Ben Stewart
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Richard Stewart is a Canadian
politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
in the 2009 provincial election
and a winemaker
who has operated Quails' Gate Estate Winery
with several family members in the Okanagan
since 1989. He represents the riding of Westside-Kelowna
as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party
. As a member of the provincial government
, he worked as Minister of Citizens' Services (June 2009 - June 2010), Minister of Community and Rural Development (June 2010 - October 2010), and Minister of Agriculture (October 2010 - March 2011).
In the 2011 BC Liberal Party leadership election
he endorsed Kevin Falcon
; following Christy Clark
's victory, she made Stewart Government Whip
. Stewart also serves as a member of the Cabinet Priorities and Planning Committee, as well as the Legislative Review Committee.
, British Columbia. His father, Dick, had moved to the Okanagan in 1911 where he started a nursery growing fruit and shade trees. Dick purchased a West Kelowna vineyard in 1956 which Ben would later incorporate as Quails' Gate Estate Winery
. Along with his wife, Ruth, and brother, Tony, they began making their own wine in 1989, with bottling beginning in 1990. In the first couple of years, they were producing about 4,000 cases of wine. Sufficient demand allowed them to expand numerous times so that in 1997 they produced 28,000 cases. A $4 million expansion in 1998 increased their production to 60,000 cases. The winery specialized in pinot noir
s. Their tasting room and wine shop was located in an historical building, built by one of the first white settlers in the area, before being replaced with a more modern facility during their 2007 expansion.
Stewart was a proponent of attracting tourism to the Okanagan, as well as promoting exports of British Columbia wine
. In 2006, their local Chamber of Commerce awarded Stewart their President's Award for his efforts in promoting Okanagan businesses. The next year Quails' Gate Estate Winery
was awarded the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise's regional Family Enterprise of the Year Award. Stewart also served as the marketing chair of the BC Wine Institute, chairman of the Vintners Quality Alliance
, and as a member of the UBC Okanagan
Advisory Council.
's announcement that he would not stand for re-election in the next federal election, Stewart campaigned to be the next Conservative Party of Canada
candidate in the Kelowna—Lake Country
riding. While six other candidates ran, Kelowna city councillor Ron Cannan
eventually won the Conservative Party nomination and went on to win the 2006 general election
. In 2008, following MLA
Rick Thorpe
decision not to stand in the next provincial election, and following the re-alignment of electoral boundaries to create the Westside-Kelowna
riding, Stewart sought to be the B.C. Liberal Party
candidate. Only two candidates stood for the nomination: Stewart and Rick de Jong, brother of then-Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Mike de Jong
. Stewart won the nomination and was the B.C. Liberal candidate in the 2009 provincial election
. He campaigned on an economic platform: that the BC Liberals in power would be more beneficial for the provincial economy than a New Democrat government. Stewart won the election, with 53% of the vote, over the NDP candidate and mental health worker Tish Lakes, who received 29% of the vote and stated "I was never running against Ben Stewart. I was running against the policies of [Liberal leader] Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals."
BC Premier Gordon Campbell immediately promoted Stewart to the Executive Council of British Columbia
as the Minister of Citizens' Services and the Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism and the Public Affairs Bureau. As minister, Stewart was immediately thrust into the spotlight as allegations against the Public Affairs Bureau arose concerning the suppression of a report, that should have been released prior to the election, showing a 50% increase in welfare enrollments in 2009. Stewart responded with the statement that the bureau was following protocol regarding the release of information during an election campaign and that the same bureau also withheld a report showing positive job growth during the month of April 2009, a month prior to the election. In December 2009 Stewart also had to defend the Ministry of Housing and Social Development who was under investigation regarding the leak of "mailed sensitive government information to someone in the United States" Stewart stated that "We don't exactly know who this other individual is, but it's believed they could be in the United States."
In his October 25, 2010 cabinet re-shuffling, Campbell promoted Stewart to Minister of Agriculture. Within the first few weeks, he toured the Peace River region
, which had suffered a dry summer, and spoke about improving ministry programs like Agristability and production insurance. Shortly afterwards, he was consulted by the federal agricultural minister
Gerry Ritz
regarding Canada farm-disaster aid. Stewart has spoke favourably about local purchasing
and considered re-establishing the "Buy B.C." program. Stewart signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Gail Shea
for regulating aquaculture
as a "shared responsibility". In late-2010, a comprehensive review of the Agricultural Land Commission
was done and recommendations submitted to Stewart who said he would review the report and discuss with fellow cabinet ministers before making it public.
