Gerald Merrithew

Gerald Stairs Merrithew , PC , CD (born September 23, 1931 in Saint John , New Brunswick , † September 5, 2004 ) was a Canadian politician of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada , who was a member of the House of Commons between 1984 and 1993 and was temporarily a minister.

Life

Gerald Stairs Merrithew worked as a teacher and school principal. He also served as an officer in the armed forces militia and was most recently a lieutenant colonel in the Royal New Brunswick Regiment . For his military achievements he was awarded the Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD). He began his political career in local politics as a member of the Saint John City Council , of which he was a member between 1971 and 1972. In a by-election in the constituency of East Saint John , he was then elected a member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1972 and was a member of this after his re-elections in 1974, 1978 and 1982 to 1984. During the tenure of Richard Bennett Hatfield , who was Prime Minister of New Brunswick from 1970 to 1987 , he served as Minister of Education from 1974 to 1976, Minister of Trade and Development from 1976 to 1978, and Minister of Natural Resources from 1982 to 1984. He was also Vice Prime Minister from 1982 to 1984 and, as Government House Leader, leader of the government in the Legislative Assembly.

In the general election on September 4, 1984 , he was elected for the first time as a member of the lower house in the constituency of Saint John with 16,604 votes .

In the 24th cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney , Merrithew took over numerous government offices. Between September 17, 1984 and June 29, 1986, he was Minister of State for Forestry in the Ministry of Agriculture and then from June 30, 1986 to September 14, 1988 Minister of State for Forestry and Mining in the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Resources. At the same time he acted as Minister responsible for New Brunswick between July 1986 and 1993. In the general election on November 21, 1988 , he was re-elected to the House of Commons with 16,798 votes in the constituency of Saint John , to which he belonged until October 24, 1993. He was Minister of Veterans Affairs from September 15, 1988 to January 3, 1993. At the same time he acted from September 15, 1988 and December 11, 1988 as Minister for Atlantic Canada and from December 12, 1988 to January 29, 1989 as Secretary of State for Atlantic Canada. As a minister, he also became a member of the Canadian Privy Council .

Web links

• Entry on the homepage of the Parliament of Canada
• Canada: Ministries in Rulers
• Obituary in Legislative Activities 2004 of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly

Individual evidence

1. ↑ MINISTRY MULRONEY (September 17, 1984 to December 7, 1988)
2. ↑ MINISTRY MULRONEY 2 (December 7, 1988 to June 25, 1993)