Pc Richards And Sons

William Richards Bennett , PC, OBC (born April 14th, 1932, in Kelowna, British Columbia) was Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is the son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada.

Following his father's resignation, Bill Bennett was elected on September 7, 1973, as the British Columbia Social Credit Party Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for South Okanagan.

To distinguish him from his famous father, who was also a William - though usually called "W.A.C.", though he was "Ceece" by his friends - he was usually called simply Bill Bennett. One media term coined to describe the younger Bennett was "Mini-Wac," derived from another of his father's nickname, one created by his enemies but ultimately embraced by some supporters - "Wacky".

Leader of Social Credit Party

He was elected the leader of the Socred Party in 1973, at a convention in Whistler, British Columbia. He set about establishing a political organizing modeled closely on Bill Davis's Ontario "Big Blue Machine." Bennett's organization was called the "Baby Blue Machine." He embraced a new coalition of Liberals, social conservatives, and the corporate sector, rather that appealing to the populist base as his father had done.

Premier of British Columbia

He became premier of the province in the 1975 election when his party defeated the New Democratic Party of Premier David Barrett. In the election of December 11, 1979, the Social Credit Party was re-elected with a reduced majority, followed by another one in the 1983 election. He served until August 6, 1986.

His cabinet included a vast array of politicians new to the provincial scene who would soon become some of BC's most prominent political players. These included Grace McCarthy, Bill Vander Zalm, Garde Gardom and Rafe Mair.

Inspired by conservative economist Milton Friedman, his government passed an series of laws, known as the "Restraint" program, which slashed social services and gutted labour laws in response to economic woes in 1983, provoking a general strike which further crippled the economy. To justify massive education cuts, Bennett blamed many of the province's difficulties squarely on the shoulders of public school teachers, an argument that deeply split the electorate. In several television interviews, he labeled those who disagreed with his policies as "Bad British Columbians."

On the other hand, his ostensibly anti-socialist government ironically spent hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the 1986 World Exposition to Vancouver, distributed free shares to British Columbians for the British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation or BCRIC, and spent hundreds of millions of dollars constructing the Coquihalla Highway with the controversial, non-union Kerkhoff Construction Company as the main contractor. His government also spent over $1 billion on the Northeast coal project to create jobs. Critics noted that, by creating only 1,000 jobs, each job cost taxpayers $1 million. The coal project ultimately failed.

Retirement

Though still reviled by the left, Bennett remains generally highly respected among conservatives in BC, who view his rule as a "golden era" before the corruption of the Vander Zalm government and the NDP that succeeded him. In recent years Bennett has advised current BC Premier Gordon Campbell, who has openly stated his desires to emulate the policies associated with Bennett's government.

In 2007 Bennett was awarded the Order of British Columbia, B.C.'s highest award for achievement. The new replacement bridge across Okanagan Lake in Kelowna is named after him.

Controversies

In 1996, Bill Bennett was convicted under B.C. securities laws of insider trading involving the sale of shares in a Duncan, B.C., company two years after he stepped down as premier. This was known as the Doman Scandal.

British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation (BCRIC or "Brick") (Social Credit Party), a holding company formed under the government of William R. Bennett, was a public boondoggle involving publicly-distributed and soon-worthless shares of a former Crown Corporation.

Bennett's tenure also included mega-projects such as the Coquihalla Highway, which cost approximately $848 million. It ran far over budget and was spoiled with bribes.

References

1. ^ William R. Bennett Bridge Project website - Bridge Name
2. ^ CBC Digital Archives

Phoenix played the PC Richards & Son Theater - pics & setlist ...

Recent Entries. Lee 'Scratch' Perry touring in December (dates) - win tix to the NYC show, download a free Christmas song; Keren Ann working on a soundtrack, playing 2 NYC shows

...

myBCTnow.com » Blog Archive » Shoplifters strike at Game Stop and ...

Shoplifters strike at Game Stop and PC Richards and Son stores in Mount Laurel Posted in News on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 3:50 pm |

...

P. C. Richard & Son | Home Page

The largest selection of HDTVs, Appliances, Cameras, Desktops, Laptops, Netbooks, Consumer Electronics, Home audio and more. Nobody beats our guaranteed low prices. Buy with ...

...

Times Square Gossip: MAXWELL PLAYS NYC P.C. RICHARDS & SONS

Times Square Gossip is news, photos, stories from the Center Of The World "Times Square" NYC! Edited by famed Celebrity Photographer James Edstrom,We find Stories from around the ...

...

PC Richards @ Pissed Consumer

PC Richards Complaints: P.C. Richard and Son was founded in 1909. This company is an authorized retailer of appliances. The company specializes in sales of a diverse range of ...

...

PC Richards Tops Quaker for Unfortunate Ad Placement - mediabistro.com ...

PC Richards Tops Quaker for Unfortunate Ad Placement ... in the Bronx in game 1 of the ALCS tonight, stickers for electronics chain PC Richards & Son ...

...

Popcorn Consumption, Windows Firewall, Pc Richards And Son - Fresh ...

Free Anti-Spyware Download - Popcorn Consumption. PC Protection, Security Software & Adware Cleaners, Antivirus Software Reviews and Ready Made Slipcovers.

...

P. C. Richard & Son - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

P.C. Richard & Son, also known as simply P.C. Richard, is a chain of stores that sells electronics and appliances. Its stores are located in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut ...

...

pc richards and sons: Information from Answers.com

Compare prices on LOREX THE EDGE DVR BNDL 500GB H.264 4 color/NV camera See Product Details See 1 Product Review Price range: $629.00 - $665.00 Store

...

pc richards sons: Information from Answers.com

Compare prices on Yamaha Ez 200 61 Key Lighted Electronic Keyboard See Product Details No product reviews available Price range: $139.00 - $253.00

...