A Message from Minister Ashfield
I was born and grew up in the community of Lincoln where I enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing sports with my friends.
I went to high school in Oromocto, working part-time in a butcher shop to put some money in my pocket. After studying business for two years at the University of New Brunswick, I got involved in local enterprises, eventually going on to run my own business.
My wife Judy and I have two grown children. As a parent, I have always felt very strongly about education and in 1986, decided to run for the position of School Trustee. I became the President of the New Brunswick School Board Trustees association. I am humbled that, after many years of public service,and I was made Director and Finance Chairman of the Canadian School Board Association.
I first ran provincially in 1999 and am proud to have served as an MLA for over nine years. Most recently I held the post of Minister of Natural Resources, a responsibility I took very seriously because our resource sector affects the welfare of so many New Brunswick families.
Stephen Harper’s lower taxes are already helping New Brunswick’s working families and businesses and I know that his strong support for our troops is appreciated at CFB Gagetown. But there is more to do, which is why I want to be Fredericton’s strong voice in Ottawa, where as part of a Conservative team, I will work to get things done for you.
Biography
Keith Ashfield, son of Nora Locke and the late Jack Ashfield, was first elected to represent the federal constituency of Fredericton on October 14th, 2008. On October 30th, 2008, he was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the Minister of State for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. On January 19th, 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called upon Keith Ashfield to serve as the Minster of Canada Revenue Agency, Minister of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Minister of Atlantic Gateway and Regional Minister for New Brunswick.
Prior to his election to the Parliament of Canada, Keith was elected three times to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. In the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Bernard Lord, Keith served as the Legislature’s Deputy Speaker from 1999 to 2003 and as provincial Minister of Natural Resources from 2003 to 2006. From 2006 to October 2008, he sat in Opposition. Keith has been actively involved with the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and, for several years, he served as the director of the Fredericton Progressive Conservative Party Association.
Before entering provincial politics, Keith was active in school trustee associations at the local, provincial and national levels. He has held senior positions in local companies, and has owned and operated his own businesses. He studied Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Keith and his wife, Judy, currently reside in Lincoln, NB. They have two grown children, Tara and Seth.
