Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Minister Responsible for the Public Procurement Agency
Member for St. John’s East – Quidi Vidi
John G. Abbott is one of ten children born to William & Angela (Ennis) Abbott raised in the family home on Portugal Cove Road in the District of St. John’s East – Quidi Vidi.
He attended Memorial University where he met his wife, Colleen Hanrahan, in a Political Science class and completed a degree in Political Science & Economics, followed by a graduate degree in Public Administration from Carleton University. Following graduation, he started work with the Provincial Finance Department.
Minister Abbott was a senior executive in various departments: Health, Municipal Affairs, Transportation & Works, Treasury Board, and Newfoundland & Labrador Housing. In 2017, he led the development of the much-heralded mental health and addictions action plan for the province. He is also former CEO of both the Canadian Mental Health Association – NL Division and Health Council of Canada.
In 1999, he was awarded the IPAC Lt. Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration and the Pottle Award for promoting mental health in the community.
Minister Abbott has served on national and provincial boards including the Kiwanis Music Festival Association, the Jimmy Pratt Foundation, and Canadian Corps of Commissionaires-NL.
Minister Abbott is an avid hiker, having backpacked across Newfoundland, in Europe and Mount Kilimanjaro, and slept under the stars in the Antarctic. On April 8, 2021, he was sworn in as Minister of Children, Seniors & Social Development, Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, Minister Responsible for the Community Sector, and Minister Responsible for Newfoundland & Labrador Housing.