Departing NDP MP Jack Harris talks career highlights, post-politics plans

After a storied politicalcareer, Jack Harris announced in June he will not be running in the province's next federal election.

Most recently the NDP MP for St. John's East,Harris who's alsoaformer journalist and lawyer entered politics in 1987, when he won a byelection in the district of St. John's Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

His streak as an elected officialincluded 16 years as MHA in the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature, 14 years as leader of the provincial NDP, and three stints as an MP for the NDP in St. John's East.

The CBC's Peter Cowan spoke to Harris abouthis career highlights, and his hopes for the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: This is sort of a time of retrospection. You're looking back on a 30-year political career. What would you say are one or two accomplishments that you're most proud of?

I'll have to say longevity, for one. When I started in politics, the idea of having a 26-year cumulative representation in federal and provincial [politics] was probably not in the cards. So perseverance, and doing things along the way that I think mattered to people.

Q: But were there any particular things that you were able to accomplish that you look back [on]and think "the province, the country, is better off today"than it was before you came?

I was very, very keen to save the Virginia Park School, which the province wanted to close. I fought for years and years to promote a universal school meal program for Newfoundland and Labrador children. I think that's come to fruition for the most part still not where it ought to be but that was something that required long-standing persistence.

On the national level, I was the defence critic for the NDP and was also championing the cause of maritime search and rescue. Even this year, promoting a dental insurance program for any Canadian who doesn't have a program now.

Q: I want to ask you about that, because that was likely one of the last things that you brought forward into Parliament. And what was it like seeing the NDP support it but the other parties vote it down?

My commitment to politics is to try to make things better for people. I've always been fighting for equality and this is part of that. Whether it be for women's rights or pay equity, we were the party that would bring motions in the House [of Commons]and the House of Assembly in the late '80s and early '90s until '95, when it was passed to bring sexual orientation as a prohibited grounds of discrimination in the human rights code.

The other parties did not support that. What did that feel like? It felt terrible, but you had to fight for it because it was right. Someone has got to be the champion of these ideas. You've got to dream about these things fight for these things before they become a reality.

Q: Not long after the last election, you had some health issues. How are you doing today?

I'm doing grand. I did have a cancer that was very treatable. And as of last July, everything was all clear.

Q: What's next for you now that you're heading into political retirement?

I'm serving until this term is over in October of 2023. If it goes till then I'll be very happy to continue to serve the constituents of St. John's. I will be doing what people who are retired do.

There's a lot of things you put off in your life when you're busy all the time and your time is not your own. I'm looking forward to having that kind of time, maybe doing a little travel that I haven't been able to do, and spend some time with our own children and my spouse.

Q: Your riding: you did it a number of times as an NDP member, but you're the only NDP person who's ever won that riding. Do you think that there will be others that will come forward, that you'll be able to keep that within the party after the next election?

There is no reason why this would not stay as an NDP riding. I think there's going to be a very interesting race. I'm sure we'll have a quality candidate and someone that St John's East constituents will be very proud of and will work very hard for them and for the kind of things that we believe in.

I think most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians actually think like New Democrats in terms of what they want to see happen. And St. John's, this is a perfect place for that because this is a very sophisticated electorate. And they can see past the political labels to look at what the issues are and what they want to see happen.

Q: What's it going to be like sitting on the sidelines for an election after all these years of being?

I can't remember an election that I wasn't in in the last number of years, except no provincial elections when I was running federally. But now it's a little different, obviously. I'd be working very hard to help whoever the candidate is get elected in St John's. So I won't be really on the sidelines.

Q: Well, Jack Harris, thanks so much for sitting down and good luck on that next chapter, whatever it is.

Well, thank you very much for the interview. And thank you to the people of St. John's for giving me the honour and privilege to be a member of Parliament and to be a member of the provincial legislature. It has been a real honour and I'm very grateful for it.

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