Ed Byrne

Who is Ed Byrne?

Ed Byrne was a Canadian politician, formerly a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador and opposition leader from 1998 to 2001. When the Conservatives came to power in 2003, he was named Minister of Natural Resources and Government House Leader, being considered the second-most powerful politician in the province after Premier Danny Williams.

Byrne was forced to step down from cabinet in 2006 after it was revealed that he and several other legislators had exceeded their constituency allowance claims, which led to a criminal investigation. He resigned from the Assembly at the end of that year. In 2009, he was convicted of defrauding the Crown of in excess of CAD$100,000 and influence peddling.