Eric Arthur Berntson (May 16, 1941 – September 23, 2018) was a Canadian politician.

Saskatchewan politics

Berntson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a member of the Progressive Conservatives for the district of Souris-Cannington in the

1975 Saskatchewan general election The 1975 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 11, 1975, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Blakeney and the NDP were re-elected to a majority government. Both the New Democratic government of Premier Allan B ...

. He served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

from 1979 to 1982 as newly elected party leader Grant Devine did not have a seat in the legislature. He served in the Saskatchewan legislature until 1990 and was Deputy Premier in the Devine government. Berntson was widely regarded to be one of the most powerful members of the Devine government, arguably exercising more influence than the premier himself. In 1999, Berntson was convicted of illegally diverting government allowances between 1987 and 1991 when he was Saskatchewan's deputy premier. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

Canadian Senate

Berntson was appointed on the advice of

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...

to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

on September 27, 1990 as part of the never before used expansion clause that allows two extra members per regional division after the Senate all the normal Senate seats are occupied. He served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1994 to 1997 when he was charged with fraud. Berntson resigned from the Senate on February 27, 2001 after the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

dismissed his attempt to overturn his fraud conviction. Berntson also appeared on the 1991 tape that showed current Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski making homophobic slurs and future Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall mocking Roy Romanow in a Ukrainian accent which was revealed to the public on March 31, 2008. Berntson died in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

on September 23, 2018.

References

External links

*
Obituary
in the

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berntson, Eric 1941 births 2018 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Canadian politicians convicted of fraud 21st-century Canadian politicians Deputy premiers of Saskatchewan Corruption in Canada