Keith John Ashfield (March 28, 1952 – April 22, 2018) was a Canadian politician. He served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the electoral district of

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

from 2008 to 2015 and, before that, was a member of the New Brunswick Legislature from 1999 to 2008. He served in the federal cabinet in various capacities from 2008 to 2013.

Early life

The son of Jack Ashfield and Nora Locke, he studied Business at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

for two years.

Political career

Provincial

Ashfield was a school trustee for a number of years and was first a candidate for the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

in the 1991 election. A Progressive Conservative, Ashfield placed third with Confederation of Regions candidate Max White being victorious. Ashfield was again a candidate in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and was successful, defeating

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Joan Kingston in the riding of New Maryland. He was named

deputy speaker Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain ...

of the Legislature. Ashfield faced Kingston again in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and won again though by a closer margin. He was sworn in as Minister of Natural Resources & Energy on June 27, 2003. He was elected to a third term in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

in the redistributed district of New Maryland-Sunbury West, however he left the cabinet as his party formed the opposition following the election. On March 6, 2018, Ashfield ran for the Progressive Conservative nomination in Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton. The nomination ultimately went to Mary Wilson.

Federal

On November 7, 2007, he won the nomination to be the candidate of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

for the next federal election. When the election was called, he resigned his provincial seat. He was elected in the 2008 federal election and re-elected in the 2011 federal election. Ashfield was appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans on May 18, 2011. Ashfield co-chaired the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM) in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 2012. Ministers discussed a range of issues such as aquaculture, aquatic invasive species, and protecting Canada's fisheries. In March 2013, Ashfield faced criticism for a photo-op during which he remarked to the teenage daughter of a constituent, "Grace, you’re a great cook. You’re going to make a wonderful wife for somebody." Later that year, he was replaced as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and left the Cabinet. He was defeated in the 2015 federal election.

Personal life and death

In October 2012, Ashfield had a heart attack and temporarily gave his role to then National Revenue Minister Gail Shea. In June 2013, Ashfield announced he had been diagnosed with

Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

. When he declared his candidacy for the

2015 Canadian federal election The 2015 Canadian federal election was held on October 19, 2015, to elect the 338 members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons of the 42nd Canadian Parliament, 42nd Parliament of Canada. In accordance with the Fixed election date ...

, he had beaten his cancer that had returned in Fall 2014. The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick officially announced Keith Ashfield's death in the early afternoon of April 22, 2018.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashfield, Keith 1952 births 2018 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick MLAs Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Politicians from Fredericton Conservative Party of Canada MPs Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the House of Commons of Canada from New Brunswick University of New Brunswick alumni 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick