Bernard Thériault (born November 12, 1955) is a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. He became

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( (masculine) or (feminine)) is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The premier of a Canadian province is much like the prime minister of Canada. They are normally ...

Shawn Graham Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captu ...

on October 30, 2006. Thériault was employed from 1978 to 1987 as

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

at the Acadian Historic Village in

Caraquet Caraquet ( ) is a town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay in the Acadian Peninsula, its name is derived from the Mi'kmaq term for ''meeting of two rivers''. The Caraquet River and Rivière du Nord ...

, his hometown. He was elected as a Liberal to the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

in the 1987 election and was re-elected in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

and

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. He joined the cabinet in 1994 as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. In 1997, he became Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, a post he held until the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1999 election. He also served as acting

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1998 while

Bernard Richard Bernard Paul Richard, C.M. (born April 11, 1951) is a Canadian social worker, lawyer, and politician in the Province of New Brunswick. Early life and education Raised and educated in Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts ...

stepped down from the post to seek the Liberal leadership. He served briefly in opposition following the 1999 election before resigning in 2000 to run for the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

in the 2000 federal election. He was defeated by incumbent New Democratic Member of Parliament

Yvon Godin Yvon Godin (born May 12, 1955) is a Canadian politician. Godin was a New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Acadie—Bathurst from 1997 until his retirement in 2015. ...

in the riding of

Acadie—Bathurst Acadie—Bathurst (formerly known as Gloucester) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1867. Geography The district includes ...

. Following his election defeat, he began to work for the federal civil service from 2000 to 2006. On October 12, 2006 it was announced that he would be leaving his federal post to become chief of staff to the new Liberal premier Shawn Graham effective October 30, 2006.

Sources

*
News release announcing his appointment as chief of staff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theriault, Bernard Living people 1955 births Politicians of Acadian descent Candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick New Brunswick Liberal Association MLAs People from Caraquet 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick