William D. Casey (born February 19, 1945) is a Canadian politician from Nova Scotia who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada. First elected as a Progressive Conservative in 1988, he later sat as Conservative MP following the party merger in 2003. In 2007, Casey was expelled from the party for voting against the 2007 budget, but he was reelected as an Independent in the 2008 election and sat as such until he resigned his seat in 2009 to work on behalf of the Nova Scotian government for provincial interests in Ottawa. Casey decided to return to federal politics in the 2015 federal election and running as a Liberal easily took the seat with 63.73% of the popular vote.
Bill Casey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Standing Committee on Health | |
| In office February 3, 2016 – September 11, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Lobb |
| Succeeded by | Ron McKinnon |
| Member of Parliament for Cumberland—Colchester | |
| In office October 19, 2015 – October 21, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | first member |
| Succeeded by | Lenore Zann |
| In office June 2, 1997 – June 28, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Dianne Brushett |
| Succeeded by | Riding Abolished |
| In office November 21, 1988 – October 25, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Robert C. Coates |
| Succeeded by | Dianne Brushett |
| Member of Parliament for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley | |
| In office June 28, 2004 – April 30, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Riding Established |
| Succeeded by | Scott Armstrong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 19, 1945 Amherst, Nova Scotia |
| Political party | Liberal (2014-present) |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (1988-2003) Conservative (2003-2007) Independent (2007-2014) |
| Spouse | Rosemary Casey |
| Residence(s) | Amherst, Nova Scotia |
| Profession | Businessman, stockbroker |
Life and career
edit
Casey was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia. He was a car salesman and stockbroker before going into politics. He was first elected, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, to represent the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the 1988 election. In common with almost every other PC Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1993 election he lost his seat, in his case being defeated by Liberal candidate Dianne Brushett.[1]
In the 1997 election, he retook the seat, defeating Brushett,[2] and represented it until April 30, 2009.
In 2003, the PCs merged into the new Conservative Party. He was the deputy whip of the Official Opposition from 2004 until the 2006 election, and had served as the Conservative critic of Transport, International Trade, National Revenue, and Foreign Affairs in the past.
When the Conservatives' 2007 budget was released, Casey praised it, saying: "I have never seen a budget that has had more in it for the people of my riding than this one does."[3] However, on June 5, 2007, he voted against it, claiming that it broke the Atlantic Accord with his province and Newfoundland and Labrador. He was expelled from the Conservative caucus, and sat as an Independent MP.[4] During the rest of the 39th Parliament, he styled himself as an Independent Progressive Conservative.[5]
In October 2007, the Conservative Party riding association in Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley renominated Casey as its candidate for the 2008 election. The party's head office refused to accept Casey's nomination, and suspended the association's board.[6]
On January 31, 2008, Casey underwent surgery for prostate cancer. His surgery was a success and all the cancer was removed. Casey previously had to have a cancerous growth removed from his back.[7]
On September 4, the Green Party of Canada declared its support for his candidacy and announced that they would not field a candidate against him in the 2008 election.[8] On October 14, 2008, Casey was re-elected as an independent by winning 69% of the popular vote. His nearest opponent was Karen Olsen of the New Democrats with just 12% of the vote.[9]
During the 2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute, Casey announced he would vote against Harper in a motion of non-confidence.[10] He announced in January 2009 that he would not run for re-election in the next federal election[11] However, on April 28, 2009, Rodney MacDonald, the Premier of Nova Scotia, announced that Casey would be the senior representative for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs in Ottawa for the province, replacing Ian Thompson.[12] Casey officially resigned his seat on April 30.
On November 18, 2014, Casey announced he was running for the Liberal nomination in his former riding for the 2015 federal election[13] and won the nomination vote on February 28, 2015.[14][15] On October 19, 2015, Casey won the election, defeating Conservative incumbent Scott Armstrong.[16][17][18]
In September 2018, Casey announced that he would not run in the 2019 election.[19]
In July 2021, Casey announced he would run in the next Nova Scotia general election as a candidate for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party in Cumberland North. The incumbent was former PC MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, who ran as an independent.[20] Casey was unsuccessful losing to Smith-McCrossin.[21]
Personal life
editCasey was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2006 and underwent two surgeries to have the cancerous mole removed.[22] He battled prostate cancer and underwent surgery in early February 2008.[23][24]
Electoral record
edit| 2021 Nova Scotia general election: Cumberland North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Independent | Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin | 4,235 | 53.87 | +2.161 | $61,145.93 | |||
| Liberal | Bill Casey | 2,488 | 31.65 | -6.90 | $51,915.80 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | David Wightman | 569 | 7.24 | -44.471 | $16,693.84 | |||
| New Democratic | Lauren Skabar | 569 | 7.24 | +0.19 | $23,023.94 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 7,861 | 99.43 | -0.06 | $79,940.53 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 45 | 0.57 | +0.06 | |||||
| Turnout | 7,906 | 58.59 | +5.29 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 13,494 | |||||||
| Independent gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | +4.53 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia[25][26] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Bill Casey | 29,527 | 63.73 | +45.35 | – | |||
| Conservative | Scott Armstrong | 12,257 | 26.45 | –26.48 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Wendy Robinson | 2,647 | 5.71 | –16.77 | – | |||
| Green | Jason Matthew Blanch | 1,650 | 3.56 | –1.81 | – | |||
| Independent | Kenneth Jackson | 181 | 0.39 | – | – | |||
| Independent | Richard Trueman Plett | 70 | 0.15 | – | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 46,332 | 100.0 | $206,116.04 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 178 | 0.38 | –0.25 | |||||
| Turnout | 46,510 | 71.64 | +13.30 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 64,923 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +35.92 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[27][28] | ||||||||
| 2008 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Independent | Bill Casey | 27,303 | 69.01 | +16.97 | $68,549.58 | |||
| New Democratic | Karen Olsson | 4,874 | 12.32 | -8.42 | $6,944.11 | |||
| Conservative | Joel Bernard | 3,493 | 8.83 | -43.21 | $35,846.73 | |||
| Liberal | Tracy Parsons | 3,344 | 8.45 | -15.44 | $28,266.26 | |||
| Independent | Rick Simpson | 550 | 1.39 | +0.17 | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 39,564 | 100.0 | $84,518 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 201 | 0.51 | +0.04 | |||||
| Turnout | 39,765 | 57.77 | -4.08 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 68,831 | |||||||
| Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.68 | ||||||
| 2006 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Bill Casey | 22,439 | 52.04 | +1.55 | $50,744.39 | |||
| Liberal | Gary Richard | 10,299 | 23.89 | -2.60 | $30,783.20 | |||
| New Democratic | Margaret Sagar | 8,944 | 20.74 | +1.83 | $15,901.38 | |||
| Green | Bruce Farrell | 910 | 2.11 | -1.00 | $118.51 | |||
| Independent | Rick Simpson | 524 | 1.22 | – | $253.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 43,116 | 100.0 | $79,110 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 203 | 0.47 | -0.01 | |||||
| Turnout | 43,319 | 61.85 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 70,036 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +2.08 | ||||||
| 2004 Canadian federal election: North Nova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Bill Casey | 20,188 | 50.49 | -9.99 | $63,528.46 | |||
| Liberal | Dianne Brushett | 10,591 | 26.49 | +0.13 | $40,391.55 | |||
| New Democratic | Margaret Sagar | 7,560 | 18.91 | +5.87 | $14,509.58 | |||
| Green | Sheila Richardson | 1,245 | 3.11 | – | $1,050.38 | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Jack Moors | 399 | 1.00 | – | $553.10 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 39,983 | 100.0 | $76,024 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 192 | 0.48 | ||||||
| Turnout | 40,175 | 60.46 | -0.32 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 66,451 | |||||||
| Conservative notional gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | -5.06 | ||||||
| Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Conservative Party change is based on the combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party totals. | ||||||||
| 2000 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Casey | 18,716 | 48.49 | +4.86 | ||||
| Liberal | Dianne Brushett | 10,271 | 26.61 | +0.82 | ||||
| Alliance | Bryden Ryan | 4,981 | 12.91 | -1.08 | ||||
| New Democratic | James Harpell | 4,629 | 11.99 | -2.21 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 38,597 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | 2.84 | ||||||
| 1997 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Casey | 18,610 | 43.63 | +7.15 | ||||
| Liberal | Dianne Brushett | 11,002 | 25.79 | -16.80 | ||||
| New Democratic | Peter Stewart | 6,058 | 14.20 | +8.64 | ||||
| Reform | Bob Peterson | 5,970 | 13.99 | +0.80 | ||||
| Independent | Ray Merriam | 826 | 1.94 | |||||
| Natural Law | Phyllis Hall | 193 | 0.45 | -0.28 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 42,659 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +11.98 | ||||||
| 1993 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Dianne Brushett | 18,195 | 42.59 | +1.03 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Casey | 15,582 | 36.48 | -9.71 | ||||
| Reform | Audrey Staples | 5,636 | 13.19 | |||||
| New Democratic | Barbara Jack | 2,374 | 5.56 | -3.76 | ||||
| Christian Heritage | Steve McLean | 618 | 1.45 | -1.02 | ||||
| Natural Law | Phyllis Hall | 312 | 0.73 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 42,717 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | +5.37 | ||||||
| 1988 Canadian federal election: Cumberland—Colchester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Casey | 20,384 | 46.19 | -11.10 | ||||
| Liberal | Dennis James | 18,340 | 41.56 | +11.96 | ||||
| New Democratic | Barbara Jack | 4,112 | 9.32 | -3.78 | ||||
| Christian Heritage | Norman W. Pearce | 1,088 | 2.47 | |||||
| Independent | Bob Kirk | 210 | 0.48 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 44,134 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -11.53 | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Atlantic region hands Liberals near-clean sweep". The Chronicle Herald. October 26, 1993. Archived from the original on November 21, 2001. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Casey cruises back to power". The Chronicle Herald. June 3, 1997. Archived from the original on November 30, 2001. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ MP Casey surprised at controversy caused by budget Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Truro Daily News, March 22, 2007.
- ^ "Tory MP ejected from caucus after budget vote". CBC News. June 5, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ^ "N.S. premier urges revolt against federal budget". CTV News. June 10, 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Riding uproar over Tories' decision to oust executive". CanWest News Service. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Surgery a success: Bill Casey recovering at home following prostate operation". Amherst Daily News. February 4, 2008. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "Green Party will not run against Bill Casey" (Press release). Green Party of Canada. September 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Harper bets the House, wins another minority". The Globe and Mail. October 15, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ "Casey to vote non-confidence against his former party". Metro News Halifax. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ "Independent MP Casey won't seek re-election". CBC News. January 13, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Turfed Tory Casey to be Nova Scotia's chief lobbyist in Ottawa". CBC News. April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Former MP Bill Casey wants to run for federal Liberals next year". CBC News. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
- ^ "Bill Casey is the Liberal candidate for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley". CBC News. February 28, 2015.
- ^ "Casey wins Cumberland Colchester Liberal nomination for upcoming federal election". Truro Daily News. February 28, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ "Bill Casey snatches Cumberland-Colchester from Conservatives". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- ^ "Bill Casey 'glad to be part of the change'". The Chronicle Herald. October 19, 2015. Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "Bill Casey takes Liberal seat in historic Cumberland-Colchester win". Global News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- ^ "MP Bill Casey will not seek re-election in 2019". Truro Daily News. September 19, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ @NEWS957 (9 July 2021). "JUST IN: Former N.S. liberal MP Bill Casey announces he'll be running as the provincial liberal candidate in Cumber…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin elected as Independent in Cumberland North". CBC News. August 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ Cole, Darrell (May 29, 2014). "Amid warnings on melanoma rates, former MP Bill Casey shares his cancer story". The Amherst News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey on mend after prostate cancer surgery". Cape Breton Post. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
- ^ "Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey expects full recovery from prostate cancer". CBC News. March 13, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
- ^ "Provincial General Election 2021-08-17- Official Results". Elections Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "41st Provincial General Election". Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Cumberland—Colchester (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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