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Claude Richmond

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Claude Richmond
35th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
In office
June 19, 2001 – May 16, 2005
PremierGordon Campbell
Lieutenant GovernorGarde Gardom
Iona Campagnolo
Preceded byBill Hartley
Succeeded byBill Barisoff
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Kamloops
In office
May 16, 2001 – May 12, 2009
Preceded byCathy McGregor
Succeeded byRiding abolished
In office
December 14, 1981 – October 17, 1991
Serving with Bud Smith (1986-91)
Preceded byRafe Mair
Succeeded byArthur Charbonneau
Minister of Tourism of British Columbia
In office
August 10, 1982 – August 14, 1986
PremierBill Bennett
Bill Vander Zalm
Preceded byPatricia Jordan
Succeeded byWilliam Earl Reid
Minister of Social Services and Housing of British Columbia
In office
August 14, 1986 – November 1, 1989
PremierBill Vander Zalm
Preceded byJack Kempf (Lands, Parks and Housing)
Succeeded byPeter Albert Dueck
Minister of State, Okanagan of British Columbia
In office
October 22, 1987 – July 6, 1988
PremierBill Vander Zalm
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHoward Dirks (Thompson–Okanagan and Kootenays)
Minister of Tourism and Provincial Secretary of British Columbia
In office
September 22, 1989 – November 1, 1989
PremierBill Vander Zalm
Preceded byWilliam Earl Reid
Succeeded byCliff Michael (Tourism)
Howard Dirks (Provincial Secretary)
Minister of Forests of British Columbia
In office
November 1, 1989 – November 5, 1991
PremierBill Vander Zalm
Rita Johnston
Preceded byDave Parker
Succeeded byDan Miller
Minister of Employment and Income Assistance of British Columbia
In office
June 16, 2005 – June 23, 2008
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born
Claude Harry Richmond

(1935-08-03) August 3, 1935 (age 89)[1]
Blue River, British Columbia
Political partySocial Credit
Liberal
Spouse
Patricia Simpson
​
(m. 1958)​

Claude Harry Richmond (born August 3, 1935) is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred),[2] and from 2001 to 2009 as part of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He held various cabinet positions under premiers Bill Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm, Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2005.

Background

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Born in Blue River, British Columbia, Richmond grew up in the Kamloops area and attended Kamloops Senior Secondary School.[1][3] After serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force and working in small business, he served on the Kamloops City Council for two terms in the 1970s, then worked as manager of CHNL AM610 from 1978 to 1982.[1][3]

He married his wife Patricia in 1958;[1] they have three children together.[3]

Provincial politics

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Social Credit Party

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Running for the Social Credit Party, he was first elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kamloops in a 1981 by-election to replace Rafe Mair,[1][3][4] and was named to the cabinet as Minister of Tourism by Premier Bill Bennett in August 1982.[5][6] He kept the portfolio after winning re-election in 1983.[3][4][6]

After Bill Vander Zalm replaced Bennett as premier in August 1986, Richmond was re-assigned as Minister of Social Services and Housing.[7] He was re-elected in that October's provincial election;[3][4] with Kamloops being revised to a dual-member district, Richmond served that term alongside Bud Smith. He retained his cabinet portfolio, and additionally served as Minister of State for the Okanagan Region from October 1987 to July 1988.[7] Following the resignation of Bill Reid as Minister of Tourism and Provincial Secretary, Richmond briefly assumed those roles from September to November 1989, before becoming Minister of Forests.[7] He was also the Government House Leader from 1988 to 1991.[3]

Vander Zalm resigned as premier and party leader in April 1991; Richmond unsuccessfully contested the ensuing interim leadership vote,[8] and subsequently stayed on as Minister of Forests under new premier Rita Johnston.[3][9] He declined to run in that year's provincial election, which saw the Socreds reduced to only seven seats in the legislature. Following Johnston's resignation in January 1992, Richmond ran again for party leader. In the November 1993 leadership election, he came in third place behind Graham Bruce and eventual winner Grace McCarthy on the second ballot, and was eliminated.[10]

While away from politics, Richmond conducted consultancy work in the resource sector, and served as managing director of Kamloops Airport Limited from 1997 to 2001.[1][3]

Liberal Party

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He returned to politics in 2001 by running again in Kamloops in that year's provincial election, this time for the BC Liberals. He defeated the incumbent New Democratic Party candidate Cathy McGregor to re-enter the legislature,[4] and was chosen as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[3] After winning re-election in 2005,[4][11] he was named to Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet that June as Minister of Employment and Income Assistance.[12]

On May 9, 2008, he announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election;[13] he was dropped from the cabinet that June.[12][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Richmond, Hon. Claude (Kamloops) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly". Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Who's who in the West: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coast and the Western States. A.N. Marquis Company. 2004. ISBN 9780837909356. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "MLA: Claude Richmond". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Candidates: Claude Harry Richmond". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Kidd, Kenneth (August 21, 1982). "British Columbia shuffles cabinet". The Financial Post. p. 12. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Bennett, Judith Antonik; Verspoor, Frederike. "British Columbia Executive Council Appointments 1871 - 1986" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. p. 76. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Vander Zalm Cabinet: 33rd-34th Parliament 1986-1991" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Fleming, Andrew (April 2, 2015). "Archives: Rita Johnston becomes Canada's first female premier". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "Rita Johnston Cabinet: 34th Parliament 1991" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Courtney, John C. (1995). Do Conventions Matter?: Choosing National Party Leaders in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 369. ISBN 0773565698.
  11. ^ "Kamloops again votes with winner". CBC News. May 18, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Campbell Cabinet: 37th Parliament 2001-2005, 38th Parliament 2005-2009, 39th Parliament 2009-2011" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "MLA Richmond steps down, citing health". Vancouver Province. May 11, 2008. p. A23.
  14. ^ "Premier names new cabinet heading into election". CBC News. June 23, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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