One of the provincial government’s most colourful and respected cabinet ministers has passed away.
In June, Derrick Bragg confirmed to reporters that he had been diagnosed with tongue cancer, and in August he rang the bell at the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre.
Premier Andrew Furey confirmed Bragg’s passing today. He was 59 years old.
It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge and honour the passing of the Honourable Derrick Bragg. On behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and everyone who was lucky enough to simply know Derrick, including my family, I send my deepest condolences. pic.twitter.com/ZVWuZb35gI
— Premier of NL (@PremierofNL) January 22, 2024
Bragg held a number of portfolios including Municipal Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.
He had a decades-long career in municipal government, serving as the town clerk and manager of his native Greenspond.
He told VOCM’s On Target in 2022 it was in municipal government that he honed the skills on which he would come to rely in provincial politics.
He and his brother fished together while he was still in high school. He studied power engineering in trade school but admits, there wasn’t a lot of work in the field in the 1980s. He joked at the time that “‘$6.32 took me out of the fishery'” when he responded to a job posting at the town of Greenspond. He remarked at the time, “30 years later I find myself sitting in this position…there’s days I almost got to pinch myself and says ‘how did I get here?”
It was during the lengthy crab dispute that he made a name for himself in provincial politics, helping to navigate the way through what was a very contentious time. In 2022, he spoke with frustrated harvesters protesting outside Confederation Building.
At the time, he declared that he had “more guts than brains” to stand at the mic and address the frustrated crowd.
He was widely praised for working hard to bring both sides together and to continue to work towards a solution during last season’s tie-up in the crab fishery.
He received a standing ovation in the House of Assembly during the last sitting of the House of Assembly, and during a cabinet shuffle in June he was appointed as a Cabinet Minister without Portfolio.
In true Derrick Bragg fashion, he was asked in 2022 about how he familiarized himself with the many aspects of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture and he praised his knowledgable staff.
“We got a great team,” Bragg said “you couldn’t ask for better people to keep you informed….I’m thankful for that.”
