Minister of Health and Community Services
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Minister of Labrador Affairs
Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Lela Evans was born and raised in Makkovik, Labrador. Lela is proud of her Inuit ancestry, and a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Lela graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Science, Honours degree. Prior to becoming a MHA, she spent 20 years in the construction, exploration, and mining industries working in the fields of environment, health, and safety.
Throughout her career, Lela has played a strong leadership role in promoting environmental stewardship and workplace safety. Lela was also a founding member of the board of directors of Restoration of Labrador Exploration Sites (ROLES) Inc. with a mandate to clean up abandoned mining exploration sites in Labrador.
Lela has always been very active in supporting and preserving her Inuit culture and knowledge, serving for many years as a member of the board of directors of the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre (now First Light) and working in a liaison role between Memorial University and the Labrador Inuit Association (now Nunatsiavut Government). More recently Lela served as the Chairperson of the Inuit Advisory Committee at the Vale Newfoundland and Labrador Voisey’s Bay site.
She was first elected to the House of Assembly as the Member for Torngat Mountains on May 16, 2019.