Rodney MacDonald
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{{Infobox Prime Minister
| honorific-prefix = <small>[[The Honourable]]</small><br>
| name = Rodney Joseph MacDonald<br>
| honorific-suffix = <small>[[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLA]] [[Bachelor of Science|BSc]]</small>
| smallimage = Rodneyconvention001.JPG
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|01|02}}
| birth_place = [[Mabou, Nova Scotia|Mabou]], [[Nova Scotia]]
| resides = Mabou, Nova Scotia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| order = 33rd
| office = Premier of Nova Scotia
| term_start = [[February 22]], [[2006]]
| term_end =
| lieutenant_governor = [[Myra Freeman]], [[Mayann E. Francis]]
| predecessor = [[John Hamm]]
| successor =
| party = [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|Progressive Conservative]]
| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
| spouse = Lori-Ann MacDonald
}}
'''Rodney Joseph MacDonald''' <small>[[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLA]]</small> (born [[January 2]], [[1972]]) is a politician and educator and the current [[Premier of Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]].
==Background==
MacDonald is a graduate of [[St. Francis Xavier University]] and received a [[Bachelor of Science]] in [[Physical Education]] while continuing to build a career as a professional musician. MacDonald has taught for the Strait Regional School Board, the Mi'kmawey school at Chapel Island, and pursued a Masters in Education.
In [[1994]], he married Lori-Ann Gillis, they have one son, Ryan, 9.
==Music career==
MacDonald is an accomplished musician and has toured his [[Cape Breton fiddling|fiddle music]] throughout [[Atlantic Canada]], Central Canada and the northeastern United States. He is also an accomplished [[step dance]]r; he began dancing at age four after learning the skill from his parents. MacDonald's first public performance was reportedly at age eight at the Mayflower Shopping Mall in [[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]] and he began taking fiddle lessons from his uncle, [[Kinnon Beaton]], at age 12. MacDonald has recorded two albums - ''Dancer's Delight'' (1996) and ''Traditionally Rockin''' (1997, with his cousin [[Glenn Graham (fiddler)|Glenn Graham]]) and he was also included on the 2004 [[Smithsonian Folkways|Smithsonian]] release ''The Beaton Family of Mabou: Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music''. In 1998 he received two nominations for the [[East Coast Music Awards]]. He was also vice-president of GlennRod Music Incorporated.
==Political career==
MacDonald has served in the [[Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia]] since the [[1999]] provincial election, representing the riding of [[Inverness (provincial electoral district)|Inverness]] in western [[Cape Breton Island]]. He was re-elected in [[2003]] and has served in cabinet with various portfolios as Minister of Tourism, Culture & Heritage, Minister of Health Promotion and Minister of Immigration, he has also been responsible for the Heritage Property Act and was formerly responsible for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation and the Nova Scotia Youth Secretariat.
Following [[Premier of Nova Scotia|Premier]] [[John Hamm]]'s fall [[2005]] announcement of his intention to retire, MacDonald committed to running for the leadership of the [[Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party]]. The [[Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2006|leadership race]] culminated in MacDonald winning the party's leadership convention on a second ballot on [[February 11]], [[2006]]. He was sworn in as [[Premier of Nova Scotia]] on February 24, taking over the leadership from outgoing [[Premier]] [[John Hamm]]. MacDonald is the second youngest premier in Nova Scotia's history, and is currently the second youngest premier in Canada.
MacDonald's Progressive Conservative Party won a [[minority government]] in the [[Nova Scotia general election, 2006|2006 general election]]. Since then, the legislative assembly has unanimously approved two successive balanced budgets tabled by the MacDonald administration which included promised action on debt reduction; however, it should be noted that total long term debt for the province has increased under both budgets.
MacDonald's administration has passed legislation on election finance reform that will limit contributions, as well as legislation to set goals for reductions in greenhouse gases, reserves for protected spaces, clean air goals as well as green energy sources. His administration has also embarked on a program of attracting the global finance community to locate in Nova Scotia.
==External links==
*[http://www.rodneymacdonald.com/biography.html Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia website]
*[http://www.gov.ns.ca/premier Official website]
*[http://www.gov.ns.ca/premier/about.asp Official biography]
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{{succession box
| title=[[Order of precedence in Nova Scotia]]
| years=[[as of 2008]]
| before=[[Mayann E. Francis]], Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
| after=[[J. Michael MacDonald]], Chief Justice of Nova Scotia}}
{{end box}}
{{Canpremier}}
{{NSPremiers}}
{{Nova Scotia MLAs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Rodney}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canadian fiddlers]]
[[Category:Canadians of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MLAs]]
[[Category:Nova Scotia musicians]]
[[Category:Premiers of Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:People from Inverness County, Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Cape Breton fiddlers]]
[[de:Rodney MacDonald]]
[[fr:Rodney MacDonald]]