Bill Casey
Encyclopedia
William D. "Bill" Casey (born February 19, 1945) is a Canadian
politician. He is a former Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons
.
. He was a businessman and stockbroker before going into politics. He was first elected, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
, to represent the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the 1988 election
. In common with almost every other PC Member of Parliament
(MP) in the 1993 election
he lost his seat, in his case being defeated by Liberal
candidate Dianne Brushett
.
In the 1997 election
, he retook the seat, defeating Brushett, and represented it until April 30, 2009.
In 2004, the PCs merged into the new Conservative Party
. He was the deputy whip of the Official Opposition from 2004 until the 2006 election
, and had served as the Conservative critic of Transport, International Trade, National Revenue, and Foreign Affairs in the past.
When the Conservatives' 2007 budget
was released, Casey praised it, saying "I have never seen a budget that has had more in it for the people of my riding than this one does." However, on June 5, 2007, he voted against it, claiming that it broke the Atlantic Accord
with his province and Newfoundland and Labrador
. He was expelled from the Conservative caucus, and sat as an Independent MP. He styled himself as an Independent Progressive Conservative.
In October 2007, the Conservative Party riding association
in Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley renominated Casey as its candidate for the 2008 election
. The party's head office refused to accept Casey's nomination, and suspended the association's board.
On January 31, 2008 Casey underwent surgery for prostate cancer. His surgery was a success and all the cancer was removed. Casey previously had to have a cancerous growth removed from his back.
On September 4, the Green Party of Canada
declared its support for his candidacy and announced that they would not run a candidate against him in the 2008 election. On October 14, 2008, Casey was re-elected as an independent by winning 69% of the popular vote. His nearest opponent was Karen Olsen of the New Democrats with just 12% of the vote.
During the 2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute, Casey announced he would vote against Harper in a motion of non-confidence. He announced in January 2009 that he would not run for re-election in the next federal election However, on April 28, 2009, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald
announced that Casey would be the senior representative for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs in Ottawa for the province, replacing Ian Thompson. Casey officially resigned his seat April 30.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician. He is a former Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Life and career
Casey was born in Amherst, Nova ScotiaAmherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
. He was a businessman and stockbroker before going into politics. He was first elected, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, to represent the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. In common with almost every other PC Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
he lost his seat, in his case being defeated by Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate Dianne Brushett
Dianne Brushett
Dianne Brushett is a Canadian politician.Brushett is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and a former Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Cumberland—Colchester from 1993 to 1997. She served as the Atlantic Regional Assistant Whip while in Parliament...
.
In the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, he retook the seat, defeating Brushett, and represented it until April 30, 2009.
In 2004, the PCs merged into the new Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. He was the deputy whip of the Official Opposition from 2004 until the 2006 election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, and had served as the Conservative critic of Transport, International Trade, National Revenue, and Foreign Affairs in the past.
When the Conservatives' 2007 budget
2007 Canadian federal budget
The Canadian federal budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year was presented to the Canadian House of Commons by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on March 19, 2007. The federal budget included $14 billion in new spending and $5.7 billion in tax cuts...
was released, Casey praised it, saying "I have never seen a budget that has had more in it for the people of my riding than this one does." However, on June 5, 2007, he voted against it, claiming that it broke the Atlantic Accord
Atlantic Accord
The Atlantic Accord is an agreement signed in 1985 between the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to manage offshore oil and gas resources adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador....
with his province and Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. He was expelled from the Conservative caucus, and sat as an Independent MP. He styled himself as an Independent Progressive Conservative.
In October 2007, the Conservative Party riding association
Riding association
In Canadian politics a riding association , officially called an electoral district association is the basic unit of a political party, that is it is the party's organization at the level of the electoral district, or "riding"...
in Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley renominated Casey as its candidate for the 2008 election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. The party's head office refused to accept Casey's nomination, and suspended the association's board.
On January 31, 2008 Casey underwent surgery for prostate cancer. His surgery was a success and all the cancer was removed. Casey previously had to have a cancerous growth removed from his back.
On September 4, the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
declared its support for his candidacy and announced that they would not run a candidate against him in the 2008 election. On October 14, 2008, Casey was re-elected as an independent by winning 69% of the popular vote. His nearest opponent was Karen Olsen of the New Democrats with just 12% of the vote.
During the 2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute, Casey announced he would vote against Harper in a motion of non-confidence. He announced in January 2009 that he would not run for re-election in the next federal election However, on April 28, 2009, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald
Rodney MacDonald
Rodney Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian politician, educator and musician who served as the 26th Premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009....
announced that Casey would be the senior representative for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs in Ottawa for the province, replacing Ian Thompson. Casey officially resigned his seat April 30.