for Newfoundland and Labrador.

As a business leader, he served on numerous boards and committees in the community including Destination St. John's Event Secretariat, Stand On Guard Igor Hurricane Relief Concert Committee, South East Asia Tsunami Relief Concert Committee and Molson Canada's Community Donations Fund Committee. Mr. Crummell is also a past coach in the St. John's Caps Minor Hockey Association, as well a member of the St. John's Elks.

Vaughn Granter, Member for Humber West
Mr. Granter was first elected in the by-election in Humber West on February 15, 2011. He was re-elected in the October 11, 2011 general election. On October 28, 2011, he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier.

Mr. Granter was born in Pool’s Island, Bonavista Bay, in 1965. He has worked in the education field as an educational leader since 1987. He is a graduate of Memorial University with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, and Saint Francis Xavier University where he received a Master of Education.

Mr. Granter prides himself on being an effective listener and team player. His passion is working with people. As Principal of Corner Brook Regional High, he was recognized as one of the top 30 Principals in Canada, a distinction that reflects his ability to bring people together and make effective decisions. He credits his success to the collaborative approach that he adopts in working not only with students but also with their families and the broader community.

2012 10 24                           4:30 p.m.