In the 2011 BC Liberal Party leadership election
, following Campbell's resignation, Stewart endorsed Kevin Falcon
, noting his approval of Falcon's "support of deregulation for businesses" and his performance as Minister of Health; however, Christy Clark
eventually won. Clark did not include Stewart in her first cabinet
, but did appoint him Government Whip
. He currently serves on the Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides, the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives, as well as the BC Liberals Priorities and Planning Committee and Legislative Review Committee.
| style="width: 130px" |BC Liberal
|Ben Stewart
|align="right"|10,334
|align="right"|53%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$95,251
|NDP
|Tish Lakes
|align="right"|5,656
|align="right"|29%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$26,122
| Conservative
| Peter Neville
|align="right"|1,772
|align="right"|9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$9,705
|Green
|Robin McKim
|align="right"|1,617
|align="right"|8%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$1,075
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|19,379
!align="right"|100%
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|107
!align="right"|0.55%
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|19,486
!align="right"|47%
|}
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
in the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
and a winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
who has operated Quails' Gate Estate Winery
Quails' Gate Winery
Quails’ Gate Winery is a Canadian Winery located on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Westbank, British Columbia. Situated in the heart of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Quails’ Gate produces over 50,000 cases of wine per year. The entire portfolio of Quails’ Gate wines are best known for their...
with several family members in the Okanagan
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
since 1989. He represents the riding of Westside-Kelowna
Westside-Kelowna
Westside-Kelowna is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It will come into effect upon the next dissolution of the BC Legislature, currently scheduled for April 2009, and will first be contested in the ensuing election.-...
as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
. As a member of the provincial government
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
, he worked as Minister of Citizens' Services (June 2009 - June 2010), Minister of Community and Rural Development (June 2010 - October 2010), and Minister of Agriculture (October 2010 - March 2011).
In the 2011 BC Liberal Party leadership election
British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011
The British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election of 2011 was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3, 2010 that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date." The...
he endorsed Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon is a Canadian politician and is the current Deputy Premier of British Columbia, Canada. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the district of Surrey-Cloverdale and is a member of the BC Liberals...
; following Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
's victory, she made Stewart Government Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. Stewart also serves as a member of the Cabinet Priorities and Planning Committee, as well as the Legislative Review Committee.
Quails' Gate Estate Winery
Ben Stewart was born and raised in KelownaKelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia. His father, Dick, had moved to the Okanagan in 1911 where he started a nursery growing fruit and shade trees. Dick purchased a West Kelowna vineyard in 1956 which Ben would later incorporate as Quails' Gate Estate Winery
Quails' Gate Winery
Quails’ Gate Winery is a Canadian Winery located on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Westbank, British Columbia. Situated in the heart of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Quails’ Gate produces over 50,000 cases of wine per year. The entire portfolio of Quails’ Gate wines are best known for their...
. Along with his wife, Ruth, and brother, Tony, they began making their own wine in 1989, with bottling beginning in 1990. In the first couple of years, they were producing about 4,000 cases of wine. Sufficient demand allowed them to expand numerous times so that in 1997 they produced 28,000 cases. A $4 million expansion in 1998 increased their production to 60,000 cases. The winery specialized in pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
s. Their tasting room and wine shop was located in an historical building, built by one of the first white settlers in the area, before being replaced with a more modern facility during their 2007 expansion.
Stewart was a proponent of attracting tourism to the Okanagan, as well as promoting exports of British Columbia wine
British Columbia wine
British Columbia wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of British Columbia. Wines made from 100 percent British Columbia grapes can qualify for classification under one of British Columbia's two classification systems, depending on the varietal, the wine-making techniques employed, and...
. In 2006, their local Chamber of Commerce awarded Stewart their President's Award for his efforts in promoting Okanagan businesses. The next year Quails' Gate Estate Winery
Quails' Gate Winery
Quails’ Gate Winery is a Canadian Winery located on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Westbank, British Columbia. Situated in the heart of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Quails’ Gate produces over 50,000 cases of wine per year. The entire portfolio of Quails’ Gate wines are best known for their...
was awarded the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise's regional Family Enterprise of the Year Award. Stewart also served as the marketing chair of the BC Wine Institute, chairman of the Vintners Quality Alliance
Vintners Quality Alliance
Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines made under that system in British Columbia and Ontario. It is similar to regulatory systems in France , Italy , and Germany...
, and as a member of the UBC Okanagan
UBC Okanagan
The University of British Columbia Okanagan is a campus of the University of British Columbia, located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The official name for the campus is simply UBC's Okanagan Campus, although it is frequently called 'UBCO.'...
Advisory Council.
Politics
In 2005, following Member of Parliament Werner SchmidtWerner Schmidt
Werner Schmidt is a former Canadian politician. A teacher and school principal.-Political career:Schmidt was vice-president of Lethbridge Community College when he was chosen to succeed Harry Strom as leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party following the defeat of Strom's government in 1971...
's announcement that he would not stand for re-election in the next federal election, Stewart campaigned to be the next Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate in the Kelowna—Lake Country
Kelowna—Lake Country
Kelowna—Lake Country is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
riding. While six other candidates ran, Kelowna city councillor Ron Cannan
Ron Cannan
Ronald "Ron" D. Cannan is a Canadian Member of Parliament and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. An advertising consultant by profession, Cannan was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2006 federal election and represents the riding of Kelowna—Lake Country...
eventually won the Conservative Party nomination and went on to win the 2006 general election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
. In 2008, following MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Rick Thorpe
Rick Thorpe
Rick Thorpe is a Canadian politician. He was a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly in the province of British Columbia from 1996 to 2009, representing the riding of Okanagan-Westside.-External links:*...
decision not to stand in the next provincial election, and following the re-alignment of electoral boundaries to create the Westside-Kelowna
Westside-Kelowna
Westside-Kelowna is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It will come into effect upon the next dissolution of the BC Legislature, currently scheduled for April 2009, and will first be contested in the ensuing election.-...
riding, Stewart sought to be the B.C. Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
candidate. Only two candidates stood for the nomination: Stewart and Rick de Jong, brother of then-Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Mike de Jong
Mike de Jong
Mike de Jong, Q.C. is a politician from British Columbia, Canada.-Politics and career:He was appointed Minister of Health Mike de Jong on March 14, 2011. He has previously held the post of Attorney General and Government House Leader, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister of...
