Paul Lane

For the director, see Paul J. Lane.

Not to be confused with Paul Laine or Paul Lasne.

Paul Gerard Lane^[1] is a Canadian politician in the provincial legislature of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He represents the electoral district of Mount Pearl-Southlands in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.

Paul Lane MHA
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Mount Pearl-Southlands Mount Pearl South (2011-2015)
Incumbent
Assumed office October 11, 2011
Preceded by	Dave Denine
Personal details
Born	June 28, 1967 (Age 58) St. John's, Newfoundland
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Liberal Party (2014–2016) Progressive Conservative (2011–2014)
Residence(s)	Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador

Prior to entering politics, Lane worked as an occupational health and safety professional and disability claims manager.

Politics

Born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Lane resides in the suburban community of Mount Pearl, where he was a city councillor and deputy mayor prior to his election to the provincial legislature.

Lane was first elected in the 2011 provincial election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador (PC).^[2] Following the election of a PC majority government in 2011, Lane was not appointed to the Cabinet. On January 20, 2014 Lane crossed the floor to the Liberal Party to protest the leadership of Premier Kathy Dunderdale.^[3] After leaving the PCs Lane apologized for his behavior in the House of Assembly and on social media, and distanced himself from the policies of the PCs, especially his prior outspoken support for curtailing access to information with Bill 29 and for the Muskrat Falls project.

Following the election of a Liberal majority government in 2015, Lane sat as a backbencher. In 2016, he was suspended from the Liberal caucus for voting with the opposition on a non-binding motion against the 2016 budget.^[4] Lane served as Chair of Committees. As an Independent he frequently votes in support of the positions put forward by NDP MHAs.^[5]

After he left the Liberal Party, media reports surfaced that Lane was being sued for $28,000 in credit card arrears.^[6]

Lane won re-election in the 2019 provincial election as an Independent candidate.^[7] He was re-elected again in the 2021 provincial election.^[8]

On January 13, 2022, Lane announced on Facebook that he tested positive for COVID-19.^[9]

Electoral record

v t e 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador general election: Mount Pearl-Southlands
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Paul Lane	3,445	59.60	+15.85
	Liberal	Karla Hayward	1,386	23.98	-4.32
	Progressive Conservative	Cindy Grant	797	13.79	-10.85
	New Democratic	Cara Krista Winsor	152	2.63	-0.69
Total valid votes			5,780
Total rejected ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters
	Independent hold		Swing		+10.09
Source(s) "Officially Nominated Candidates General Election 2021" (PDF). Elections Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved 3 March 2021. "NL Election 2021 (Unofficial Results)". Retrieved 27 March 2021.

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Paul Lane	2,823	43.7	–
	Liberal	Hasan Hai	1,826	28.3	–
	Progressive Conservative	Gillian Pearson	1,590	24.6	–
	New Democratic	David Brake	214	3.3	–

2015 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Paul Lane	2,559	47.4	–
	Progressive Conservative	Jim Lester	2,318	42.9	–
	New Democratic	Roy Locke	522	9.7	–

2011 Newfoundland and Labrador general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Paul Lane	2,375	54.61	-29.73
	NDP	John Riche	1,675	38.51	+31.78
	Liberal	Norm Snelgrove	299	6.88	-2.05