Eric Arthur Berntson (May 16, 1941 – September 23, 2018) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician from

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Saskatchewan politics

Berntson was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...

as a member of the Progressive Conservatives for the district of Souris-Cannington in the

1975 Saskatchewan general election The 1975 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 11, 1975, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Blakeney and the NDP were re-elected to a majority government. Both the New Democratic government of Premier Alla ...

. He served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

from 1979 to 1982 as newly elected party leader

Grant Devine Donald Grant Devine (born July 5, 1944) is a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Saskatchewan from 1982 to 1991. He led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1979 to 1992 and is one of only two leaders of that ...

did not have a seat in the legislature. He served in the Saskatchewan legislature until 1990 and was Deputy Premier in the Devine government. Berntson was widely regarded to be one of the most powerful members of the Devine government, arguably exercising more influence than the

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

himself. In 1999, Berntson was convicted of illegally diverting government allowances between 1987 and 1991 when he was Saskatchewan's deputy premier. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

Canadian Senate

On September 27, 1990,

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Ray Hnatyshyn Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as the 24th governor general of Canada from 1990 to 1995. Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian ...

, acting on the advice of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, appointed Berntson to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

. Berntson was appointed thanks to Mulroney's exercise of the never before used expansion clause that allows two extra members per regional division after all the normal Senate seats are occupied. He served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1994 until 1997, when he was charged with fraud. After the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...

dismissed his attempt to overturn his fraud conviction, Berntson resigned from the Senate on February 27, 2001. Berntson also appeared on the 1991 tape that showed future

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Tom Lukiwski Tom Lukiwski (born October 5, 1951) is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 2004 to 2021 as a member of the Conservative Party. He represented the Saskatchewan riding of Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre fr ...

making

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

slurs and future SaskParty premier

Brad Wall Bradley John Wall (born November 24, 1965) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 14th premier of Saskatchewan from November 21, 2007, until February 2, 2018. He is the fourth longest-tenured premier in the province's history. W ...

mocking then

Saskatchewan NDP The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (Saskatchewan NDP or Sask NDP), branded as the Saskatchewan New Democrats, is a social democratic political party in Saskatchewan, Canada. The party was founded in 1932 as the Farmer-Labour Group and was kno ...

leader

Roy Romanow Roy John Romanow (born August 12, 1939) is a Canadian politician who served as the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001. He was the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 1987 until his retirement in 2001. He was the Mem ...

in a Ukrainian accent which was revealed to the public on March 31, 2008. Berntson died in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

on September 23, 2018.

References

External links

*
Obituary
in the

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berntson, Eric 1941 births 2018 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Canadian politicians convicted of fraud 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada Leaders of the opposition of Saskatchewan Deputy premiers of Saskatchewan Corruption in Canada 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada