Ted Flemming (politician)
Hugh John Alexander "Ted" Flemming is a Canadian politician, currently serving as MLA for the electoral district of Rothesay in New Brunswick. Flemming was elected to the legislature in a by-election on June 25, 2012.
Flemming graduated from the University of New Brunswick law school in 1978 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1992. He has served on the board of directors of the New Brunswick Securities Commission and the Saint John Port Authority. and the Business Development Branch of Canada. He is not an actively practicing lawyer.
Flemming is from the fourth generation of the Flemming family to seek office under the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. His father, Hugh John Flemming, Jr., was an unsuccessful candidate for the legislature in the riding of Saint John North in the 1974 provincial election. His grandfather, Hugh John Flemming was Premier of New Brunswick and a member of John Diefenbaker's federal cabinet. His great-grandfather James Kidd Flemming was also Premier and a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
Flemming entered politics in the spring of 2012 becoming a candidate in a by-election in the provincial riding of Rothesay. Flemming won the campaign and within just a few months was named to the high-profile cabinet position of minister of health. He later became Attorney General of New Brunswick in addition to his responsibilities at health in 2013.
Hugh J. Flemming, QC, is a Canadian politician elected to represent the constituency of Rothesay, New Brunswick in a by-election June 25, 2012, who served as Minister of Health from September 26, 2012 and Attorney General from September 23, 2013 to September 22, 2014. He was re-elected as MLA for the riding of Rothesay on September 22, 2014.
Before politics
Flemming was born on June 13, 1954 in Sussex, New Brunswick. He is the son of Hugh John Flemming, Jr., a university professor.
Flemming completed his high school education at Millidgeville North High School in Saint John, NB and is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick, Saint John campus, and the Faculty of Law at UNB Fredericton as a Beaverbrook Law Scholar.
On June 25, 1977 he married Nancy Doucet from Petit Rocher, New Brunswick. The Flemming's have three children: Jonathan, Sarah and Heather and three grandchildren Hugh, Adam and Nathan.
Grandfather and Great Grandfather
Flemming's political life began at an early age watching his grandfather Hugh John Flemming, who was the 24th Premier of New Brunswick and a federal Member of Parliament.
Hugh John Flemming was first elected to the province's Legislative Assembly in 1944 after more than twenty years as a municipal councilor. As Premier during two terms, Hugh John Flemming modernized the province's hydro and highway systems while presenting a balanced budget every year in office.
In 1960, he was named Minister of Forestry in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. He sought a seat in a by-election in southern New Brunswick in 1960 and was re-elected to his home district four times before he retired from the House of Commons of Canada in 1972. He became Minister of National Revenue in 1962 and is responsible for the equalization system in place in Canada today.
The Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre in Fredericton is home to the Maritime College of Forest Technology as well as several branches of the governments of New Brunswick and Canada, and the K.C. Irving Theatre.
Flemming's great grandfather, James Kidd Flemming was a school teacher and lumberman before entering politics and serving as the Premier of New Brunswick in 1911. In the June 1912 general election, James Kidd Flemming led his provincial party to the biggest electoral victory in its history. In addition to two independent Conservative seats, the Conservative Party captured 42 of the province's 46 seats.
Under James Kidd Flemming, the French language was used for the first time in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. James Kidd Flemming won a seat in the House of Commons of Canada in the 1925 federal election and again in the 1926 election.
He was president and director of the Flemming and Gibson lumber business in Juniper, New Brunswick. His son, Hugh John Flemming took over the business and too entered politics, serving as Premier of New Brunswick from 1952 to 1960.
Early career
Ted Flemming was the President of the Saint John East Progressive Conservative electoral district and nominated Gerald Merrithew, who went on to win the Saint John riding in the 1984 Canadian federal election. Elected to the House of Commons of Canada in Ottawa, and with his party winning the election, Merrithew was a key cabinet minister delivering the $6.2 billion contract to construct a dozen patrol frigates for the Canadian navy employing over 4,000 workers in the late 1980s in Saint John. Flemming was a close political confidant of Merrithew on both provincial and federal political issues.
A resident of Rothesay for over three decades, Flemming practiced law for more than 20 years, specializing in corporate, commercial, securities transportation and construction law, and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1992 at 38 years of age. He was Counsel to Gilbert, McGloan, Gillis Barristers & Solicitors from 1992 to 2010 and a partner with Clark, Drummie Barristers & Solicitors from 1978 to 1991.
Businessman
Flemming owned several successful businesses including Caldwell Transport Limited, Can-Am Charter Service, Maritime Truck and Trailer Inc., Provincial Lumber Limited and Brunswick Timber Exports Inc.
Caldwell Transport was a general common carrier operating 70 trucks from its Rothesay, NB office and provided full truck load service to a variety of customers primarily in the forest products, peat moss, dry bulk, construction materials and food service sectors.
Can-Am Charter Services was a charter bus service operating 17 luxury motor coaches throughout eastern Canada and the United States.
Maritime Truck and Trailer was a full service truck and trailer maintenance centre with five bays, five mechanics and service representatives.
Provincial Lumber was the province's largest importer and exporter of forest products consisting of many former Flemming and Gibson executives.
At its peak, Flemming was the president of a group of companies with combined sales of $35 million and more than 125 employees.
Flemming retired from his business career December 31, 2011.
Board member
He has been very active in his community and the Greater Saint John region. He served as a director of Market Square Corporation, the New Brunswick Securities Commission, the Saint John Port Authority.
Flemming, who was general counsel for all legal matters for the Saint John Port Corporation from 1986 to 1995, was a member of the Board of Directors for the Port of Saint John beginning in 2008 and vice-chairman in 2010 serving on the Executive and Audit Committees.
He was a member of the New Brunswick Securities Commission including chairman of the Audit Committee from 2004 to 2008.
A director on the BDC board for ten years from 1986 to 1996, Flemming served as a member of the Executive Committee and chairman of the Audit and Pension Committees.
He was a member of the board of directors for Market Square Corporation including chairman of the Audit Committee from 1980 to 1989.
Flemming also served on the Town of Rothesay Planning Advisory Committee and as Atlantic Canada representative on the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee.
Political career
Hugh J. Flemming, Q.C., was elected to represent the constituency of Rothesay in a by-election on June 25, 2012. He was named Minister of Health on September 26, 2012, and was appointed Attorney General on September 23, 2013. On September 22, 2014, he was reelected as the MLA for the riding of Rothesay.
As Minister of Health, Flemming was credited with making Medicare sustainable in New Brunswick by Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe & Mail, May 23, 2014.
As Attorney General, Flemming oversaw the drafting of Legislation for the Shared Risk Pension Plan and was intimately involved in pension reforms recognized by the independent North American Institute of Actuaries as one of the top pension reform models in North America. In fact, the Shared Risk Pension model was one of three case studies, along with Rhode Island and Holland, highlighted in the best-selling book The Third Rail: Confronting Our Pension Failures, written in 2013 by former Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan CEO Jim Leech and Jacquie McNish of the Globe & Mail.
During his term as Attorney General, Flemming supervised several multimillion-dollar lawsuits to recover funds for New Brunswick taxpayers.