# Claude Richmond

Claude Harry Richmond (born August 3, 1935) is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred), and from 2001 to 2009 as part of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He held various cabinet positions under premiers Bill Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm, Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2005.

## Background

Born in Blue River, British Columbia, Richmond grew up in the Kamloops area and attended Kamloops Senior Secondary School. After serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force and working in small business, he served on the Kamloops City Council for two terms in the 1970s, then worked as manager of CHNL AM610 from 1978 to 1982.
He married his wife Patricia in 1958; they have three children together.

## Provincial politics
### Social Credit Party

Running for the Social Credit Party, he was first elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kamloops in a 1981 by-election to replace Rafe Mair, and was named to the cabinet as Minister of Tourism by Premier Bill Bennett in August 1982. He kept the portfolio after winning re-election in 1983.
After Bill Vander Zalm replaced Bennett as premier in August 1986, Richmond was re-assigned as Minister of Social Services and Housing. He was re-elected in that October's provincial election; with Kamloops being revised to a dual-member district, Richmond served that term alongside Bud Smith. He retained his cabinet portfolio, and additionally served as Minister of State for the Okanagan Region from October 1987 to July 1988. Following the resignation of Bill Reid as Minister of Tourism and Provincial Secretary, Richmond briefly assumed those roles from September to November 1989, before becoming Minister of Forests. He was also the Government House Leader from 1988 to 1991.
Vander Zalm resigned as premier and party leader in April 1991; Richmond unsuccessfully contested the ensuing interim leadership vote, and subsequently stayed on as Minister of Forests under new premier Rita Johnston. He declined to run in that year's provincial election, which saw the Socreds reduced to only seven seats in the legislature. Following Johnston's resignation in January 1992, Richmond ran again for party leader. In the November 1993 leadership election, he came in third place behind Graham Bruce and eventual winner Grace McCarthy on the second ballot, and was eliminated.
While away from politics, Richmond conducted consultancy work in the resource sector, and served as managing director of Kamloops Airport Limited from 1997 to 2001.

### Liberal Party

He returned to politics in 2001 by running again in Kamloops in that year's provincial election, this time for the BC Liberals. He defeated the incumbent New Democratic Party candidate Cathy McGregor to re-enter the legislature, and was chosen as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. After winning re-election in 2005, he was named to Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet that June as Minister of Employment and Income Assistance.
On May 9, 2008, he announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election; he was dropped from the cabinet that June.