Ronald MacKinley

MACKINLEY, RONALD. farmer, farm chemical salesperson, and snow removal business person; b. 24 August 1947 in North River, son of John McKinley and Mildred Sellar of Argyle Shore; m. 2 August 1969 Anne Clarkin, and they had three children, Joanne MacKinley Curran, Jamie, and Jeff. MacKinley, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 2 December 1985 for 2nd Queens. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1986, 1989, and 1993. He was elected in the general election of 1996 and re-elected in the general election of2000 for North River-Rice Point. MacKinley had been defeated in the general election of 1982 in 2nd Queens. He served on the Public Accounts Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Transportation and Public Works Committee. In the 2000 election, the Conservatives took 26 seats and the Liberals only one. MacKinley was the lone Liberal Member in the Legislature. Following the election, he became interim Leader of the Liberal party and Leader of the Opposition. Numerous sources, including Liberal party election advertisements, identify MacKinley as a politician willing to speak his mind in the interests of his constituents, and at times has been in conflict with his party and with government policy. MacKinley also chaired the Elliot River Community Improvement Committee. MacKinley received his primary education at the school in York Point and later attended Charlottetown Rural High School. He is a farmer who grows potatoes as a partner in MacKinley Brothers and raises cattle. In the past, MacKinley has raised hogs and operated a dairy farm. He also operates a snow removal business. He was a director of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture, the Prince Edward Island Farm Centre, and the Prince Edward Island Potato Processing Council. MacKinley was a member of the Canadian Horticultural Council Labour Board and the Queens County Chair of the Prince Edward Island Potato Producers Association. He was a member of the federal Uniformity Legislation Committee. In 1984 MacKinley was nominated for the Jaycees' Outstanding Young Farmer in the Maritimes. He is a member of the Canadian Hereford Association and his cattle herd has won numerous awards. Ronald MacKinley and his wife live on the family farm in North River. Anne MacKinley is the daughter of Bert and Catherine Clarkin from Lot 65.