. Stewart won the nomination and was the B.C. Liberal candidate in the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
. He campaigned on an economic platform: that the BC Liberals in power would be more beneficial for the provincial economy than a New Democrat government. Stewart won the election, with 53% of the vote, over the NDP candidate and mental health worker Tish Lakes, who received 29% of the vote and stated "I was never running against Ben Stewart. I was running against the policies of [Liberal leader] Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals."
BC Premier Gordon Campbell immediately promoted Stewart to the Executive Council of British Columbia
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
as the Minister of Citizens' Services and the Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism and the Public Affairs Bureau. As minister, Stewart was immediately thrust into the spotlight as allegations against the Public Affairs Bureau arose concerning the suppression of a report, that should have been released prior to the election, showing a 50% increase in welfare enrollments in 2009. Stewart responded with the statement that the bureau was following protocol regarding the release of information during an election campaign and that the same bureau also withheld a report showing positive job growth during the month of April 2009, a month prior to the election. In December 2009 Stewart also had to defend the Ministry of Housing and Social Development who was under investigation regarding the leak of "mailed sensitive government information to someone in the United States" Stewart stated that "We don't exactly know who this other individual is, but it's believed they could be in the United States."
In his October 25, 2010 cabinet re-shuffling, Campbell promoted Stewart to Minister of Agriculture. Within the first few weeks, he toured the Peace River region
Peace River Country
The Peace River Country is an aspen parkland region around the Peace River in Canada. It spans from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where the region is also referred to as the Peace River Block.- Geography :The Peace River Country includes the...
, which had suffered a dry summer, and spoke about improving ministry programs like Agristability and production insurance. Shortly afterwards, he was consulted by the federal agricultural minister
Minister of Agriculture (Canada)
The Minister of Agriculture is a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Farm Products Council and...
Gerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz, PC, MP is Canada's Agriculture minister and a Canadian Member of Parliament for Battlefords—Lloydminster, a largely rural riding in Saskatchewan...
regarding Canada farm-disaster aid. Stewart has spoke favourably about local purchasing
Local purchasing
Local purchasing is a preference to buy locally produced goods and services over those produced more distantly. It is very often abbreviated as a positive goal 'buy local' to parallel the phrase think globally, act locally common in green politics....
and considered re-establishing the "Buy B.C." program. Stewart signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for supervising the fishing industry and administrating all navigable waterways in the country...
Gail Shea
Gail Shea
Gail Shea, PC, MP is a Canadian politician, currently the Member of Parliament for Egmont. She was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2000 to 2007, representing the electoral district of Tignish-DeBlois as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.As...
for regulating aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
as a "shared responsibility". In late-2010, a comprehensive review of the Agricultural Land Commission
Agricultural Land Reserve
The Agricultural Land Reserve is a collection of land in the Canadian province of British Columbia in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. Farming is encouraged and non-agricultural uses are controlled. In total, the ALR covers approximately and includes private and public lands...
was done and recommendations submitted to Stewart who said he would review the report and discuss with fellow cabinet ministers before making it public.
In the 2011 BC Liberal Party leadership election
British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011
The British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election of 2011 was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3, 2010 that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date." The...
, following Campbell's resignation, Stewart endorsed Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon is a Canadian politician and is the current Deputy Premier of British Columbia, Canada. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the district of Surrey-Cloverdale and is a member of the BC Liberals...
, noting his approval of Falcon's "support of deregulation for businesses" and his performance as Minister of Health; however, Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
eventually won. Clark did not include Stewart in her first cabinet
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
, but did appoint him Government Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. He currently serves on the Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides, the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives, as well as the BC Liberals Priorities and Planning Committee and Legislative Review Committee.
Electoral history
|-| style="width: 130px" |BC Liberal
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
|Ben Stewart
|align="right"|10,334
|align="right"|53%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$95,251
|NDP
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
|Tish Lakes
|align="right"|5,656
|align="right"|29%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$26,122
| Conservative
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...
| Peter Neville
|align="right"|1,772
|align="right"|9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$9,705
|Green
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...
|Robin McKim
|align="right"|1,617
|align="right"|8%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$1,075
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|19,379
!align="right"|100%
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|107
!align="right"|0.55%
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|19,486
!align="right"|47%
|}
External links
- Legislative Assembly of British Columbia - Honourable Ben Stewart
- British Columbia Liberal Party - Ben Stewart (Westside-Kelowna)