Walter Noel

Walter Noel is a Canadian politician. He was first elected to Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly as the Member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for Pleasantville District in 1989, and re-elected in 1993. He was elected to represent the new Virginia Waters district in 1996 and 1999. In the 2004 federal election, Noel ran against Conservative Norman Doyle in the riding of St. John's North but was defeated.

Premier Brian Tobin appointed him the province’s Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs on December 15, 1998 and Minister of Government Services and Lands on February 13, 2001; under Premier Roger Grimes, he was appointed Minister of Mines and Energy on February 17, 2003. As Minister of Government Services and Lands, Noel appointed a Consumer Advocate for automobile insurance rate hearings and worked to reform the province’s automobile insurance system, had legislation passed to prohibit the use of cell phones by drivers while driving, oversaw the establishment of the Petroleum Products Pricing Commission, vigorously enforced consumer protection regulations and promoted e-commerce initiatives.

Noel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He operated his own business prior to being elected, is a former president of the St. John’s Downtown Development Corporation, and was a founding member of the Virginia Waters Conservation Society.

During the 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, he supported former Premier of Ontario, Bob Rae.

In 2007, Noel was implicated in a report by the Auditor General, John Noseworthy, for billing the government over $12,000 which was spent on perfume, women’s clothing and alcohol. [http://www.topix.net/content/cp/2008/02/ex-n-l-cabinet-minister-named-in-spending-scandal-given-federal-liberal-nod]

In 2008, Noel won the nomination for the Liberal Party of Canada in the federal electoral district of St. John's East.