Richard Neufeld (born November 6, 1944) is a former

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 who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

from 2009 to 2019. He was previously a member of the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

, representing the electoral district of Peace River North from 1991 to 2009, and served as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

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Gordon Campbell.

Background

Born in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Neufeld was adopted by his parents from an orphanage, and grew up in the hamlet of Grassy Lake before moving to

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 21,465 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Located ...

. He worked as a truck driver, then became a district manager with Tompkins Contracting. He was an alderman on the

Fort Nelson A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

council from 1978 to 1981, then served as mayor from 1981 to 1986. He and his wife Montana Currie have four children.

Provincial politics

Neufeld ran in the 1991 BC general election as a Social Credit Party (Socred) candidate in Peace River North, receiving 5,758 votes (54.79% of total valid votes) in a field of five candidates to become the riding's member of the legislative assembly (MLA). He was one of only seven Socred candidates elected that year; with the formerly dominant Socreds collapsing, Neufeld defected to the BC Reform Party in March 1994. He was re-elected in Peace River North as a BC Reform candidate in the 1996 provincial election, receiving 5,299 votes (48.41% of total valid votes) in a field of six candidates. He was one of two BC Reform candidates to be elected, the other being party leader

Jack Weisgerber John Sylvester Weisgerber (June 12, 1940 – June 3, 2022) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. During his political career he was briefly the leader of the British Columbia ...

. BC Reform's presence was blamed for splitting the centre-right vote, allowing the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

to eke out a majority despite coming second in the popular vote behind the Liberals.

Wilf Hanni Wilf Hanni (born February 19, 1948) is a Canadian politician and oil industry consultant in British Columbia. Hanni served as leader of the Reform Party of BC from August 30, 1997 to June 1998, and later as leader of the British Columbia Party, ...

succeeded Weisgerber as Reform leader in August 1997; following a conflict with Hanni, Neufeld defected to the Liberals that October. During this time in the Official Opposition he served as energy, mines and northern development critic. In the 2001 general election Neufeld was re-elected in Peace River North as the BC Liberal candidate, receiving 6,629 votes (73.22% of total valid votes) in a field of four candidates. With the Liberals gaining power, Neufeld was appointed Minister of Energy and Mines on June 5, 2001 by Premier Gordon Campbell. In this role, Neufeld was at the centre of the fray regarding the "re-regulation" of

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, trade name, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, wi ...

, which involves privatization of some of that

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

. He also advocated for the increased use of coal power, and promoted allowing a scientific review of offshore oil and gas. His term as Minister of Energy and Mines was marked by significant growth in the oil and gas, and mining sectors. After winning re-election in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

by receiving 5,498 votes (59.37% of total valid votes) in a field of four candidates, he remained in the

Campbell ministry The Campbell ministry was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from June 5, 2001, to March 14, 2011. It was led by Gordon Campbell, the 34th premier of British Columbia, and c ...

as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.

Senate

On December 22, 2008, it was announced that Neufeld would be appointed 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 ...

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 ...

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

, sitting as a

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 ...

. He assumed office on January 2, 2009, and officially resigned as MLA and provincial cabinet minister on the 19th of that month. He served in a number of committees during his time in the upper house, including as vice-chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, and as chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources. Upon reaching age 75 on November 6, 2019, Neufeld was aged out of the Senate per constitutionally-enshrined mandatory retirement rules.

Honours

* He was awarded the Freedom of the City of Fort St. John on 24 June 2019, and formally received the honour on 26 November 2021.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neufeld, Richard 1944 births Living people BC United MLAs British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs British Columbia municipal councillors Conservative Party of Canada senators Canadian senators from British Columbia Canadian adoptees Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Politicians from Lethbridge Reform Party of British Columbia MLAs 20th-century mayors of places in British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada