Bill Bennett (Liberal MLA)

Last updated

Beth Bennett
​
(m. 1974)​
Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett 2017.jpg
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Kootenay East
East Kootenay (2001-2009)
In office
May 16, 2001 –May 9, 2017
Residence Cranbrook, British Columbia
Alma mater University of Guelph (B.A.)
Queen's University (LL.B.)
Professionlawyer

William Bennett (born 1950) is a former Canadian politician. From 2001 until 2017, Bennett represented the riding of Kootenay East in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. As part of the BC Liberal Party caucus, he served in several cabinet posts under Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark.

Contents

Early life and career

Bennett grew up in Campbellford, Ontario, where his parents owned a furniture store. [2] After leaving school at grade 9, he found work in his late teens at a fly-in fishing lodge near the Northern Ontario town of Red Lake. [2] He later returned to school, graduating from the University of Guelph in 1976 with an honours degree in English, and went on to own and operate fly-in fishing and hunting lodges in the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. [1] [3]

He then returned to Campbellford with his family and attended law school at Queen's University, earning a law degree in 1992. [2] [3] He subsequently moved to Cranbrook, British Columbia, and practiced law there beginning in 1994. [2] He had also served as president of the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce and the Kootenay Bar Association. [1] [3]

He married his wife Beth in 1974; they have two sons together. [1] [3]

Politics

Bennett ran for the BC Liberals in the 2001 provincial election, defeating the incumbent New Democratic candidate Erda Walsh to become member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Kootenay. [4] After being re-elected at the 2005 provincial election, he was appointed to cabinet by Premier Gordon Campbell as Minister of State for Mining, [5] but resigned from the post in February 2007 after it was revealed that he had sent a profanity-laden email to a constituent. [2] [6] He then returned to cabinet as Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts in June 2008. [5]

In the 2009 provincial election, Bennett was re-elected MLA in the renamed riding of Kootenay East. [3] He was appointed Minister of Community and Rural Development that June, then became Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in June 2010. [5] Amidst the controversial introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax, Bennett openly criticized Campbell's leadership in an October 2010 interview with the Vancouver Sun . [2] Campbell initially stated that he had no plans to remove Bennett from cabinet; [7] however, Bennett was dismissed from his post on November 17, [5] and removed from the Liberal party caucus two days later. [8]

He sat in the legislature as an independent member following his ouster from caucus, and supported George Abbott in the subsequent Liberal leadership election to replace the outgoing Campbell. [2] [4] He was re-instated into the Liberal caucus in April 2011 after Christy Clark took over as premier and Liberal leader, [9] and was appointed Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development by Clark in September 2012. [10] [11]

Following his re-election as Kootenay East MLA in 2013, he was appointed as Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Core Review that June. [10] He announced in June 2016 that he would not run in the following year's provincial election. [4] [12] After finishing his term as MLA in 2017, he received appointments to the boards of directors of Eagle Plains Resources and Copper Creek Gold. [13] [14]

Besides his cabinet posts, he had also served as chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, and the Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides while in legislature. [3]

Electoral record

2013 British Columbia general election : Kootenay East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal Bill Bennett 10,25262.99+11.78$126,532
New Democratic Norma Blissett6,02337.01+1.39$74,121
Total valid votes16,275100.00
Total rejected ballots1380.84
Turnout16,41353.41
Source: Elections BC [15]
2009 British Columbia general election : Kootenay East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal Bill Bennett8,40451.21%+3.2$159,218
New Democratic Troy Sebastian5,84435.62%−8.1$92,272
Conservative Wilf Hanni 1,6129.82%–$24,562
Green Jen Tsuida5493.35%−4.92$850
Total Valid Votes16,409100%
Total Rejected Ballots530.32%
Turnout16,46255.87%
2005 British Columbia general election: East Kootenay
PartyCandidateVotes %±Expenditures
Liberal Bill Bennett8,06048.01%$98,363
  NDP Erda Walsh 7,33943.72%$54,902
Green Luke Gurbin1,3898.27%–$200
Total Valid Votes16,788100%
Total Rejected Ballots1110.66%
Turnout16,89960.03%
2001 British Columbia general election: East Kootenay
PartyCandidateVotes %±Expenditures
Liberal Bill Bennett10,20661.85%$41,778
  NDP Erda Walsh 3,63822.05%$41,196
Unity Bruce Parke6513.95%$100
Green Joni Krats1,2877.80%–$509
Marijuana Fred Sima7184.35%$844
Total valid votes16,500 100.00%
Total rejected ballots59 0.36%
Turnout16,559 68.76%

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bennett, William R., B.A. (Hons.), LL.B. (East Kootenay)". Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O'Grady, Matt (October 31, 2014). "How Bill Bennett went from Liberal pariah to the premier's inner sanctum". BC Business. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "MLA: Hon. Bill Bennett". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Coulter, Barry; Crawley, Trevor (June 21, 2016). "Bill Bennett announces retirement". Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Campbell Cabinet: 37th Parliament 2001-2005, 38th Parliament 2005-2009, 39th Parliament 2009-2011" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Bennett loses B.C. cabinet post over profanity-laced e-mail". CBC News. February 6, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Maverick minister stays in cabinet, says Campbell". CBC News. October 26, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ Wintonyk, Darcy (November 19, 2010). "Ousted MLA kicked out of BC Liberal caucus". CTV News . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Renegade MLA Bennett back in BC Liberal caucus". The Canadian Press . CTV News. April 5, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Christy Clark Cabinet 2011-2017" (PDF). Legislative Library of British Columbia. January 24, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  11. ↑ "B.C. Premier Christy Clark unveils new cabinet". CBC News. September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ Keating, Bob (June 21, 2016). "Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett won't run in next provincial election". CBC News . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ Powell, Keith (June 16, 2017). "Eagle Plains Resources: former BC Mines Minister Bill Bennett appointed to the Board of Directors". Canadian Mining and Energy. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Copper Creek Announces Appointment Of Bill Bennett To The Board Of Directors". Copper Creek Gold Corp. February 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
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