Neville Langrell (Bill) Barlee (born 1932 in
Grand ForksGrand Forks, population 4,036, is a town in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Granby River and Kettle River, a tributary of the Columbia...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
) is a Canadian politician who was first elected to the
Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaThe Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
as a
New DemocratThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a social democratic political party in Canada. In the Canadian House of Commons, it holds a centre-left position in the Canadian political spectrum. The leader of the federal NDP is Jack Layton...
in 1988. He served as
Minister of AgricultureThe 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...
, Fisheries and Food from 1991 until 1993 and then as Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture from 1993 until 1996.
In 1999, Barlee was recruited by the Liberal Party of Canada and ran as the party's candidate in the district of Kootenay-Boundary-Okanagan in the 2000 federal general election, where he was defeated by a margin of just over 8000 votes by incumbent
Canadian AllianceThe Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003...
MP
Jim GoukJames William "Jim" Gouk is a Canadian politician.Gouk began his political career as an alderman in Castlegar, British Columbia. Gouk would enter federal politics in 1993 when he was elected into the Canadian House of Commons. In the Canadian federal election, 1993 he was elected in Kootenay...
.
Between 1996 and 1999, Barlee ran the consulting firm of Barlee, Geoghegan and Associates with his former assistant
Mike GeogheganMichael Geoghegan is a Canadian government and media relations consultant.He was a ministerial assistant to the New Democratic Party's Bill Barlee from 1991 to 1996...
. The firm achieved a number of notable successes including increasing the number of MRI facilities on Vancouver Island from one to three.
The firm originally premised on giving clients access to NDP cabinet ministers, became increasingly concerned about the negative economic and political impact the NDP administration was having on the province of British Columbia.
This culminated in the release of a polling analysis in May 1999 which predicted the then NDP government would win zero to four seats in the next provincial election. An update of this study was again released in May 2000 which again made the same startling prediction. In May 2001 the NDP were reduced to just two seats in the provincial general election.
Despite having served as an NDP cabinet minister, Barlee was able to build a number of positive relationships within the
British Columbia Liberal PartyThe British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
which in turn contributed to his decision to run federally for the Liberal Party of Canada.
Barlee is best known for his TV show. Pieces from his collection were also used on his award winning television series
Gold Trails and Ghost Towns, which ran from 1986 to 1996 on five different networks nationwide. The show is still seen in reruns.
Work
He has had a varied career as a high school teacher, writer, publisher, and placer miner. Over the past few decades he has carefully amassed an impressive collection of Old West artifacts. Parts of the Barlee collection, valued at more than $1 million, have been placed on display in the
Canadian Museum of CivilizationThe Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada’s national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in Ottawa as well as in museums around the country.
During his time as Agriculture Minister, Barlee conceived of and implemented the successful Buy B.C. program, the logo of which can now be found on virtually all food products made or grown in B.C.
Vancouver Sun columnist Denny Boyd credited Bill Barlee as being one of the best Tourism Ministers B.C. has ever had.
Awards and Honours
Barlee has received a number of honours during his career including the "Golden Door" award from the BC and Yukon Hotel Association; the "Stellar Award" by the BC Restaurants and Food Services Association; and the "Visionary Award" from the BC Council of Tourism Associations.