Early life

Hearn was born in the fishing village of Renews, Newfoundland, where he received his early education. After graduating from high school, he began his studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of New Brunswick.

Career

After graduating from the university, he started a teaching career in Renews. Hearn then served in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1982 to 1993, and served as Minister of Education from 1985 to 1989. Hearn was a candidate in the 1989 Progressive Conservative Leadership Convention to replace outgoing Premier Brian Peckford, the eventual winner was Tom Rideout.

Hearn went on to enter federal politics and was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of St. John's West from 2000 to 2003 and St. John's South—Mount Pearl from 2003 to 2008. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 2000 to 2004, and was active in representing the party during its merger discussions with the Canadian Alliance. Those discussions culminated in the merger of the two parties in December 2003, to the Conservative Party of Canada. Hearn served as the first House Leader of the newly created party until it had its first leadership convention.

He has served (either before or after the merger) as the Progressive Conservative Party House Leader, Conservative Party House Leader, Opposition House Leader, Canadian Heritage Critic, Public Works and Government Services Critic, and Critic of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

Following his victory in the 2006 federal election he was named Minister of Fisheries and Oceans on February 6, 2006. As Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Hearn has been active in defending the controversial east coast seal hunt. In this role, he claimed that several observers from the Humane Society of the United States had been arrested for illegal activity during their campaign against the seal hunt, but was later forced to apologize under threat of a libel suit, as no arrests had in fact taken place.^[1]

Hearn has also had to deal with the crises in several rural Newfoundland communities involving the sale of fish plants by Fishery Products International to Ocean Choice, often being in conflict with the provincial government, business and unions.^[2]

A few days prior to the dissolution of Parliament in September 2008, Hearn announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2008 election.^[3]