Bobby Morrissey
Canadian politician (born 1954)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Joseph Morrissey MP (born November 18, 1954) is a Canadian politician. He represents the electoral district of Egmont in the House of Commons of Canada. He is a member of the Liberal Party.
November 18, 1954
Bobby Morrissey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of Parliament for Egmont | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Gail Shea |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for Tignish-DeBlois (1st Prince; 1982–1996) | |
| In office September 27, 1982 – April 17, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Russell Perry |
| Succeeded by | Gail Shea |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Joseph Morrissey November 18, 1954 Alberton, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | University of Prince Edward Island |
| Occupation | Fisherman |
Morrissey previously represented the electoral districts of 1st Prince from 1982 to 1996 and Tignish-DeBlois from 1996 to 2000 in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island. He was a member of the PEI Liberal Party.
Political career
Provincial politics
Morrissey, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1982 general election for 1st Prince.[1] He was re-elected in the 1986,[2] 1989,[3] and 1993 elections. He was re-elected in the 1996 election in the new electoral district of Tignish-Deblois.
On May 2, 1986, Morrissey was appointed to the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island as Minister of Transportation and Public Works.[4] He became Minister of Industry[5] and Minister Responsible for the Prince Edward Island Development Agency in 1989 and was also named Minister Responsible for the redevelopment of CFB Summerside and the community following the base closure by the federal government. On April 15, 1993, Morrissey was named Minister of Economic Development and Tourism and Minister Responsible for Enterprise PEI. Following the 1996 general election, he held the positions of Opposition House Leader and Opposition critic for finance. While a Member, Morrissey served on the Standing Committee on Privileges, Rules and Private Bills, and the Standing Committee on Community Affairs and Economic Development. He was the chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. Morrissey did not reoffer for the 2000 general election.
Federal politics
In November 2007, Morrissey was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Egmont for the 2008 Canadian federal election, following the retirement of Liberal MP Joe McGuire.[6] However, he withdrew his candidacy on August 5, 2008, choosing instead to return to the private sector.[7]
On November 22, 2014, Morrissey was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Egmont, for the 2015 federal election.[8][9] On October 19, 2015, Morrissey won the election, defeating Conservative incumbent Gail Shea and New Democrat candidate Herb Dickieson.[10][11] He was elected chair of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 45th Canadian Parliament in 2025.
Private career
Prior to entering politics in 1982, Morrissey was employed in the fishery. Since 2000, he was a consultant specializing in corporate/government relations, fisheries, labor market, and community development. He was also President of PFI Group, President of Global Food Technologies, and Director of Royal Star Investments.
Community involvement
Morrissey served as a trustee of the Unit 1 School Board and was Chair of West Prince Community Advisory Board. He was also vice-chair of the Parish Council of St. Simon and St. Jude, and an organizer of the Tignish Irish Moss Festival prior to his election in 1982. Since 2000, he has served as a board member of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of PEI, was a founding member, President and treasurer of the Tignish Seniors Home Care Co-op, a member of the building and fundraising committees of the Credit Union Arena located in Tignish, and is Vice Chair of Tignish Special Needs Housing. Member of the Advisory Board to Holland College West Prince Campus.
Personal life
Morrissey was born at the Western Hospital in Alberton, Prince Edward Island, the son of Bernard and Marie (née O'Connor) Morrissey, who lived in Seacow Pond near Tignish, Prince Edward Island. He is a Catholic.[12] He currently resides in Seacow Pond.
