Health Minister Tom Osborne, N.L.'s longest-serving MHA, announces retirement

Health Minister Tom Osborne held back tears as he announced he will retire from politics in July. (Curtis Hicks/CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Tom Osborne said Friday he is retiring, bringing an end to his career as the longest-serving member of the provincial legislature.

Osborne made the announcement to reporters inside the House of Assembly alongside members of his family.

"Even the brightest days have a sunset," Osborne said.

"I can say that when I first started, I never imagined being here almost three decades, but along the way I could never imagine leaving. So it's taken, you know, a lot of thought gone into my decision to retire."

He said he will stay on as health minister until July, at the request of Premier Andrew Furey. He told reporters he notified Furey in March of his decision to see his work through the end of the current legislative session.

Osborne, a 28-year veteran of the House of Assembly, has been an elected politician for almost half his life.

He has also been a cabinet minister in both Progressive Conservative and Liberal administrations.

He told reporters he knew he wanted to be a politician from the age of 14 — and recalled skipping high school classes to see news conferences with the premier of the day in person.

"Being in this legislature and serving the people of Newfoundland and Labrador was what I wanted to do since I was an early teen. And spending almost 30 years here has been a privilege."

Osborne was first elected as the PC member for St. John's South in 1996, eking out a Tory win against the Liberal juggernaut of Premier Brian Tobin.

A cabinet minister under Tory Premier Danny Williams, he left the PCs in 2012, sitting as an Independent for almost a year before joining the Liberal party. He was elected four times as a Liberal in his district, later named Waterford Valley.

From one fire to the next

During his career, he has been the minister responsible for health, education, finance, justice and environment portfolios, among others. He was also Speaker of the House from 2015 to 2017.

"Media have often told me that I generally go to the departments that are on fire and try to fix them, and then go to the next fire," Osborne said.

"We haven't fixed everything in health. There are still challenges, but I think health care is in a much better position today than it was two years ago."

Osborne made the announcement by himself in front of reporters and his family, telling the group he didn't tell his colleagues beforehand, to allow him to announce his retirement on his own. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

Osborne grew up in a political family and has said he learned about running campaigns observing his parents at the family kitchen table. He joked that he became interested in politics "as a zygote."

His mother, Sheila Osborne, held St. John's West for the Tories from 1997 to 2011 — the pair were known as "Mom and Tom" when they were both MHAs — while his father, also named Tom Osborne, was twice elected to St. John's city council in the 1980s.

"Political life can be challenging on families. The number of hours that politicians work is enormous…So for my family, they have stood by me through my political career, and I want to thank my family," he said.

"The legislature will always be a part of me, and I guess because of my portrait I'll always be a part of the legislature," he added, referring to the portrait that was made when he became Speaker. "My grandchildren will know that I was part of this place for so many years."

He also thanked his constituents for their support over nearly three decades, saying he still has the materials and supporter lists from his very first election in storage.

"Every once in a while I will look at the list of people who've committed to supporting me from each election. And [I] look through the pages and think, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,'" he said. "They've given me the honour of a lifetime."

NDP Leader Jim Dinn congratulated Osborne on his retirement.

"His ability to consistently earn the confidence of his constituents over a career spanning 28 years as the representative for the people of Waterford Valley speaks for itself," Dinn wrote.

"Whether it was under a PC administration, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, or under a Liberal government, one thing remained steadfast — Minister Osborne put his constituents first."

Politics 'never leaves your blood'

Osborne oversaw many developments — and worked with many people — over the course of his career. He estimates he's worked alongside around 170 MHAs over his tenure.

Asked about some of his career highlights, he spoke of the implementation of the province's prescription drug plan and 811 health line during his first stint as health minister from March 2006 to January 2007, launching curbside recycling as environment minister and launching the provincial glucose monitoring program this past October.

Osborne stands in front of his portrait in the House of Assembly alongside his parents, Tom and Sheila. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

He also spoke of his work with the Turkish government to finish the Trail of the Caribou, a series of monuments honouring the sacrifice of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the First World War.

"I never got to see the caribou in Galipoli personally. But I will, it is on my bucket list," he said.

Osborne said he's keeping his cards close to his vest as to what is next — adding he didn't even tell his cabinet colleagues of the decision before asking media to meet him at Confederation Building.

But he did say he'll likely stay connected to politics, saying it "never leaves your blood."

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