William Bennett (born 1950) is 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 ...

former politician. From 2001 until 2017, Bennett represented the riding of

East Kootenay The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is a regional district in the provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. In the 2016 census, the population was 60,439. Its area is . The regional district ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

. He is a member of the

British Columbia Liberal Party The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 Br ...

and was appointed as Minister of Energy and Mines, and Minister Responsible for Core Review on June 10, 2013 by Premier Christy Clark. He previously served as Minister for Community Sport and Cultural Development, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Minister of Community and Rural Development, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and Minister of State for Mining. Bennett has chaired the BC Legislative Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, and chaired the BC Legislative Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides. He has been a member of various legislative committees and government committees, particularly focused on land use and natural resource issues. Before being elected, Bennett was a partner in a law firm in Cranbrook. He also owned and operated fly-in wilderness fishing and hunting lodges in the Northwest Territories and Manitoba.

Background

In 1976, Bennett earned an honours degree in English from the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

. In 1992, he received a law degree from Queen's University. He practiced law in

Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the ...

for some time before becoming elected an MLA for East Kootenay in 2001. On June 16, 2005, Bennett was appointed to cabinet as B.C.'s Minister of State for Mining. He resigned from this position on February 6, 2007. On June 23, 2008, Bennett was re-appointed to cabinet as B.C.'s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. He was re-elected in May, 2009. In June 2009, he was appointed as B.C.'s Minister of Community & Rural Development. In June 2010, he was appointed as B.C.'s Minister of Energy where he served until November 17, 2010. In June 2013, he was appointed as B.C.'s Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Core Review.

Electoral record

External links

Legislative Assembly of BC
British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs 1950 births Living people Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Cranbrook, British Columbia 21st-century Canadian politicians {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub