Willard Phelps

Willard Leroy Phelps ( born October 23, 1941 in Vancouver, British Columbia ) is a Canadian politician.

Biography

Phelps began his political career in 1974 with the election of a member of the Territorial Council of Yukon ( Yukon Territorial Council), the Deputy Speaker and Chairman he was later. After the granting of self-government law, he decided not to run in 1978, however, for election as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Yukon ( Yukon Legislative Assembly ).

In early March 1985, he was chosen as successor by Chris Pearson Chairman of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party ( YPCP ) and on 20 March 1985, his successor as Prime Minister of the list of Yukon. However, from this position he was forced to resign on 29 May 1985 after the YPCP the proclaimed by him early elections on 13 May 1985 lost to the Yukon New Democratic Party of Tony Penikett, because before a conflict of interest over a he owned land in the capital Whitehorse became known.

Nevertheless, he remained until 1991, Chairman of the YPCP and leader of the opposition. In 1991 he first announced his withdrawal from political life.

In the legislative elections of 19 October 1992, he decided to run for president in the short term as a non-party and was elected as one of three independent members of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. However, as such, he supported the minority government of Prime Minister John Ostashek and was therefore of this Minister of Health, Social Services, Justice, the Yukon Energy Corporation. and the Yukon Development Corp.. appointed. In a cabinet reshuffle, he was Minister of Education in 1994 and retained the offices of the Minister for Health and Social.

In March 1996 there was a scandal after a former friend published a of him two weeks earlier held in drunken speech at a bar in Carcross. In this speech, Phelps called the Chairman of the Planning Area Advisory Committee of Carcross ( Carcross Area Advisory Planning Committee ) and chief (Chief ) of the Carcross / Tagish First Nation, Bill Hensley, a liar and insulted several members of the advisory committee. He also stated in this speech that he would vote against any government that would approve the funds for Carcross.

Although Phelps apologized for his remarks in the Legislative Assembly, Ostashek described the derailment as a serious matter and would cause the dismissal of Phelps. However, Phelps came this release before, by offering his resignation, the Ostashek then accepted.

In the elections to the Legislative Assembly on 30 September 1996, he ran as an Independent while again, but was not re-elected.