Bill Matthews

William Bill Matthews (born July 22, 1947 in Grand Bank, Newfoundland) is a Canadian politician.Matthews was a Progressive Conservative member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1982 to 1996. During this time, he was a cabinet minister, as Minister of Culture, Recreation and Youth from 1985 to 1988 and Minister of Career Development and Advanced Studies from 1988 to 1989.Matthews was later elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1997 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, representing the riding of Burin—St. Georges. He crossed the floor to the Liberals in 1999, and continued to represent the riding until 2004. In that years federal election, he was elected to the newly redistributed district of Random—Burin—St. Georges, which he represented until 2008.Matthews is a former teacher. He is a former Parliamentary Secretary to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Deputy House Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, and Progressive Conservative critic of Fisheries and Oceans.After 10 years in the House of Commons, Matthews called Prime Minister Harper a liar, and was not permitted by Speaker of the House Peter Milliken to rise in the House for the final 14 months of his political career. Matthews did not run for reelection in the 2008 election.

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