Peter John Veniot, (October 4, 1863 – July 6, 1936) was a businessman and newspaper owner and a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. He was the first

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premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( (masculine) or (feminine)) is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The premier of a Canadian province is much like the prime minister of Canada. They are normally ...

Early life and career

He was born in

Richibucto, New Brunswick Richibucto is a former town in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Beaurivage. Geography The town is situated on the Richibucto River where it discharges into the Northumberlan ...

but later moved to

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Pictou County, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pict ...

with his family. Veniot worked as a journalist and typographer for the ''Pictou Standard'' and then the '' Moncton Transcript''. He then moved to Bathurst, where he became editor and later owner of '' Le Courrier des Provinces Maritimes''.

Political career

Veniot was first elected to 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 1894, but left politics in 1900 for a customs job. In 1912, he was hired to reorganize the

Liberal Party of New Brunswick The New Brunswick Liberal Association (), commonly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party, or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major provincial political parties in New Brunswick, Canada. The party descended from both the Confe ...

, and became a

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) again in 1917. He served in the cabinet of

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 ...

Walter Foster as

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. As Minister, Veniot was responsible for the creation of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and the modernization of the province's highway system. Veniot became Premier in 1923 following Foster's resignation. He was a supporter of the

Maritime Rights Movement The Maritime Rights Movement arose in the 1920s in response to perceived unfair economic policies in Canada that were affecting the economies of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. At a time of rural protest in Ca ...

or Duncan Commission, which advocated more power for the

Maritime provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

. His government was defeated in the 1925 provincial election. Veniot resigned as provincial Liberal leader in 1926 in order to enter federal politics in the 1926 federal election. He served as

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in the cabinet of

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

. In cabinet, Veniot advocated implementation of the Duncan Commission recommendations on alleviating Maritime alienation. Recommendations of freight-rate reductions and subsidy increases were implemented, but suggestions for subsidies based on fiscal need and transportation use to encourage regional development were ignored.

Death

Veniot remained a Member of Parliament until his death at his home in Bathurst in 1936.

Personal life

Married in 1885 to Catherine Melanson,L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia
/ref> their son Clarence Joseph was elected in the federal riding of

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by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

after his death. He and his wife are interred in Bathurst, in the cemetery adjacent to the offices of the newspaper that made his fortune.

Electoral record

References

*
Government of New Brunswick biography
(pdf)