Electoral record
Federal
| 2025 Canadian federal election: Egmont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Bobby Morrissey | 12,466 | 51.92 | +5.98 | $70,964.03 | |||
| Conservative | Logan McLellan | 10,419 | 43.40 | +12.36 | $99,933.91 | |||
| New Democratic | Carol Rybinski | 585 | 2.44 | −6.21 | $5,575.43 | |||
| Green | Ranald MacFarlane | 538 | 2.24 | −7.17 | $949.90 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 24,008 | 99.01 | +0.26 | $108,208.78 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 241 | 0.99 | –0.26 | |||||
| Turnout | 24,249 | 77.86 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 31,145 | |||||||
| Liberal notional hold | Swing | −3.19 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[13][14] | ||||||||
| Note: number of eligible voters does not include voting day registrations. | ||||||||
| 2021 Canadian federal election: Egmont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Bobby Morrissey | 9,040 | 46.21 | +6.49 | $52,360.87 | |||
| Conservative | Barry Balsom | 6,088 | 31.12 | -3.24 | $45,649.91 | |||
| Green | Alex Clark | 1,771 | 9.05 | -10.76 | $5,606.29 | |||
| New Democratic | Lisa Bradshaw | 1,688 | 8.63 | +2.53 | $3,620.46 | |||
| People's | Wayne Biggar | 974 | 4.98 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 19,561 | 98.77 | $89,655.36 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 244 | 1.23 | -0.11 | |||||
| Turnout | 19,805 | 68.94 | -2.68 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 28,729 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +4.86 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[15][16] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Egmont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Bobby Morrissey | 8,016 | 39.73 | −9.52 | $53,702.84 | |||
| Conservative | Logan McLellan | 6,934 | 34.36 | +5.41 | $65,608.31 | |||
| Green | Alex Clark | 3,998 | 19.81 | +17.20 | $14,320.88 | |||
| New Democratic | Sharon Dunn | 1,230 | 6.10 | −13.08 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 20,178 | 98.66 | $85,525.15 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 274 | 1.34 | +0.93 | |||||
| Turnout | 20,452 | 71.62 | −5.37 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 28,557 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −7.46 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[17] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Egmont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Bobby Morrissey | 10,521 | 49.25 | +17.94 | $67,240.83 | |||
| Conservative | Gail Shea | 6,185 | 28.95 | –25.70 | $110,058.32 | |||
| New Democratic | Herb Dickieson | 4,097 | 19.18 | +6.81 | $34,718.49 | |||
| Green | Nils Ling | 559 | 2.62 | +0.95 | $4,895.27 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 21,362 | 99.59 | $169,928.60 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 87 | 0.41 | –0.39 | |||||
| Turnout | 21,449 | 77.29 | +5.62 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 27,751 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +21.82 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[18][19] | ||||||||
Provincial
| 1996 Prince Edward Island general election: Tignish-DeBlois | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Liberal | Robert Joseph Morrissey | 1,413 | 53.97 | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Gail A. Shea | 1,149 | 43.89 | |||||
| New Democratic | Howard Waite | 56 | 2.14 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 2,618 | 100.0 | ||||||
| This riding was created from parts of the dual-member riding of 1st Prince. | ||||||||
| 1993 Prince Edward Island general election: 1st Prince | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Robert Joseph Morrissey | 3,530 | 55.13 | -11.97 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Larry Gaudet | 2,600 | 40.60 | +10.48 | ||||
| New Democratic | Leroy Hiltz | 273 | 4.27 | +1.49 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 6,403 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Assemblyman Election | ||||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -11.23 | ||||||
| Source: 1993 Election Results | ||||||||
| 1989 Prince Edward Island general election: 1st Prince | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Robert Joseph Morrissey | 4,001 | 67.10 | +13.18 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Gerarda Corcoran | 1,796 | 30.12 | -15.97 | ||||
| New Democratic | Roger McPhee | 165 | 2.78 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 5,962 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Assemblyman Election | ||||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +14.58 | ||||||
| Source: 1989 Election Results | ||||||||
| 1986 Prince Edward Island general election: 1st Prince | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Robert Joseph Morrissey | 3,415 | 53.92 | +3.82 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Gerald Keough | 2,918 | 46.08 | -3.82 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 6,333 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Assemblyman Election | ||||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +3.82 | ||||||
| Source: 1986 Election Results | ||||||||
| 1982 Prince Edward Island general election: 1st Prince | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Robert Joseph Morrissey | 2,748 | 50.10 | -4.90 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Gerald Keough | 2,736 | 49.90 | +4.90 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 5,484 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Assemblyman Election | ||||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -4.90 | ||||||
| Source: 1982 Election Results | ||||||||