Home > Richard Bennett Hatfield

Hatfield was first elected to the provincial legislatureA legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. Legislatures are known by many names, including: parliament congress diet and national assembly . In parliamentary systems of government, the legislature is formally supreme a in 1961 and became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New BrunswickThe Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre- Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony. Conservative sup in 1969 leading the party to victory in the 1970 election. During Hatfield's long tenure he became prominent on the national stage allying with federal Prime MinisterAlternate meaning: Prime Minister (band #A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively #A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or sem Pierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( October 18, 1919— September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968, to June 3, 1979, and from March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Pierre Trudeau was a f during the constitutional negotiations that led to the 1982 patriationCanada Act 1982 is an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament that severed virtually all remaining constitutional and legislative ties between the United Kingdom and Canada. History Canada's road to political self government came with the Briti of the Canadian constitution and the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also took leadership in helping create equality between the province's French-Canadian minority and English Canadian majority.

His attempts at attracting investment to the province and developing the economy were less successful. In the 1970s the Hatfield government financed the manufacture of the Bricklin automobile in hopes of creating an auto industry in the province. Although a visionary project that produced an advanced quality sportscar, huge cost overuns led to the company's demise.

Hatfield's last years in office were plagued by personal scandal. In October 1984 he was charged with criminal possession of marijuana after a small amount of the drug was found in his suitcase during a routine inspection of luggage during that year's royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II. The life-long bachelor also faced questions about his personal life, his frequent trips to New York City, and a whisper campaign alleging that Hatfield was homosexual and rumours linking him to teenage boys in the province's reform schools.

The 1987 election saw Hatfield's Tories lose ever seat in the legislature. Hatfield resigned as Premier and party leader immediately. In 1990 he was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Brian Mulroney but was soon stricken with an inoperable brain tumour and died in 1991.