The Honourable Gail Shea, the federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the key note speaker for the 2013 World Seafood Congress, Sept 28 – Oct 03, in St. John’s, NL.

The first Prince Edward Island woman named to the federal cabinet, Gail Shea was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 and re-elected in 2011. In July 2013 she was re-appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, a portfolio she held in 2008. Prior to her re-appointment to Fisheries, she was named Minister of National Revenue in May 2011 and also Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in February 2013. Ms. Shea is the first woman in Canada’s history to serve as Minister for the ACOA.

Prior to her election to the House of Commons, Ms. Shea was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island. She was first elected in April 2000 and was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs where she was responsible for the Status of Women, the Worker’s Compensation Board and the Island Waste Management Corporation. From 2002 to 2007, Ms. Shea served as Minister of Transportation and Public Works.

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