Ralph Ferguson Fiske (July 1, 1931 – January 19, 2017) was a Canadian politician. He 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 ...

Pictou Centre Pictou Centre is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Members of the Legislative Assembly This riding has elected the following Members of the Legislative Assembly: ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1970 to 1974. He is a member of the

Nova Scotia Liberal Party The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Zach ...

Early life

Fiske was born in

Clarence, Nova Scotia Clarence is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County. Along with Fort Clarence (Nova Scotia), the community is named in honour of the Duke of Clarence and St. Andrews, later King William IV William ...

, and graduated from high school in Annapolis, Nova Scotia. Growing up on a wood mill run by his father, he began his business career working in the bank. Later to become an entrepreneur, businessman, restaurateur, and motel/hotel owner/operator.

Political career

Fiske entered provincial politics in the 1970 election, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent

Donald R. MacLeod Donald Ross MacLeod (December 30, 1902 – October 20, 1976) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Pictou Centre in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1970. He was a member of the Progressive Conservati ...

by 434 votes in

. On October 28, 1970, Fiske was appointed to the

Executive Council of Nova Scotia The Executive Council of Nova Scotia (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Nova Scotia) is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Almost always made up of members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the Cabinet is sim ...

as Provincial Secretary and Minister of Trade and Industry. On July 15, 1971,

Gerald Regan Gerald Augustine Paul Regan (February 13, 1928 – November 26, 2019) was a Canadian politician (as federal MP and later as Nova Scotia MLA), who served as the 19th premier of Nova Scotia from 1970 to 1978. Early life and education Regan was ...

shuffled his cabinet, moving Fiske to Minister of Development. He remained as Provincial Secretary until another shuffle in November 1971. Fiske resigned from cabinet prior to an August 1973 cabinet shuffle, and did not seek re-election in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

After politics

He later served as Chairman of the Nova Scotia Gaming Commission. Although forced to resign due to indiscretions between the Halifax Casino and the government at the time, his claims were found to be truthful. "When Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation's former chairman Ralph Fiske's wrongful dismissal suit went to trial last May, one canny Halifax lawyer voiced surprise that Fiske planned to call only two witnesses: himself and former finance minister

Bill Gillis John William Gillis (October 31, 1936 – August 15, 2009), generally known as Bill Gillis, was a Canadian politician who served in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1970 to 1998. He represented the electoral district of Antigonish for the ...

. Arrayed against him were seventeen members of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

's political, bureaucratic, and legal establishment: former premiers, cabinet ministers, and deputy ministers from the premier's office; officials of the gaming corporation; and a clutch of Liberal lawyers from the province's best-connected law firms. Yesterday, Fiske touched home plate in near total victory. Gruchy found that political interference in the gaming corporation's administration of the Sheraton Casino project rendered Fiske's position untenable and forced him to resign. Nova Scotian's should celebrate this moment, rare in our recent history, when a lone civil servant proved that courage and integrity can overcome the mediocrity that corrupts governance in this province. When future civil servants are forced to choose between doing the right thing and the politically easy thing, Fiske's example will beckon them toward duty"

Personal life

One of 5 boys, Brothers - Don, was a pilot and shot down in WWII, John Fiske, Fred Fiske, Leon Fiske, (and 2 sisters who died at birth). He married Claire Longley of

Bridgetown, Nova Scotia Bridgetown is a Canadian community located in north-central Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. History Situated on the Annapolis River at the head of the tide, the area saw Mi'kmaq settlements, followed by Acadian settlers from Port-Royal and then B ...

, and has three children, Heather, Alan and Shari. He died on January 19, 2017, at the age of 85.Ralph Fiske Obituary - JA Snow Funeral Home
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiske, Ralph 1931 births 2017 deaths Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia People from Annapolis County, Nova Scotia People from Pictou County