Former P.E.I. MLA and MP Gail Shea dies at 66

Former minister of fisheries and oceans Gail Shea answers a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Gail Shea, a former MLA and MP from P.E.I., has died at 66 years old.

Shea represented the riding of Egmont for the Conservatives between 2008 and 2015.

Shea served as a member of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet, as minister of fisheries and oceans, national revenue and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz said in a statement Thursday that Shea was a “trailblazer” and a “mainstay” in the Progressive Conservative Party and was a “loyal, respected, and trusted voice.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on social media that Shea was a “larger than life figure” in the Conservative movement.

Poilievre says she was “full of energy, warmth, good humour and was the epitome of Maritime hospitality.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.