Bill Bennett
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For other men named William Bennett, see William Bennett (disambiguation).
The Honourable William Richards Bennett, P.C. O.C., or simply Bill Bennett (born August 18, 1932) was Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia (1975-1986).
Born in Kelowna, British Columbia, he was the son of the former Premier, W.A.C. Bennett and following his father's resignation, Bill Bennett was elected on September 7, 1973 as the British Columbia Social Credit Party Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for South Okanagan.
He was elected the leader of the Party in 1973, at a convention in Whistler, British Columbia. He became premier of the province in the 1975 election when his party defeated the New Democratic Party . In the election of December 11, 1979, the Social Credit Party was re-elected with a majority. He served until August 6, 1986.
His cabinet included a vast array of new politicians who would soon become some of BC's most prominent political players. These included Grace McCarthy, Bill Vander Zalm, Garde Gardom, and Rafe Mair.
Inspired by conservative economist Milton Friedman, his government slashed social services and gutted labour laws in response to economic woes in 1983, provoking a general strike which further crippled the economy. To justify massive education cuts, Bennett blamed many of the province's difficulties squarely on the shoulders of public school teachers, an argument that deeply split the electorate.
On the other hand, his ostensibly anti-socialist government spent hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the 1986 World Exposition to Vancouver, distributed free shares to British Columbians for British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation (a holding company that ultimately flopped), and spent hundreds of millions of dollars constructing the Coquihalla Highway with the controversial, non-union Kerkhoff Construction Company as the main contractor. His government also spent over $1 billion on the Northeast coal project to create jobs. Critics noted that, by creating only 1,000 jobs, each job cost taxpayers $1 million. The coal project ultimately failed.
In 1976, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He is currently retired and dividing his time between his hometown of Kelowna and Palm Springs.
Though still reviled by the left, Bennett remains generally highly respected among conservatives in BC, who view his rule as a "golden era" before the corruption of the Vander Zalm government and the NDP that succeeded him. In recent years Bennett has advised current BC Premier Gordon Campbell, who has openly stated his desires to emulate the popular policies associated with Bennett's government.
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Preceded by: Dave Barrett 1972-1975 |
Premier of British Columbia 1975-1986 |
Succeeded by: Bill Vander Zalm 1986-1991 |