Claude Williams Bios - 56th Legislature

Claude Williams was born on November 25, 1955, in Saint-Antoine, Kent County, New Brunswick. He is the son of Rita and Irené Williams.

In his first venture into provincial politics, Claude Williams won the April 23, 2001, by-election in the constituency of Kent South. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party, he joined the 46-Member Caucus of Premier Bernard Lord. He was a Member of the 54th Legislature's Standing Committee on Private Bills. He Chaired the Select Committee on Local Governance and Regional Collaboration.

He was re-elected as a member of the Fifty-Fifth Legislature in the provincial general election held June 9, 2003. He was a member of the following standing committees: Privileges, Public Accounts, Private Bills, Legislative Administration and Ombudsman. He chaired the Select Committee on Health Care, and was a member of the Select Committee on Wood Supply, and the Select Committee on Public Automobile Insurance.

On February 14, 2006, he was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council and appointed Minister of Education.

He was re-elected September 18, 2006. He was Opposition critic for areas of interest related to fisheries, official languages and la Francophonie. He is currently Opposition critic for issues related to the Department of Transportation. He is a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and he served on the Select Committee on Tax Review.

Mr. Williams was Vice-President of the New Brunswick section of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

Mr. Williams completed his elementary school studies locally and graduated from high school in Bouctouche. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Université de Moncton. He was executive assistant to former minister Omer Léger before becoming regional manager for the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

He is well-known in his community where he was chairman and a member of District 12 school board from 1981 to 1989 and chairman of the Kent South chapter of the Canadian disabled association. He was a member of the board of directors of the Caisse populaire de Saint-Antoine and vice-president of the Grand Saint-Antoine local service district. He has also been a member of parents' committees at Camille-Vautour School in Saint-Antoine and Clément-Cormier High School in Bouctouche. He was elected as a municipal councillor in Saint-Antoine in the 1980s.

Mr. Williams and his wife, Bernice LeBlanc, have two daughters, Vicky and Monica.

Website Link(s)

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Constituency Office