[3] McCurdy was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1950,[4] and grew up in St. John's, Newfoundland where he attended Prince of Wales Collegiate.
[1] He is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1972,[1] and worked as a reporter for The St. John's Evening Telegram in the 1970s, covering the labour beat, before becoming involved with the fisheries' union.
[4][6] McCurdy was elected leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP at the party's leadership convention held March 7, 2015, defeating two other contenders with 68% support on the first ballot.
[7][4] In the 2015 provincial election, McCurdy failed to win a seat in the House of Assembly and was defeated by Siobhán Coady by nearly 1000 votes.
[8][9][10][11] On June 11, 2016, McCurdy's leadership was reaffirmed at the party's provincial convention with the support of 91.6% of delegates.