Browser not supportedBorn in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador, Judy Foote, P.C., is a former journalist and communications director, and has served in the provincial House of Assembly, as well as in the Parliament of Canada. Ms. Foote holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from Memorial University, and an Honours Diploma in Radio and Television Broadcast Arts from Lambton College.
Prior to her involvement in politics, Ms. Foote worked in television journalism with the CBC’s public affairs program "Here & Now", as the Director of University Relations with Memorial University of Newfoundland, and as the Director of Communications in the Premier's Office in Newfoundland and Labrador.
At the provincial level, Ms. Foote was the Member of the House Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador for the District of Grand Bank for 11 years. She held the positions of Minister of Development and Rural Renewal; Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology; Minister of Education; and Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.
Ms. Foote was first elected at the federal level as the Member of Parliament for Random–Burin–St. George’s in 2008, and was re-elected in 2011. She served as a Deputy House Leader and as a Whip until she was elected as Member of Parliament for the new riding of Bonavista–Burin–Trinity in October 2015. On November 4, 2015, she was named to Cabinet and sworn-in as the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, a position she held until April 2017, when she took a leave of absence to be with her family.
In August 2017, she announced she was stepping down as a Member of Cabinet and as a Member of Parliament. She cited the need to be near her family for her decision.
In addition to mentoring cancer patients, Ms. Foote has volunteered her time over the years with several organizations, including the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the organization now known as the Vera Perlin Society. She has also served in several capacities with the United Nations Children's Fund.
Ms. Foote and her husband Howard have three children and four grandchildren.