Ralph Bruce Fitch

Ralph Bruce Fitch
MLA
Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick
Assumed office
October 18, 2014
Premier Brian Gallant
Preceded by Brian Gallant
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (interim)
Assumed office
October 18, 2014
Preceded by David Alward
MLA for Riverview
Assumed office
June 9, 2003
Preceded by Pat Crossman
Mayor of Riverview, New Brunswick
In office
May 11, 1998  2003
Preceded by David Richardson
Succeeded by Clarence Sweetland
Minister of Energy
In office
June 27, 2003  February 14, 2006
Preceded by Jeannot Volpé
Succeeded by Brenda Fowlie
Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs
In office
February 14, 2006  September 18, 2006
Minister of Local Government
In office
October 12, 2010  October 12, 2014
Preceded by Chris Collins
Succeeded by Brian Kenny
Minister responsible for Service New Brunswick
In office
October 12, 2010  September 22, 2014
Preceded by Victor Boudreau
Succeeded by Ed Doherty
Personal details
Political party Progressive Conservative Party
Residence Riverview, New Brunswick
Occupation Insurance and Finance
Religion Baptist

Ralph Bruce Fitch, is a Canadian politician, the Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick and Interim Leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives. He represents Riverview in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.

Early life

Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, he is the son of Dr. Ralph Fitch. In 1980, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mount Allison University. His career in the private sector was in the insurance and financial industries. He worked with Scotiabank and its brokerage firm ScotiaMcLeod for many years prior to his election to the legislature.

Political career

He was first involved in politics when he was elected in 1989 to the municipal council of the Town of Riverview. He was re-elected to that position in 1992 and 1995 before successfully running for mayor in 1998. He was re-elected mayor in 2001 and served in that capacity until his election to the legislature in the 2003 provincial election. Fitch was the only non-incumbent Progressive Conservative to win a seat in that election and was immediately named to cabinet as Minister of Energy. He was shuffled to the new Justice and Consumer Affairs portfolio on February 14, 2006 despite having no legal training; this was made possible by disassociating the functions of the Office of the Attorney General from the Justice Department.

He is a member of the First Baptist Church. His hobbies include sailboarding and golf. An ardent fan and supporter of minor sports, he is frequently seen on the sidelines of his children’s games. He also coached minor soccer and football in the past.

He has been involved in the community for many years. He has been a member of many boards and committees, including Codiac Regional Police Board, Lakeview Manor Senior Citizens Home, and the Atlantic Baptist University.

On October 18, 2014 after the Progressive Conservative Party under David Alward failed to form government, Fitch was made interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick.[1]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.