Bill Matthews

{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{other people||William Matthews (disambiguation){{!}}William Matthews}} {{for-multi|the Australian footballer|Bill Matthews (footballer)|the geologist|Bill Mathews}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Bill Matthews | image =  | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|7|22|mf=y}} | birth_name = William Matthews | birth_place = Grand Bank, Dominion of Newfoundland | death_date = | death_place = | office = Member of Parliament of Canada for Random—Burin—St. George's (Burin—St. George's, 1997–2004) | term_start = September 22, 1997 | term_end = September 7, 2008 | predecessor = Roger Simmons | successor = Judy Foote | office2 = Member of Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Grand Bank | term_start2 = 1982 | term_end2 = 1996 | predecessor2 = Leslie Thoms | successor2 = Judy Foote | profession = Teacher | party = Liberal (1999–2008) | other_party = Progressive Conservative (1982–1999) | portfolio = Fisheries & Oceans (Critic) }} '''William Matthews''' (born July 22, 1947) is a Canadian politician.

==Political career== 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 House of Commons of Canada in 1997 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, representing the riding of Burin—St. George's. He crossed the floor to the Liberals in 1999,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bill-matthews-crossing-floor-of-commons-1.172159|title=Bill Matthews Crossing Floor of Commons|publisher=CBC News|date=August 13, 1999|access-date=March 19, 2024}}</ref> and continued to represent the riding until 2004. In that year's federal election, he was elected to the newly redistributed district of Random—Burin—St. George's, 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.

In March 2007, Matthews called Prime Minister Stephen Harper a "liar." While Speaker of the House Peter Milliken didn't give in to demands from outraged Tories to throw Matthews out of the chamber, Milliken did not allow Matthews to rise in the House for what would be the last 14 months of Matthews' career.<ref>{{cite web|title=Powering up the Speaker of the House|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/powering-up-the-speaker-of-the-house-1.1279680|publisher=CBC News|date=December 28, 2012|access-date=May 17, 2018}}</ref> Matthews did not run for reelection in the 2008 election.<ref>{{cite web|title=Time right to retire, Liberal MP Matthews says|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/time-right-to-retire-liberal-mp-matthews-says-1.642443|publisher=CBC News|date=April 3, 2007|access-date=May 17, 2018}}</ref>

In October 2018, Matthews was appointed as Chief of Staff to provincial PC leader Ches Crosbie in the Opposition Office.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former MP Bill Matthews takes over as Ches Crosbie's chief of staff|url=http://ntv.ca/former-mp-bill-matthews-takes-over-as-ches-crosbies-chief-of-staff/|publisher=NTV|date=October 5, 2018|access-date=May 16, 2019|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006113723/http://ntv.ca/former-mp-bill-matthews-takes-over-as-ches-crosbies-chief-of-staff/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Matthews contested the 2019 provincial election as the PC candidate in Burin-Grand Bank,<ref>{{cite web|title=Bill Matthews is a Tory again and running in this year's provincial election|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/matthews-seeks-tory-seat-1.5108434|publisher=CBC News|date=April 23, 2019|access-date=May 16, 2019}}</ref> but was defeated by Liberal incumbent Carol Anne Haley.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carol Anne Haley re-elected for Liberals in Burin-Grand Banks|url=https://www.thepacket.ca/news/local/nl-votes-carol-anne-haley-re-elected-for-liberals-in-burin-grand-bank-312741/|work=The Packet|date=May 17, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518034406/https://www.thepacket.ca/news/local/nl-votes-carol-anne-haley-re-elected-for-liberals-in-burin-grand-bank-312741/|archivedate=May 18, 2019}}</ref>

==Electoral record== {{Canadian election result/top|NL|2019|percent=yes|change=yes|}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Carol Anne Haley|2,822|51.6|-27.8}} {{CANelec|NL|PC|'''Bill Matthews'''|2,645|48.4|+39.6}} {{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|5,467|100|}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|54||}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|65.7%||}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|8,403|}} {{CANelec/hold|NL|Liberal|-27.8}} {{end}}

{{CANelec/top|CA|2006|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Bill Matthews'''|13,652|45.49|-1.28|$24,312.48 }} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Cynthia Downey|12,232|40.76|+22.55|$27,919.55 }} {{CANelec|CA|NDP|Amanda Will|3,702|12.34|-20.95|$842.43 }} {{CANelec|CA|Green|Mark A. Brennan|426|1.42|-0.37|''none listed'' }} {{CANelec/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|30,012|100.0  |–| $85,393}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected ballots|131|0.43|-0.09}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|30,143|52.09|+7.18}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|57,869}} {{CANelec/hold|CA|Liberal|-11.92}} {{End}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2004|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Bill Matthews'''|12,383|46.77|-1.03| $32,788.03}} {{CANelec|CA|NDP|Desmond McGrath|8,797|33.29|+28.76| $29,123.91}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Larry Peckford|4,820|18.21|-7.18| $35,579.47}} {{CANelec|CA|Green|Justin Dollimont|474|1.79|–|$468.70 }} {{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|26,474| 100.0  |–| $83,804}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots|139|0.52}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|26,613|44.91|-12.34}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|59,256}} {{CANelec/nothold|CA|Liberal|-14.90}} {{CANelec/note|Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Change for the Conservatives is based on the combined totals of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance.}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2000}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Bill Matthews'''|14,603}} {{CANelec|XX|Independent|Sam Synard|7,891}} {{CANelec|CA|PC|Fred Pottle|5,799}} {{CANelec|CA|Canadian Alliance|Peter Fenwick|1,511}} {{CANelec|CA|NDP|David Sullivan|924}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1997}} {{CANelec|CA|PC|'''Bill Matthews'''|13,884}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Roger Simmons|11,715}} {{CANelec|CA|NDP|David A. Sullivan|4,784}} {{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1993 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec |NL |PC |'''Bill Matthews''' |3406 |– |–}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Judy Foote|2805||}} {{Canadian party colour|NL|NDP|row}} |NDP |Joseph L. Edwards |align="right"|181 |align="right"| |align="right"| |- |}

{{Election box begin | title=1989 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec |NL |PC |'''Bill Matthews''' |3948 |68.6 |–}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Graham Wood|1811|31.5|}} |- |}

{{Election box begin | title=1985 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec |NL |PC |'''Bill Matthews''' |3028 |49.3 |–}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|T. Maxwell Snook|2689|43.7|}} {{Canadian party colour|NL|NDP|row}} |NDP |Calvin Peach |align="right"|431 |align="right"|7.0 |align="right"| |- |}

{{Election box begin | title=1982 Newfoundland and Labrador general election}} {{CANelec |NL |PC |'''Bill Matthews''' |2857 |51.6 |–}} {{CANelec|NL|Liberal|Leslie Thoms|2442|44.1|}} {{Canadian party colour|NL|NDP|row}} |NDP |Eric Miller |align="right"|234 |align="right"|4.23 |align="right"| |- |}

==References== <references />

==External links== * {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=7444}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Bill}} Category:1947 births Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Category:Living people Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Category:People from Grand Bank Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Category:20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly