Claude Girven (Girve) Fretz (March 4, 1927 - November 5, 2020) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, who represented the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

of Erie in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 1979 to 1993. He was a member of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

. Born in

Ridgeway, Ontario Ridgeway is a small, unincorporated village in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. The community is within the Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario, Niagara Regional Municipality. It used to be the seat of government for Bertie Township within Welland ...

, Fretz worked as a retail merchant for many years before entering politics. He served as both

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and Regional Councillor for the city of

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

from 1977 to 1978. He won the Progressive Conservative Party nomination for Erie riding in 1979 and was elected later that year. In Parliament, Fretz first served as the Secretary of the Progressive Conservative caucus from 1979 to 1980. He later served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development from November 1, 1984 to November 24, 1985, and to the Minister of State (Mines) from November 25, 1985 to October 14, 1986. He also served twice on the House Standing Committee for External Affairs, and also served on the House Standing Committee for Defence. During the 1993 P.C.leadership race, he supported Alberta MP Jim Edwards on the first ballot and Jean Charest on the second ballot. He did not run for re-election in the 1993 election.

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* 1927 births 2020 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs People from Fort Erie, Ontario {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MP-stub